Born in Blood Collection Volume 1 - Cora Reilly Page 0,174

again.”

“He’s innocent. He doesn’t deserve death.”

“Bullshit. That guy laid a trap and you fucking walked into it,” Enzo muttered.

“What do you mean?” I asked carefully.

Dante shook his head. “Haven’t you wondered why he wanted to meet you? Maybe he’s been approached by the Russians and agreed to help them. They’d love to kill you.”

“Frank wouldn’t do that.”

“Are you sure?” No, I wasn’t. “The Bratva can be very convincing. Or maybe they offered him a substantial amount of money. Money makes sinners out of most saints.”

Enzo held up his phone. “Called reinforcement.”

“Come on,” Dante said, straightening up and holding out his hand for me. I took it and let him pull me to my feet, but my legs wobbled and I leaned on him for support for a couple of seconds. He let me do it, despite his anger, his hand strong and warm against my waist.

Clearing my throat, I finally straightened. “Do you really think it was a trap? I got the feeling Frank was lonely and wanted to talk to someone about Antonio.”

“Someone shot at us,” Dante said simply. I couldn’t argue with that. And Frank had definitely run in the direction of the shooters. Slowly I was starting to understand why Dante didn’t trust anyone.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly, but Dante wasn’t looking my way. More of his men were running toward us from the direction of the casino. He barked orders at them and they spread out in the area to search for our attackers.

“Take Enzo to see our Doc,” Dante told another man, despite Enzo’s protests. Then Dante turned to me. “We’re going home now.”

I shivered at the anger in his voice. Dante urged me forward with a hand against my lower back. He didn’t talk as he led me toward the car, nor during the ride home. I kept glancing his way, trying to decide how much trouble I was in. “I’m really sorry.”

He ignored me, but a muscle in his jaw twitched. I turned back toward the passenger window. Dante parked the car in our garage and got out immediately. I followed him toward the house. Once inside, I headed straight for the bedroom, his fury practically burning my back as he walked behind me.

“I’m really sorry,” I tried again, then gasped when Dante threw the door shut and pressed me against it. I was sandwiched between his muscled body and the door, startled and confused but not scared. Dante was obviously careful not to hurt me.

“Why do you keep disobeying me, Valentina?” He shoved up my skirt and pulled my butt roughly against his groin, and his rock-hard erection. Wetness pooled between my legs. “I don’t know,” I said, trying to hide my excitement.

“That’s the wrong answer.” Dante pushed my panties—I wasn’t wearing tights, only garters—aside and slipped two fingers into me. Before I had time to articulate another answer, Dante replaced his fingers with his cock, slamming into me in one fierce stroke before he started to fuck me against the door. I was pretty sure he realized that was as far from a punishment as it could possibly get.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

I quickly figured out that Dante fucking me against the door wasn’t his idea of punishment. That came in the days that followed. Dante treated me with even more coldness than before, and I barely got to see him because he was too busy looking for Frank and his accomplices. He didn’t seek me out at night anymore, and though I was too proud to admit it to him, my body longed for him to touch me again.

* * *

One afternoon, about one week after my messed-up meeting with Frank, I encountered Rocco Scuderi in the lobby of our house. “Valentina, good to see you,” he said on his way to the front door.

I smiled, although I was surprised. Scuderi always treated me with politeness and respect, but I didn’t have a personal relationship with him like I had with his wife, or with Aria.

“I have a favor to ask of you,” he said.

“Of course.” It was unusual for a Consigliere to approach the wife of his Boss and ask her for a favor, but he was also my uncle, so maybe that changed things.

“You know my daughter Gianna is supposed to marry Matteo Vitiello, but she’s still a bit hesitant about the marriage.”

From what I’d heard, hesitant didn’t even begin to cover Gianna’s feelings about her wedding to Matteo, but I nodded anyway.

“I thought maybe you could talk to her?”

I’d never