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Ello glares, hands fisting at his sides. “Remember. I’m Valentina’s guard. Not yours.”
Roman flips his back off, and I raise a brow. What does that mean?
He spins on me, dark eyes raging. “You know you’re not supposed to be here.”
Sighing, I cross my arms. Can he tell the difference, like I can feel it? Dio, please don’t let him notice! Not yet.
“You said I’m to listen to my fiancé. He brought me here for a date.”
“He should know better, cazzo,” he curses. “New rule. You’re no longer allowed to go anywhere unless I’m in attendance.”
My mouth drops. “That’s not fair!”
“It is,” he hisses. “I am the leader of this family, bimba. If I don’t want you to go anywhere, I can lock you up and throw away the key.”
“Papa never did that to me,” I declare, anger causing my hands to shake. Suddenly, all the rage comes roaring out, igniting the blood in my veins like a line of fire. “He let me go out. I could shop, go to restaurants—”
He slaps me. My body rocks to the side, falling into the wall. The sting blooms across my cheek, and blood pools in my mouth. Slowly, I narrow my gaze at him and touch the corner of my mouth, wiping away blood.
“Papa is dead,” he seethes. “His rules no longer matter. If I wanted to put you in the basement, give you a room, I could. That is my choice as the head of this family.”
All concern leaves me as I step into my brother’s space and smirk at his flushed face. We’re almost equal in height, and I use it to my advantage.
“Go ahead. Put me there. We both know what will happen if you do.”
He scoffs, looking away. “You know nothing, Valentina. All these little trips are giving you too much ego—”
“The family will never respect you,” I interrupt. “They respect the Bruno name. Imagine what they will do when you throw me into a prison and let anyone have me. There goes your shield, your trophy. No one will respect the Bruno name when it’s attached to a whore.” I spit out a glob of blood, right on his shoes. “And we both know what will happen to you if Hayes finds out I’m there.”
Roman pales, fear flashing across his face. He’s terrified of Hayes—and his psychotic captain who loves him. The one thing Hayes will defend until his dying breath is me.
“So go ahead, brother,” I say, smirking. “Put me in there. It’ll only be your doom.”
Flipping a strand over my head, I saunter past him, and he grips my arm. I stop the yelp from leaving my lips as he shakes me.
“Behave, bimba. You forget the power I have over your life.”
That threat would’ve worked hours ago. But I just gave away his last bargaining chip.
“Let me go.”
He tosses me forward, and I stumble.
“I’ll figure out what you were doing here, little sister,” he vows. “I promise. Until then, I suggest you play by my rules.”
Signing, I say, “I don’t play by anyone’s rules but my own from now on.” I turn my back to him, striding toward Ello and the waiting car. He glares at the red handprint on my cheek, but I hold up a hand to stop his questions.
I don’t want Roman to have the satisfaction that he hurt me. I’ll retreat to my room, lick my wounds, and hide my pain. It’ll take the pain out of his slap, and the power he thinks he has over me.
The one plan he had is going up in flames around him, and he doesn’t even know it. When he does, it’ll be too late. He can’t hurt me now.
Sitting back into the cool car, I smile and close my eyes.
22
VALENTINA
Something tickles my face.
