Page 54 of Days Of Valentino

“I’m coming.” If someone is threatening the woman I love, I want to be the one to pull the trigger.

He lands me with a glare. “No. I need you to stay here with her. There is no one else alive who will protect her like you will, Dante.”

I nod. I may not like it but he’s not wrong. Because there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to protect this girl.

Episode Twenty-Five

Killing—hunting—it isn’t always fun. Until you’re hunting someone who’s threatening your family. That’s when it becomes downright fucking entertaining. Someone wants to get to my daughter. Which means they’re either fucking stupid… or they’refucking stupid. There isn’t another option, because anyone who thinks they can touch one of my kids is already taking their last breath.

“You sure he’s going to show?” Luca asks. My brother has really stepped up into his role as underboss. We don’t tend to get our hands dirty too much these days, but when the threat is this close to home, you can bet your ass I’m going to be the one pulling the trigger.

“He’ll show,” I reply as I continue to stare out the windshield of the car. I didn’t want to tip the fucker off. That’s why there’s only two of us. It’s not like the fucker is going to be able to get past us either way.

“How’s Josie holding up?” Luca asks.

“She’s scared of something happening to Dante,” I groan. “If that little shit does something stupid and ends up dying, I’m going to find a way to bring him back so I can kill him myself for breaking her heart.”

“You know that little shit isyour nephewand was your nephew long before you adopted Josie.” Luca laughs.

“Doesn’t matter. Daughter trumps nephew every time.” I shrug.

“Right. That him?” Luca nods to the figure approaching the meetup spot.

I pull up the picture Dante sent through of the guy he suspects. The last foster parent, or boyfriend of a foster parent, or whatever from Josie’s old life. Dante made a list, a hit list, and this guy is the last name on it.

“That’s him,” I tell my brother before opening the car door and stepping out. A shadow catches my attention out of the corner of my eye and I hiss under my breath as I quickly draw my gun. “Fuck no.” I aim at the fucker staring back at Josie, who is only a few feet away from us, pointing her own gun at him. Even from this distance, I can see her hand shaking. My finger squeezes the trigger and I rush forward, my brother’s footsteps slapping the concrete right behind me.

I watch as the guy’s body falls and Josie turns towards me. The gun she’s holding drops to the ground by her feet. That’s when I see the fucker’s arm move before his fingers reach out.

“Josie, get down!” I yell at the same time I jump on top of her, my body shielding hers.

I hear a gunshot and then my brother cursing right before another shot rings out. Luca is standing over me. Holding his leg with blood dripping down his hand.

“Really? Again, Luc?” I ask him, quickly pushing to my feet. I pick Josie up and check her over. “Are you okay?”

“I—I’m okay.” Her voice trembles as she stares at the now-lifeless body sprawled out next to us.

“Good. Now, what the fuck were you thinking coming here?” I growl. “Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?”

“I know. I’m sorry. I just… He threatened Dante,” she says.

“Dante can handle himself,” I tell her. “And Dante isn’t my daughter. You are. Which means if I tell you to stay in the fucking house, that’s where you stay.”

“I’m sorry,” she repeats—although I know she’d risk her life again if she thought it would save my nephew.

“Yo, kinda bleeding out here,” Luca groans from behind me.

“It’s not my fault you don’t know how to dodge bullets.” I laugh. It’s just a graze. I’m pretty sure he’s going to be fine.

“Fuck you, asshole. This shit hurts like a motherfucker.” He glares at me.

“Get in the car, Josie,” I instruct before wrapping an arm around Luca’s waist and guiding him back to the car.

Once Luca and Josie are situated inside, I send a message to the clean-up crew to come and deal with the body we’re leaving behind.

“How bad is it? Hospital or home?” I ask my brother.

“Home. Call the doc.”

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