Val frowned when Emme tried to pull away from him. “Sit up here with me while we talk this out, Princess.”
She wanted to go to one of the guest rooms and inspect the damage done to her body, and then just lie down on a bed and go to sleep. On the other hand, Stefano wasn’t going to take half answers from Val, the way she had. He would want to know the entire story.
“You’ll have to let go of my hand so I can go around the bed.”
He studied her face for a full thirty seconds, clearly weighing whether or not he could trust her. Finally, after rubbing the back of her hand one more time with his thumb, sending a little dart of fire down her spine, he let her go.
Emmanuelle reached up and took out her tightly woven braid to help relieve the headache pounding at her temples as she made her way around the four-poster bed to the opposite side so she could get on the comforter. The Ferraro Hotel had spared no expense. Every blanket, every sheet and certainly the comforter and mattress were luxury at its best. The moment her body sank down onto the bed, it felt like heaven.
She thought about staying as far from Valentino as possible, but it seemed childish, and she knew he would never stand for it. She scooted close to him without touching him. Val simply reached over, wrapped his arm around her waist and dragged her up against him. As always, his skin was hot and warmed her instantly. She didn’t fight him. She leaned into him, absorbing his heat and resting her head on his chest.
“Emmanuelle told us the short version of the fairy-tale story Giuseppi gave to you about shadows and what to look for. I want the entire story. The version you gave Emme makes little sense. Tell me everything,” Stefano demanded. His voice was back to his usual low-key tone, the one that said no one ever crossed him, so just give him what he wanted.
Val sent him a little half smile, wrapping a thick strand of Emme’s hair around his fist. “Give me a very good reason why I should do that.”
Stefano nodded. “Because Miceli got a small taste of what it is like to be enemies with my famiglia. You have placed my sister in an untenable position. We are either your allies or your enemies. If we are your enemies, what Miceli saw is nothing in comparison to what will rain down on you and your organization, Valentino.” Again, Stefano’s tone was extremely mild. He could have been talking about the weather. “So you choose. Are we allies or enemies?”
CHAPTER SEVEN
I think he’s making me an offer I can’t refuse, Dario,” Valentino said, a faint smile on his face. It didn’t reach his eyes. He studied Emmanuelle’s brother through half-closed eyes. He’d always known this day would come.
He wasn’t giving Emme up. He knew he’d lost her trust and he had to earn that back. He’d loved her almost since the day he’d laid eyes on her, when it was forbidden and made him feel like scum. He’d done his best to protect her back then, at least until she was old enough, and then he’d just stopped pretending he was a good man. He wasn’t. He never would be. He’d do his best to try, but in the end, he was heir to the Saldi territory, and if he didn’t take it and hold on to it, Miceli or one of his sons would take it and the underbelly of Chicago would get far uglier than it already was.
Giuseppi had always provided a balance in that world. He ran things with an iron fist. No one ever fucked with him because if they did, he hit them hard and fast. He demanded loyalty, but in return, he gave it back. He was fair. He didn’t ask for more than anyone could give. If someone was injured in his employ, even low-level soldiers, he paid for their care and their funerals, and he saw to their families. On the other hand, no one lied to him. No one cheated him. No one ever betrayed him.
Then Greta had gotten sick and Giuseppi hadn’t been paying attention. Valentino should have been. He’d been upset about losing his mother as well. He knew Emmanuelle didn’t want to be part of his world, and truthfully, she didn’t belong in it. Then he’d gotten wind of the sex trafficking ring Miceli was running. When he began investigating, he’d had no idea how far-reaching it actually was.
Miceli and his sons had begun to show interest in Emme. He knew they had somehow discovered her shadow, just as he had. Then Grace had nearly been kidnapped. Dario had tried to watch over Nicoletta. Things had gotten out of hand fast when Val and Dario began to suspect that some of Giuseppi’s trusted capos had defected to Miceli. That meant they had traitors in their organization. Anyone could try to assassinate Giuseppi.
“You’re offering an alliance between the Ferraro family and my family.” Val wanted Stefano to confirm it. To say that shit out loud in front of Emmanuelle. If he went back on his word—and Val couldn’t imagine that Stefano would; his word was considered gold—Emme would never forgive her brother.
“Giuseppi Saldi has the largest territory covering Chicago. Every other crime boss answers to him. You are his heir, and at this time, with Greta’s death, and Miceli making his move against his brother, I would have to say he’s turned the reins over to you. So yes, I know what you do and who you are. And I’m offering to align my family with yours in an effort to defeat your uncle and protect you, your father and your organization. But you have a price to pay.”
“That price will never include giving up Emmanuelle.”
“Is that even possible at this point?” Stefano asked.
Val felt Emme turn her head to look up at him. He knew when he answered, he would feel condemnation. He would see it in her eyes. He stroked a gentle caress down her long, silky hair, giving her brother the truth. Trying to tell her he would always take care of her. Be there for her. Stand with her. He knew she didn’t want his world. He’d tried to get out of it. Hell, he didn’t want it, at least not at first. But he couldn’t let Miceli have it. Or Angelo. Or Tommaso. He was born into the life, and he was responsible for those under him as well as those needing his protection on the streets.
“No. It’s impossible to break us up without doing permanent damage to both of us. In the early stages, I believe it could have been done by someone such as Ricco. Perhaps even in the secondary stage, although it would have taken time and tremendous patience. Both parties would have had to agree. But at this stage, it would be impossible. We’re tied together on a molecular level. I can’t explain it because I have no understanding of how it could happen, only that once so many of the ropes wrap around her shadow and they begin to thicken like the ones you saw, they sink into her shadow and our shadows merge. When that happens, a pathway seems to forge between our bodies until they merge as well.”
Emmanuelle felt as if she might leap off the bed and run from him at any moment, but she wasn’t the running type. More likely, she was going to launch herself into an attack when the full import of his statement hit her. She was truly his prisoner. There was no way out for either of them, other than death or perhaps a vegetative state. Her body vibrated with coiled tension, and all along her nerve endings, he felt inflamed sparks charging with fierce fire. Her breathing was slow and even, but that didn’t mean anything, not when it came to Emme.
In all honesty, he hadn’t believed any of the bullshit story Giuseppi had repeatedly told him, and eventually Dario as well. Even after he’d met Emme and seen and felt what happened when their shadows came together, he couldn’t comprehend how they could merge their nervous systems. It was science fiction. So was spying through shadows. Dario and he had discussed the story countless times, especially after meeting Emmanuelle and seeing her shadow. They still couldn’t figure out how it would work.