Page 66 of The Agreement

"Do you count cards,inamorato(sweetheart)?" She threw him a saucy smirk, along with a wink, before walking to the tables. She knew she SHOULDN'T be doing it, especially in casinos here where many of them were owned by the mafia, and counting cards could get you into serious trouble, but she did it from time to time. It was just a confession she would never admit to, even to a husband that she loved. She bought in while Vinny sat next to her and he ordered some drinks. "Best of luck,moglie(wife)."

"I think this will be a good way to take your money, I know I’m going to enjoy putting it to use on a spending trip later." He laughed as she crossed her legs and he sat his hand on her knee.

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Six hours later, the group walked out of the Valentino store and out onto the Strip, laughing at the joy of the day. For Luciana and Val, they had ended up winning quite a bit off the guys, which was nice. And after three hours of constant losing, they finally decided to walk away and do some shopping. And Val was true to her word. She used her winnings from her husband to fund the new shoes, some new dresses, and a pair of new diamond earrings that she was sporting in her bags. And that only added to their laughter. She wouldn't let Vinny spoil her if he was that type, but if she could win his money and spend it, that was a whole other story.

"How did we lose that much?" Frankie grumbled and it caused Val to laugh even more. For some unknown reason, their luck really did suck and they lost more than they probably wanted to. And for her, it was fun to watch. She hadn’t been around them when they gambled and to see them get frustrated and end up betting more than they should, well, it was too funny for her.

"You got pissed," was her simple answer as the group came to a stop. They sat down on a bench while Luciana went with Enzo to go grab some punch from a vendor. "When you get pissed off, you tend to make stupid bets thinking you can win, but you never do. I've been watching you two, and you two are a lot alike." Vinny rolled his eyes and pulled Val onto his lap while Frankie just shook his head. "You guys would be fun to play poker with." She set her bags down and smiled as she looked around. For the little area they were in, it was quiet enough. Not a ton of people were passing by, although they saw the crowds that were heading in when they were coming out.

"Did you want to go somewhere else?" Vinny asked. But before she could respond, the three of them heard the crack of a gun and moved a split second before the bullet whizzed by the duo. Vinny grunted as Val screamed as she felt how close that was. And as she turned to look to make sure they were okay, she saw the blood soaking the arm of Vinny’s blue shirt.

~ Chapter 51 ~

Val tried her best to fight the cry as she saw the blood. Sure, she wasn’t a weakling, but guns and bombs were all new to her and the fact that someone was still out to get them, really pissed her off. And add in the fact that Vinny got shot, yeah, didn’t help her emotions at the moment. Of course, on top of that, add-in, as well, that she knew this was in Romano’s area and he had it out for her dad and that did not put her at ease, regardless of what Vinny said.

“Fucking shit, that hurts,” Vinny grunted. Frankie quickly helped him up, making sure there were no more wounds. Three pairs of eyes glanced around to see if they could see anyone running off, but there was not with all the crowds that seemed to have gotten there. At least Val could be thankful that no one else got hit. Although, by the way, it came and how close it was, she was going to say that bullet was for her. And had they not heard the crack, she would have been dead for that would have pierced her heart.

“Valentina DeLucca.” Val closed her eyes and sucked in a breath before turning around, her eyes landing on the tall and lean man that stood behind her. “I thought that was you,” he told her while his eyes flashed to Vinny. “What are you doing get shot at Vinny?”

“Thought you might be able to tell us about that, Marcell.” Vinny held his hand out for the other boss to shake.

“Should I say welcome to Vegas? What are you doing here with DeLucca anyway?”

“She’s actually Constanti now. She’s my wife Marcell, so drop the beef with her?” Val swallowed hard and then glanced down at Vinny’s arm again.

“The small talk is nice but how about we take this back to the room while we fix you up?” she told Vinny who only smiled.

“Already a demanding wife.” Val rolled her eyes but kept quiet, knowing that nothing needed to be said.

“My doctor is already here so come on up to my suite and I’ll have him check you out,” Marcell said, leading the group back into the casino. He swiped a card when he got to the elevators and Val clutched onto Vinny’s hand. She wasn’t worried about Marcell, not with her name now attached to Vinny’s, but at the time that shot rang out, it wasn’t like Marcell knew it. So, was it one of his men? Or was there still someone out to attack them?

“Hey, it’s okay.” Val turned to look at Vinny as he whispered in her ear.

“I don’t like this Vinny; I hate the unknown factor that seems to loom over us.” Vinny squeezed her hand and they followed the group into the small space.

“We have cameras pointed all over the property, Valentina, and I’ll let Vinny’s men look at the videos. Rest assured, my beef with your dad, is just that; it’s not with you. I saw you walk into the casino though.” Marcell leaned against the wall as he looked at her. “You look just like him so I knew instantly.”

“I thank you for not faulting me on his behalf.” Marcell laughed and shook his head.

“Your dad may be a jerk about certain things and handle situations differently than I do, but we both know that beef stays with each other, it doesn’t extend outwards to family. Otherwise, husband or not, you wouldn’t have made it very far.” Val couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at her lips.

“So, you would have taken me away from my group if it went beyond?” Marcell stepped off and then allowed everyone else off before he stepped next to Val.

“I don’t know now. I mean, your beauty is astounding so maybe I would put forth a means to marry you.” Val laughed at that, not so much because of the words but because she heard the grumbling coming from both Vinny and Enzo.

“I am deeply sorry Marcell, not only did you cash into that way too late, I guess there’s a line.” Vinny glared back at Marcell as he walked into the room and sat down on the couch.

“Hands off Romano, she’s mine,” Vinny ground out between his teeth and Marcell held his hands up.

“I’m not going after her. So, tell me, who would be after you to shoot you?” Val sat down on the arm of the couch and shook her head.

“That’s where we’re at a loss. This isn’t the first time I’ve, or we’ve rather, have been attacked.” Marcell sat down in the armchair and crossed his ankle over his leg as he leaned back. “I was questioning if you would have done it, but I can’t compute it because there were others.”

“I’m glad you think I wouldn’t single you out. But rest assured, Val, it wasn’t me and I wouldn’t waste my manpower. However,” Marcell added, giving Vinny a smirk, “who are you not playing nice with now?”

“Oh Marcell, do you have to ask that, really? I get along with everyone.”

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