Page 88 of Heir of Darkness

LUNA

Luna’s eyessnapped open to the sound of footsteps approaching. Her back ached from the uncomfortable waiting room chair, but she refused to move from that spot in the chance that the doctor would come out to speak to her.

No one had yet.

Dante sat next to her, carrying a cup of coffee in his hands. “Got this for you,” he said, trying to hand it to her.

She shrugged him away. “I don’t want it.”

Her voice was back to being rough and raspy, but this time it was because of the screams and cries she’d let out earlier.

Oh, how she wished she was the one in the operating room and not him. Her Valerio didn’t deserve it, and if he didn’t make it—she stopped herself, swallowing harshly.

“Maybe you should at least wash up and change?” Dante asked.

“The girls are bringing me clothes,” she said. She was still in her dress and hadn’t washed the dried-up blood yet. She didn’t want to leave though. The moment she turned her back, Valerio was on the floor with a bullet in him. She didn’t want to turn her back on him ever again.

Dante sighed. “The nurse said it was going to be a long night.”

“And I’ll stay here until he’s out of surgery and I get to see him. What’s your fucking problem?” she snapped.

“He would want you taken care of.”

“Then he can do it when he recovers and is next to me,” Luna said. “I’m not leaving this spot until then.”

“Then I hope you enjoy the company,” he said, stretching out on the chair beside her. “The others are back at the library looking for anything that would point to who did this. They’ll be back soon.”

“We’ll find who did this,” Luna said. “And when we do, I’ll put a bullet through their head myself.”

He was silent for a moment. “You mentioned earlier that none of us were safe.”

“And I believe it.”

“You believe your father tried to kill you,” Dante said. He didn’t say it as a question, but more so a fact he was checking.

“I don’t need you to tell me it’s a wild idea,” she said dryly.

“I’m not. I think he did it and so did Valerio,” he said.

“He told me,” she said.

“Did he also tell you about the war between him and our father? It would make sense that your father would attempt to kill you to make it look as if my father had done it. Help push Valerio into a war with our father and give him an opening to pull you out of the contract, unless of course you had actually died,” Dante said. “It’s kind of genius when you think about it. Too bad he didn’t know Valerio’s war with my father started long before any of that and now he’s keen on destroying both of them.”

Luna looked at him with wide eyes. “Valerio mentioned something about your father not being trusted while we wereon the balcony. He didn’t have a chance to say anything else, so what am I missing here?”

“A couple of weeks ago, my father threatened your life because Valerio had resigned the contract with you. He realized there was no monetary gain from the union with the Kingsleys, it was all bullshit. Valerio was in love with you. Cesare realized his heir had a liability—a weakness.” Dante shook his head. “Valerio threatened to kill him. His trip down to Buffalo wasn’t because my father sent him. It was because he was arming himself.”

“I don’t understand. You think it was your father who tried to kill me then?” Luna asked, trying to add everything up. That had to have been what he was saying. If Cesare Vitali had threatened her outright, maybe he did actually try to kill her. Maybe her father hadn’t succumbed that low.

But that hope was quickly extinguished by Dante shaking his head. “No, no. That would be too easy. Valerio would know it was him right away. But tell me this, if your father tried to kill you, who do you think tried to kill Valerio?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Luna asked bitterly. “I’m still alive, so he probably moved onto his next target.” That was the sick truth, wasn’t it?

“What do you think is an easier situation to accept? That your father tried to kill you or that he tried to kill Valerio?”

Luna swallowed harshly. “What kind of question is that?”

“I mean, he must have felt pretty murderous after what you told everyone earlier,” Dante said. “When he held Valerio down and threatened him, especially when he had plans to put you into another contract since you’re not dead. Probably won’t get much for you anymore since your cherry is gone. You’re right about Valerio being the next perfect target with all of that in mind.”

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