Lahat ng Kabanata ng Married To Danger: Kabanata 101 - Kabanata 110

VALENTINA My father’s face became hard like stone. He glared down at his plate and I almost felt guilty because despite all his faults, I loved him. He’d been a better father than many other men in our world. “How can you speak in that tone to your father? Show some respect,” Mom hissed. I took a bite of the beef tenderloin, trying to stay calm. Keeping a level head had become more difficult since pregnancy hormones were in play. “I respect you, but your ambition is going to ruin our lives. I don’t care if this baby becomes Underboss. I want only the best for him, but becoming a leader in our world isn’t part of it.” “You were always a dreamer, Valentina. It’s what I love about you,” Dad said, breaking through my rising anger until his next words. “But as a man, I can’t afford irrational daydreams. I know the realities of our life. And the truth is that all that matters is a position of power. I won’t have the son of a cheating whore as an Underboss. Our grandson will rule over

ADRIAN I closed the door on Valentina’s terrified face before facing Rico, who was still holding his gun. Despite the almost irresistible urge to pull my own, I didn’t. I still had to show respect to Rico and he appreciated me more than most of his other Underbosses. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t kill me. There wasn’t a man or woman that Rico wasn’t capable of killing, except for his wife and daughters— maybe. “Did you kill Serena?” He suddenly asked. “No. I didn’t even consider it,” I said. “She killed herself, like I told you. She missed him too much.” The pain of the past didn’t come this time. Serena was the past. Valentina was my present and future. She’d shown me what it meant to love a woman as fiercely as I loved my children. Rico sheathed his gun. “I expect the truth from my men.” I swallowed, knowing that we were starting to breach dangerous territory. “I didn’t want anyone to find out that Serena had cheated. Some people did, of course, and their reaction was bad enou

VALENTINA Four days. It has been four days since Stefan was taken, and life had stopped making sense. Everything seemed to irritate me, and everytime a car slowed on the street, I ran to the window, heart in my throat, praying it was Adrian with our boy asleep in the back seat. And every time it drove past, something inside me cracked a little more. I couldn’t stay here another minute. Sofia was coloring at the kitchen island, and I couldn’t watch her tiny hand move across the page without remembering Stefan doing the same thing at her age. He was eleven now, and he was starting to not want to do things like coloring, but to me, he was still my baby. I scooped Sofia up, grabbed her little backpack with the bunny ears, and texted Gemma before I could talk myself out of it. [Can we come over? I need to leave this house.] She answered instantly. [of course. I’m sure Sofia would love to see her cousins.] An hour later I was sitting at Gemma’s kitchen table, sunlight pouring thro

ADRIAN “Put the gun down Rico,” I said evenly, keeping my own gun trained squarely on his chest. My voice came out firm, but my heart was a wild animal caged inside me. “You don’t want to do this.” “Oh, trust me, I do.” Rico’s smile widened. “I mean, look at the boy. The eyes, the nose… he’s mine, Adrian. Anyone who looks closely enough can see that. You just played babysitter these eleven years.” He tilted his head, and that lazy arrogance twisted his features into something monstrous. “I suppose I should say thank you for raising my heir for me. But it’s all over now.” “Have you even sat to think about what you’re doing?” I asked. “You take him and then what? The entire brotherhood knows that he’s my son. Are you going to tell them that you committed adultery and betrayed one of your men? I’d like to see what everyone thinks about that.” For a second, Rico looked stumped, but that lazy grin appeared on his face almost immediately. “That… is not something you have to worry abou

VALENTINA “Are you sure about this?” I asked for what must’ve been the thousandth time, leaning closer to Adrian so the others wouldn’t overhear. I glanced back at the kids. Stefan was curled up against his grandmother, fast asleep. Sofia had her headphones on, lost in whatever she was watching. Gemma sat across from them with her own children, staring out the window with an expression I couldn’t quite read— relief mixed with apprehension, maybe. It had been two months since Stefan’s rescue and Rico’s death, as well as the death of Gemma and Adrian’s father. And Gemma had divorced her husband. She finally decided she’d had enough of his cheating and recklessness. So I could only imagine the fear she was currently feeling. “I can’t believe we’re really leaving,” I whispered. Adrian looked at me like he’d already had this conversation with himself a hundred times. “We’re sure,” he said softly. “I’m sure.” I placed a hand on my bump and sighed. I was a little over six months preg