Chapter Five
Giovanni wanted to start training his wife quickly. It was why he’d opted to come away to his private island rather than take Thomas up on his offer. After making love to her that morning, then eating breakfast, he took her for a long walk along the beach.
“Your island is incredible,” Valentina said, snuggling up against him.
“What is mine is yours. It’s our island now.”
“Do you mean that?” she asked.
“What?”
“About this being mine as well. Men don’t usually like their women to have the same things.” She tucked some of her hair behind her ear.
In the past twenty-four hours, he had noticed she’d started to come close to him. There was no jerky movement to her actions around him. Nor did she avoid eye contact.
“You’re beautiful,” he said. Only when he complimented her did he notice she bowed her head. “And yes, I know the men in our world don’t take too kindly to the women. They can fuck off,” he said.
She giggled. “I can’t believe you would say such things.”
“Just because I work for them, and I’ve been part of this world since I was a boy, doesn’t mean I agree with their practices.” He never agreed with the way the men abused their wives. Giovanni had seen both sides of the men. Some of the mistresses and whores were treated a lot better than the wives. It was so fucked up.
“I heard that you were … hurt as a boy,” she said. “Or that’s the rumor, anyway.”
“I was. My family, the Romanos. My father wasn’t a capo, but a soldier. A loyal one as well. He’d do anything for his capo, but his territory was being terrorized by the cartel. He tried to handle it, and he … died because he didn’t ask for help,” he said.
“I’m so sorry.”
He shrugged. “I don’t really remember much of my father. He was always out. He was only ever present for my training, and that started when I was a boy. He always said that real men weren’t coddled. He even banned my mother from hugging me.”
“Oh, my God,” Valentina said. “I don’t know what it’s like to be a soldier, but our mother, she stopped hugging us at a young age as well. She said that the only way to survive this world was to know how cruel it was. She never hid anything from us. Not the cuts or bruises. The broken bones. My father could get violent if something bad had happened, but then even if she spoke out of turn.”
She stopped, and he smiled as she wrapped her arms around him.
He pressed his face against her hair, breathing in her scent. This woman didn’t have a clue just how intoxicating she was.
Running his hand down to her ass, he gave the flesh a squeeze.
“We can hug each other now,” Valentina said.
“I’m going to hold you to that,” he said.
She chuckled. “You’re not going to need to worry.” She pulled back and winked at him. “I … everyone told me that I was in for the worst kind of marriage there was. That you’re a violent man and that I’d be lucky to ever give birth to children.”
“I’m a quiet man, Valentina. They don’t have the first clue about who I am or what I’m capable of. I’m not going to hide who I am. You’ll see all parts of me. But it will never touch you. I’m The Butcher. Do you know this?” He had no doubt she did.
She nodded.
“Then you know I am capable of many despicable things. None of that is lies. I’ve killed lots of men, and women.”
“Why women?”
“I kill whoever poses a threat. I’ve never killed a kid, but this.” He took her hand and ran the tip of her finger down one long ridge on his arm. It was slightly raised as if the flesh didn’t quite meet as it should. “That’s what I got for underestimating a woman. I will never do that again.”
“That’s … awful.”
“It’s life.” He cupped her face and tilted her head back. “And I want you to be prepared for everything. I want to train you to be able to handle yourself. Leonardo will hurt you.”
“I’m a married woman.”