MasukAfter Val left Viki and Marco, he went upstairs, back to Zora's side. He told himself that this was where he should be right now, not in some war room making plans, but it was not easy for him. He wanted to fix this… make them pay. But he also knew he couldn't, not right now anyway. His hand throbbed in pain like a reminder that this was far from over. He just didn't know what would happen next.He walked into the room to find Zora staring at the ceiling awake, yet her eyes were vacant of their usual warmth. She seemed to be lost somewhere between the cracks in her own mind. His breath caught at the fearful thought that he might lose her to the trauma, that this was all his fault. If he had left her alone… never brought her into his world… Maybe she would still be out there doing her thing. Helping addicts heal and riding that damn motorcycle. A tear ran down his cheek, not only for the fear of losing her, but also for the thought of never having been able to have her in the first pla
Val sat there for a long time, just rubbing her back. Then he moved the wrong way, and his hand throbbed enough to make him wince.Zora heard him wince and looked up, then pulled away from him. He realized she had noticed and that his pain was pulling her out of hers. So he played it just a bit and took a deep breath…She looked down at his hand and back up to his eyes, but she still wasn't quite herself and couldn't put the pieces together. He pulled her back down and said,"It's fine, just a scratch. Don't worry about it. I'll be fine. I'm more worried about you…"She didn't let him pull her all the way down, and she looked into his eyes. She still wasn't speaking, but he could tell she was there as she pulled his hand onto her lap.She looked at him, her eyes scrunched and her eyebrows furrowed, then glanced down at his hand. She looked like a child who was trying to find the words. So he smiled weakly and said,"Truly. I'm fine. It hurts a bit, but it'll be fine in time."Zora loo
~~~In the Helicopter~~~Val stared out the window, his leg thumping loudly on the floor as his anxiety rose. He dialed Marco's number for the 7th time. Marco answered on the 3rd ring."Hello. Boss, I'm so sorry I didn't answer before now. We were under attack and I…""What do you mean you were under attack?" Val cut him off. "What the hell is going on over there? And where is my girl? Where is Zora?" His voice grew louder with each word as he fired off question after question.Marco sighed and looked out onto the driveway and said, "I don't know exactly what made them think they could do this, boss. But your instincts were right. Luciano showed up with a bunch of hired thugs and opened fire on us from the driveway. I barely had time to get her into the barn. But, boss, she shot a man and… she's not doing so well...I mean, physically she's ok but…""What do you mean she's not doing ok? What's wrong with her?" Val asked with barely concealed worry and underlying anger."I mean she went
As the dust cleared in the warehouse, Val rose. His men were the only ones left standing. As the adrenaline began to fade, the throbbing in his injured hand became almost unbearable, yet he still stayed focused and said to them, “Fan out. Make sure no one is left.”Just then, Julian heard Val’s order, but having nowhere to go, he just tried to shrink himself into the crates’ hidden depths. He listened as Val and his men continued their search, knowing his time was running out but unsure of what to do, and he just froze. Fear consumed him as he prayed: Please don’t let them find me.A man came out of the back room and said, “We searched the first floor and outside. There is no one left alive. Ronald went upstairs to check the loft.”Ronald walked around the loft looking for anyone hiding. But he was looking for a grown man, not anyone who could hide within the small spaces between the crates. He missed the kid hiding and started to walk back down the stairs.Val looked around him and
Julian watched as Val and his men looked around the room and greeted Julian's other uncle, Joess. Julian's stomach tightened when he saw Uncle Joess step forward to extend his hand toward Val. The men shook hands, and something about his uncle's expression made Julian uneasy. His uncle was a cruel man, and seeing him smile like that gave him pause. He looked around the room and walked toward some crates that faced the overhang and crept silently toward them. The space he found in the loft had a clear view of the events below. Yet he was surrounded by the wooden crates on all sides...Safe and hidden.He sighed as the fear that he felt sent goose bumps down his arms, wiped the sweat that appeared on his forehead, and tried to steady his breathing so he wouldn't be heard or have a panic attack. As he watched the men sit down and start talking, he couldn’t hear what was being said, but the relaxed facial expressions and body language that both men exhibited appeared to be a good sign that
Before he entered the copter, he said to Marco. "I am a mixture of excitement and nervousness about what she said and what we are about to do. I'm not sure if what I heard last night was really what I heard or just my wishful heart."Marco grinned as Val carefully recounted the whispered yes in the darkness. His consigliere listened without interruption, understanding the weight of uncertainty that can come with hope. "She said it," Marco finally said. "You heard her." "But did I?" Val ran a hand through his hair, frustration and longing tangled together. "It was barely audible. She was half-asleep."Marco placed a steady hand on his shoulder. "You heard her because she meant it. People don't whisper lies in the dark, boss. Not like that."The helicopter waited, blades spinning, ready to take him into the city.Val nodded and smiled. “Then I have work to do,” he said quickly as he boarded.As he got settled into the space, he started making his plans.~~~~~Back at the Estate~~~Zo
The morning light catches her hair illuminating the red highlights in her strawberry-blonde hair, and he traces it with one finger-consumed, obsessed. She’s still asleep, her breathing deep and even. He maps the landscape of her like a man reading scripture. The freckles across her shoulder, the th
Val moves through the kitchen with practiced ease, pulling ingredients from the fridge. His hands work while his mind clearly races. He doesn’t look at her. She chuckles softly looking over her shoulder and studies him closely her counselor skills kicking in…. She sees his mind racing and sees the
Downstairs, a black car idles at the curb, tinted windows luxury spelled out clearly. Val standing beside it, checking his phone, looks up and smiles. When he sees her emerge-bag slung over her shoulder, suitcase at her feet and the small French Bulldog behind her-his expression shifts. Softens. He
He didn’t knock, just walked in wearing a dark suit sharp inked skin, shit clinging to him like even the fabric knew not to cross him his authority never to be questioned. His sleeves are rolled, his voice low, eyes slowly trace over every inch of her. Valerio Ricci doesn’t waste time when you try







