The Hitman's Secret

Ch. 14: Want

VALENTINA

"I don't want to compete with the existing fight rings. I want to create a luxury underground fight club. Like the Casino de Monte-Carlo of illegal fighting," Val mused dreamily.

Behind her, Allison lounged back on her bed and laughed. "Do you realize how crazy that sentence sounds?"

Val paid no attention to her friend's teasing. She'd been brainstorming ideas for her Romano fight club from the moment she stepped out of the underground fight a few days prior. Matteo's harsh words hurt her more than she cared to admit, so she'd focused all of her energy on this new business venture.

She crouched to buckle the straps of her heels and smiled up at her friend. "You say crazy, I say genius."

Elisa, who sat cross-legged beside Allison on Val's bed, nodded. "It's true. The mafiosi love any excuse to dress up and spend money. My first husband would've thrown away tens of thousands in one night."

"See," Val prompted, standing once more and smoothing out the wrinkles from her sapphire blue mini-dress. "And I'm going to bring up the idea to Ezra tonight. Hopefully he'll be able to convince a few senators and friends on the Fortune 500 to come too."

Allison scowled at the mention of Ezra, or the Blonde Devil Spawn as she liked to call him. She shook her head. "Are you sure you don't want me or Elisa to come tonight? I hate that you're going to be alone with him."

As part of her engagement-duties, Val was attending the opening of a new McLeod club, Sapphire, that evening. Hence, the shimmering, deep blue dress that had arrived on her doorstep that afternoon.

She had half a mind to wear a different dress just to spite her fiancè, but she also didn't want to earn his ire and risk their contract. And, as much as she hated to admit it, the dress was beautiful.

"I won't be alone," Val argued, drawing in a deep breath and attempting a convincing smile. "Luca will be there."

Her father had Matteo attending a meeting that evening, leaving Luca to guard Val at the club opening. Besides, Ezra had a security team that resembled the damn Secret Service.

"And I'm sure you'll get to spend a lot of quality time with the debutantes from your engagement party," Allison teased, wiggling her brows.

Val groaned at the thought of facing Ezra's prim, prudish friends again. She didn't think she could take an entire night of conversations about tea parties and country clubs in the Hamptons.

"Maybe it won't be so bad," Elisa murmured, soft and hopeful. Her fingers fidgeted with the strings of a decorative pillow. "Maybe you'll get lucky and everyone will just ignore you."

Val couldn't decide if she'd rather be ignored or forced to endure Ezra's groupies for an evening. She sighed and walked toward her dresser, where she'd placed a pair of dangling diamond hoops and a matching necklace. "At least there'll be an open bar."

She slid the earrings into place then took the necklace and approached the bed. "Elisa, will you help me clasp this?"

The blonde nodded, scooching toward the edge of the mattress. She wore an oversized sweater that swallowed her tiny frame whole, and one of the sleeves fell off a shoulder.

Val paused at the sight of a little red patch of skin adorning Elisa's collarbone.

"Oh my God," she gasped, eyes widening. "Is that what I think it is, Mrs. Romano?!"

"What?" Allison scrambled forward, emitting a shriek of delight when she saw the lovebite, too. "Elisa! You naughty girl!"

The whites of Elisa's bright blue eyes expanded in mortification, and she hastily tugged the sleeve of her sweater back into place. Val had never seen a person's cheeks turn so red.