Valentina POV
The dream wouldn’t let go. As I struggled to wake up, my brain felt as if it was swimming through molasses, sticky and thick. Where was I?I heard murmurs and a rumbling underneath me. Was I in a car? My body felt heavy and my limbs were cement. I couldn’t seem to open my eyes.What was my problem?Then I remembered. The wall, Morreti , the needle. Shit! He drugged me. That asshole. I concentrated on my breathing and willed the drugs out of my system. I needed to fight whatever was happening to me.“Good. You are awake.” I would have started if I’d been capable of moving my limbs. Was he spying on me while I slept? Just my luck to get kidnapped by a murderer and a creeper. Great, I was on a mattress, the sheets crisp and cool beneath me. “You...kidnapped...me,” I forced out.“And...drugged me.” Large fingers brushed the hair off my face. “I retrieved my son’s fiancée by any means necessary. Let that be a warning to you.”A tiny shiver went through me. None of this made sense. Morreti could choose any woman to marry his son, and most would probably come willingly. “Why...me?”“Don’t you know that you and your sisters are legendary? Your mother was very beautiful and famous. Tales of her daughters have been spread across the globe.” I swallowed against a dry throat.My mother hadn’t wanted this for me, for any of her daughters. Have your own life, Tina , and never give it up for any man.I knew I looked like her. Everyone told me as much and I had seen enough of her modelling photos online to notice the resemblance. Still, that wasn’t a good enough reason for ruining my life.Blinking, I finally pried open my lids. Morreti ’s gorgeous face filled my vision, his lips twisted into a smug smile as if I amused him. As if my resistance was nothing but a joke. I held his gaze steadily. “I will never marry your son.”The smile dropped instantly. “Never is a long time, Valentina, and don’t forget you are at my mercy. You’d be wise not to make an enemy of me.” The threat rolled so easily off his tongue, and I didn’t doubt him for a single second.Even still, I would not bend. He could try to break me, try to force me into a marriage I didn’t want, but I would never stop resisting. “What will you do, threaten to shoot me? Torture me?”“That depends on you, monella ( brat). Because if you refuse, I will consider the debt unsettled. I’ll be forced to retaliate against your family. Is this what you want?” Brat. I knew that word, one I had been called before by Papà’s men. “You won’t hurt my sisters.”A dark brown brow shot up. “No?” We stared at each other, and I tried to see inside his head, to figure out if he was bluffing. I couldn’t tell.The man was too good at concealing his thoughts. But even if he promised not to hurt Rebecca and Gia, he might kill Papà. “What does your wife think of you kidnapping a woman to marry your son?”“My wife died many years ago.” A lump settled in my stomach. Had he killed her? Or had she been killed by a rival family? The mafia was violent and cruel, which was why my mother tried to protect us from it. “I’m sorry,” I murmured.Avoiding my eye, he pushed to his feet and straightened his cuffs. “It was a long time ago. Dimitri is my only son, which is why he will have the best wife, the daughter of the famous Sophia Roberto Romano. A woman to make all other men envious.”“And if I won’t marry him?”“Do not make me answer that, Valentina .” He strode to the door. “Two hours before we land, You should sleep.” He had a lot to learn about kidnapping if he thought I could possibly sleep right now. “I need a bathroom and my satchel.”“Through there,” he pointed to a small door in the rear of the bedroom. “I’ll have the hostess bring in a tray. I’m sure you are hungry.” I wasn’t about to thank him, so I repeated, “And my satchel.”“You won’t have your things returned until I find you cooperative.” I glared at him and tried to burn holes in his skin with my eyes. “There are people who will be worried about me. I need to somehow let them know I’m okay.”“Do you mean David?” he sneered, sending a bolt of cold fear through me. “He’s not worried, Valentina . You no longer matter to him.”“Oh, my God. Did you kill him?” He had the gall to look down his nose at me. “You watch too much American television. He is alive and well for now but you will not see him again.”At the door, he paused and pinned me with a dark stare that scared me down to my toes. There was no feeling there, no sympathy. Just a man always used to getting his way.“Oh, and do not bother looking for a weapon. I made certain you won’t find one.” I waited until he disappeared before ignoring his advice. I jumped off the bed and started searching. There had to be something in the bedroom or bathroom to defend myself with once we landed.Papà had reluctantly let us take self-defence classes, and the instructor said many ordinary objects could be used as a weapon. The bathroom yielded nothing.The medicine cabinet was empty and the shower contained only plastic bottles. I quickly used the facilities and washed my face, then found that a tray was waiting for me on the bed in the other room. I dug in, knowing a hunger strike would only weaken me, and I had to keep up my strength to fight when we landed. I hardly tasted the food, though, my haste and fear overriding everything else at the moment.Unfortunately, the silverware was plastic, as was the wine glass and water bottle.I kept looking. The desk contained nothing but blank paper, while the nightstand just had condoms. Extra large, naturally.Disgusted, I slammed the drawer shut and then dropped down to check under the bed. Tucked into the carpet along the wall, I spotted it. A pen. I snatched it up and slipped it into the pocket of my jeans.As a weapon, it wasn’t much but I just had to wait for the right opportunity to use it.VINCENZO POVI heard the bedroom door open and my body went on alert. I didn’t want to admit it, but I had been listening for any sound of her back there. Eager, like a schoolboy. I shook my head, disgusted with myself. Even if I weren’t too old for her, she was engaged to my son. I needed to pull my head out of my ass.All my men turned to watch as she picked her way to an empty seat, her tits bouncing with each step. Long legs and shapely hips, with waves of blond hair that reached down her back, and a face that could make angels weep. DIO, SHE WAS HOT.When I looked away, I found Marco smirking at me. Had he read me so easily? When my father died and I became the CAPO ten years ago, I appointed my cousin my right-hand. In fact, there was no one I trusted more. We’d grown up together, killed together, and risen through the ’ndrina ranks together. But that didn’t mean he had the right to smirk at me. “You have something to say to your capo?” I asked him. He didn’t appear chastised
VINCENZO POVShe swallowed and focused on the scenery. Fifteen minutes later, we arrived at my home, Castello di Morreti (Castle of Morreti's). I loved every bit of the estate the olive groves, vineyards, farmland and pasture but I couldn’t appreciate any of it at the moment And this only increased my fury. When the car stopped in front of the stone entry, I didn’t move. “Leave us,” I told Marco and my driver. The doors closed and Valentina jumped, a frightened little rabbit. I angled toward her slightly. “Do you know my favourite part of owning a castle?”“No,” she said, her voice breaking.“Not even a guess?”“The turrets?” Smirking, I got out and came around to her side. Once I pulled her from the car, I leaned down. “My favourite part of this castle is the DUNGEON.” She gasped. My patience thinned, I didn’t give her a chance to run. Instead, I hauled her over my shoulder and started walking toward the back entrance that led below ground. She instantly began thrashing, her legs
VALENTINA POVThe implications was clear that Vincenzo Morreti was no stranger to cruelty. That he would gladly use a person’s weakness against them. Jesus, What a prize. Before I could comment, we entered the castle. A small room led into a kitchen, which was surprisingly modern for a place with an actual dungeon. “I’ll have Zia bring up hot tea,” Dimitri said as he continued into the house. “That’s my aunt. She lives with us and does most of the cooking.” Calming down, I began to look around curious about this different type of prison. The contrast with the dungeon was startling. What I could see was light and airy with gleaming wood accents and light plaster walls.Huge oval windows were framed with tasteful draperies and tile covered the floor. It was even nicer than our home in Toronto. Surprisingly, I didn’t see any security cameras. That was the information I stored away for future use. “This is my wing of the house,” Dimitri said. “My father stays on the other side.” Tha
VALENTINA POVLight filtered into the room, streaks of blinding sunshine that roused me from a fitful sleep. I could barely bring myself to open my eyes. All night I had tossed and turned, convinced myself that the lock on my door would mean nothing to anyone who wanted to enter. Namely, someone with bright blue eyes and a nasty disposition who liked to kidnap and drug young women. The only way I’d been able to relax was knowing Dimitri slept a few doors away. I rolled onto my back and studied the plaster ceiling. If I were going to find a way out of this, I couldn’t stay in bed or hide in this room. I had to get out and explore, look for weaknesses. Try to come up with a plan to escape. Even if Dimitri had resigned himself to this marriage, I certainly hadn’t.Thankfully, the bathroom had been stocked with every toiletry I might possibly need, mostly high-end Italian brands we couldn’t get in Canada. The closet and wardrobe were full of clothes, from yoga pants to designer dresses
Valentina POVOur last stop was the vineyard, where vines stretched as far as the eye could see. The estate grew Gaglioppo and Greco bianco grapes, which they blended to make red and rosé wines. They also made nigredo, a grappa flavoured with licorice and I quickly discovered this was my very favourite thing on earth from now on.“Easy, signorina ( miss),” Vincenzo, the vintner, said as I took another swallow. “The Morreti grappa is to be sipped.”“Canadians are quickly becoming like Americans,” Dimitri teased, mimicking someone guzzling a drink. “More, more, more.”“Stop dragging Canadians,” I told him as I shoved his shoulder. “We are nicer than Italians.” Vincenzo chuckled, but shook his head. “You will not like how it tastes coming back up, signorina.” I waved that comment away. “I never throw up after drinking. We Romanos are made of sterner stuff.”Vincenzo and Dimitri exchanged an amused look. “No doubt you are, bella,” Dimitri said and held up the bottle. “Would you like ano
Vincenzo POVI came into the kitchen the next morning at my usual time. My son was there with Zia, but Valentina was still absent. She’d been too ill from grappa to eat with us last evening and apparently was not yet awake. I didn’t like it.Dimitri and Valentina seemed happy yesterday in the tasting room. Unable to help myself, I’d watched the security footage, soaking in the way she smiled at him. Studying the curve of her lips when she laughed. It was clear she liked my son, and I told myself that was a good thing. A sign of their future together, a team working toward the common goal of the future success of the Morreti family.I kissed Zia’s cheeks and made a cup of espresso. Dimitri was on his phone, scrolling through videos of some kind. He’d gone out last night for work and, from the looks of it, was only getting home. “Rough night?” I asked.Out of respect, he put down his phone and gave me his full attention. “No. I was at the club until around three. Then we had a shipment
Vincenzo POV“How about this?” I said. “I will give you the satchel if you choose a suitable wedding dress.”“Really?”“I never go back on my word once a deal is made.”“Fine.” She answered too quickly and now I was the suspicious one. What was she planning? My friend Celestina would provide enough choices for Valentina to find a dress she liked. There would be no way around it. I held out my hands. “See? That was not so difficult.”“I want a phone.”“No.”“Why not?”“First, because you haven’t earned the privilege. Second, it isn’t safe. If you need to make a call, Dimitri or I can help you. Until you learn our rules and willing to abide by them, it is too risky.”“I need to call my family.”“I will think about it.” Her nostrils flared and I could see how she struggled not to lash out. After a long second, she asked, “And how am I supposed to earn these privileges?”“By doing what you are told. Stop fighting me and the marriage to my son. Accept your fate, Valentina .” Gracefully,
Valentina POVEven if I didn’t want to admit it, I was excited to go out tonight. I told myself it was because I wanted to see Siderno, to look for possible escape routes. It was definitely that, but it was also the chance to get out of the castle. I hated being cooped up there, and a night in a fancy dress, at a fancy restaurant, sounded like heaven.That was how far I’d fallen in just a few days. Dimitri was chatty during the drive into town, pointing out places and things, sharing funny stories about his childhood. The more I was around him, the less he seemed like a hardened gangster like his father. Dimitri was thoughtful and smart, playful and entertaining, basically everything Vincenzo was not. If they didn’t look so much alike, I wouldn’t guess they were related.At the restaurant, everyone fawned over us like we were Kate Middleton and Prince William. I supposed we were sort of royalty, considering Dimitri ’s last name. We were seated in a private room, the table covered w