Page 80 of Heir of Darkness

“Fuck off,” Augustus spit out. “I don’t get involved in this bullshit.”

“Suddenly Luna stops being an asset, so he throws out keeping her alive all together. How much more evidence do you need?” Valerio asked Finn.

“None of this is evidence. It's all coincidence,” he said.

“Then look through his shit. Find concrete evidence that proves your father didn’t do this because as it stands, he’s the first person on my hit list right now,” Valerio told him. “The only fucking loophole that all of us know of is death. He wasn’t above hitting her, he wasn’t above hitting you, he’s not above this either. Sleep with one eye open. If he was dumb enough to attempt to murder my Luna, then you’re not far from it either.”

He knew Finn was shocked, his mind going through a million different thoughts. He wanted to believe his father could be good, but the truth was none of them were. Given the horrible shit both Cesare Vitali and Reece Kingsley had done, an attempted assassination on their own kids couldn’t be out of the question. Not until they were proven otherwise.

Valerio wouldn’t sleep until whoever did this to her was buried six feet under. And rest assured, he would find the person responsible.

“Then what’s the plan?” Allister asked.

“We’re going to throw our engagement party,” Valerio said. “It’s the only time me and Luna will be out in public together. If someone wants to target the two of us, then they’ll have their chance to. We’ll catch whoever is suspicious and use our usual methods to get information we need.”

“Fine,” Finn agreed. “When?”

“Next week,” he told them. “Spread the news. I want everyone in attendance. Not a single person is off the suspect list, so keep your fucking eyes open. If you hear even a whisper or see a slight shadow that is suspicious, then you tell me right away. Got it?”

Valerio didn’t wait for their responses before he turned around to leave. Ready to get back to Luna.

“What should we do with the body?” Dante asked.

“Burn it,” he called out, slamming the warehouse door behind him.

THIRTY

VALERIO

I don’t like that our engagement party will be used to bait dangerous people.

Luna satwith a frown on her face, arms crossed, and the white board on the bed once Valerio finished telling her the plan. It was the next day now and she had been in and out of sleep because of the pain medication. He’d spent the day getting work done in his study and checking in on her on the security cameras. His mind was in preparation mode, organizing the delivery of weapons and supplies to the house that he assumed they would be needing soon. That was the whole reason for the trip to Buffalo, to meet with his arms dealer away from his father’s prying eyes while they were preparing themselves. Of course, now everything was escalated. His father remained a threat and so did whoever tried to kill Luna.

When she finally woke up, she demanded to know everything that happened.

For her sake, he left out the part where he believed her father set up the assassination attempt on her life. That would be far too much stress on her after everything.

“If it means keeping you safe, then we have to try,” Valerio told her. He slipped his T-shirt off, throwing it over the chair of Luna’s new vanity.

She cleared her throat. “I don’t want to sacrifice my engagement party for it.”

He cringed at how rough her voice sounded. “Don’t talk.”

“This is an emergency,” she said.

“No, it’s not,” he rebutted. “Plan the engagement party to whatever extent you want. We’ll catch whoever it is lowkey, so you can still enjoy the party and celebrate our engagement.”

“And where will you be?” Luna asked.

He slipped off his pants, walking to throw it in the hamper inside the walk-in closet before coming back out to stand in front of the bed. It bought him a couple of seconds to build up the courage to face her because despite how sweet she was, she was the one person he was actually intimidated by.

“I will save my torture until after the party,” he promised. “Now, will you join me in the shower?”

She shook her head. “You’re not understanding what the issue is.”

Valerio’s nostrils flared. “Write it on the damn white board.”

“No,” she said. “It makes me feel restricted.”

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