CHAPTER 47: RELEASE

"Where is she?!" Luciano raged as he walked into the room, but didn’t find Valentina.

"She’s not here anymore. Can we—-"

"No Vitto! It is no to whatever you have to say. You will not keep the girl from me. I am the boss here, and I demand her presence immediately!"

"No," he said, knowing he was risking his head, but doing it anyway.

"No?" Luciano’s head doubled back at the staggering audacity.

"No. I can’t let you see her in your state. You’re angry, rightfully so. But you don’t have all the facts yet. Say you hurt her, how then do you clear the great Matteo Alvarez name? How do you convince the whole of Italy that your father didn’t do what he was accused of doing?"

"And how do I do that with her here?" He laughed. "What is her purpose here? Do you think someone who is clearly a spy for the government cares about redeeming my father’s image?" He began to pace back and forth like a deranged lunatic.

"I don’t know what she knows. All I know is that this is an opportunity, Luciano. It is an opportunity to clear your father’s name for good, and I won’t let you jeopardize it because you are rightfully angry and hurt!"

"No fuck that! Fucking fuck that! I don’t need that Jezebel clearing my father’s name! I want her gone. Far away from me. Because if I see her again, I don’t know what I’ll do. I don’t know which of my personal boundaries I’ll cross. I don’t fucking know the rule I’ll break!" He punched the wall again with his cracked knuckles, shattering that side of the glass.

His blood spilled all over his carpet, as he rested his head on the spot he had just cracked.

Vittorio sighed pitifully.

He drew closer, and stopped just behind him. "You need to sleep on your emotions. By the morning, you should have a clear mind. But don’t seek out the girl today Luciano. I might not care about her, but I won’t let you hurt her without giving it a chance to clear your father’s name." He turned around, and walked out of the room.

The impact of everything that had happened up to the present came crashing down heavily on Luciano now that he was alone.

He slid down to the ground, and sat there in shambles.

The girl with the Angel face had waltzed into his life, and charmed him with her beauty, fire and passion.

Only for her to turn out as the daughter of the two people that ruined his and his sisters life.

"Valentina Quinn. Valentina Wallace," he whispered her name with raw, undiluted fury dripping from his tongue.

His bleeding knuckles squeezed into a fist, as he cursed the day Valentina walked into his life.

*****

"You calm down, and stop raising your hands and tongues on people, okay?!" Salvatore marched towards her immediately with a stern look on his face.

"No. You don’t get to tell me how to react to being disrespected. Why am I here right now? What is so life threatening that I have to leave what I’m doing? Tell me!"

"That’s okay, Val," Natalia said when she saw the look on the faces of the men.

It wasn’t anger she saw. No, it was more like the look of protection.

"You better listen to your friend. She’s the sensible one in this situation. We’re not here to explain anything to you, just to save your lives. But if you insist on being stubborn, be my guest. By all means go out. Risk walking around the halls. See if your head is still sitting pretty on your neck before the evening. Let’s go, Elio." Salvatore turned towards the door.

Elio took a step forward too, but just couldn’t bring himself to leave without at least ensuring Valentina understood the situation they were in.

"Val, we’ll find a way to get Sonia to bring over everything you both need for the rest of the day. I hope you really listen and don’t step out of the room. And I’m sorry for carrying you without your consent. But I’ll do it again if it is to save your life."

"Elio, wait—" her words hung in the air, as Elio walked out of the room with Salvatore, and the door closed after them.

Natalia ran to Valentina immediately, and hugged her tightly.

"I’m so scared, Val. What is happening? We’re not safe here. Why is this happening to us?" She burst into tears.

Valentina held her, comforting her as much as she could, even though she needed some comfort herself.

"It’s fine. You’re fine. I’m fine. Well be fine," she lied to Natalia, and the world, but she couldn’t lie to herself.

Something was amiss. Something very lethal.

***

Luciano walked out of his room two hours later, drowned in alcohol, and completely numb.

He didn’t know where he was going, or why he was even out, but he kept walking aimlessly.

Neravalle was quiet. Unusually quiet. The usual sound of laughter and jest were replaced with haunting silence.

No souls walked through the halls, as everyone hid behind the walls of their rooms.

Luciano walked through the halls alone in his thoughts and his feelings. The two things that drained his soul to the point, not even the alcohol could dull his sorrows.

He suddenly stopped, as he found himself in front of a door.

Luciano didn’t knock, but only pushed the door open and walked into the room.

"Babe?" Daniela turned to see him.

Her eyes squinted, and her nose turned on perceiving the alcohol oozing from him from a mile away.

"Daniela," he called breathlessly to her, as he staggered closer to the foot of the bed where she stood.

"Cristo!" She swore, as he got to her. "What happened? I was just coming to your room to tell you I’m back, and I brought gifts from my mum. Why are you like this?"

His body plopped into a sitting position on the bed.

"Luciano? What is this? Did something happen while I was away?"

"Shhh, don’t speak. Sit here," he tapped his lap. "Let me feel you."

Excitement stirred up deep inside of her, but she kept the false pretense of care externally.

"Okay." She sat on his lap.

He sniffed her neck. "Good, you don’t smell like them. You’re blood. Home-grown. It’s you."

"I know I smell good. But you’ve still not told me what—"

He pushed her to the bed, and claimed her lips roughly.

Daniela’s thoughts drifted away immediately, as she flung her hands around his neck and pushed him further down on her.

Their kiss was urgent, and reckless, with no room for romance.

With one finger, his zipper came undone, and with that same finger, he sought her core underneath her night dress she wore without panties.

A groan escaped his throat when he felt her wetness.

Daniela couldn’t believe her luck. She thought it would be a hassle to get him to sleep with her tonight, after downing the potent gift she had gotten from her mother.

But fate had brought him straight to her on a platter.

Luciano’s hardness replaced his finger, as he drove into her with reckless abandon.

She let out a moan of pleasure so loud, the roof trembled. It had been too long since she felt him without protection.

"You’re so much better. You’re all mine," he whispered, as he drove into her again and again.

"Yes babe. I’m all yours. Take me anytime you want."

Her words drove him wild. His animal instincts were up, and he felt like a savage in that moment

A savage, running away from a bitter ache in his chest.

"I want it all," she whispered recklessly when she felt him draw closer to completion.

Luciano lost it at those raw descriptive words.

His head flung back, and he stiffened.

A guttural growl left his throat seconds later, as he spilled his seed deep inside her womb.

Daniela smiled.

"Iwin," she whispered in her mind, just as Luciano’s spent body collapsed beside her.