The King Killer | Mafia dark romance | ✔️

18. Are we good?

Antonio

We had our eyes on Salazars' since they landed. Santos was smart to bring his Italian friends too; the Castros. What he didn't know was that our eyes would remain on him even if he would stay or leave the country.

No number of allies would be able to get him to escape for the things he did to us. What Santos forgot about our alliance was that we treated all our allies with love and loyalty until they tried to overthrow us. With bad blood between the Moralez and Salazars, there seems to be only one solution for this problem.

Behead the snake.

Alejandro moved close to me, placing a hand over my shoulder. We moved away from the mingling and merriment. "What is it?" I asked, observing his crinkled eyebrows and forehead.

"Salazar," his gaze shifted towards the bar where Santos sat with Valentina. He was running his finger over her arm. Never had I thought of touching her but seeing her being played by another man, no less my enemy, made me feel a burn inside. I was baffled by the emotional tug I felt.

"I am sure he is trying to rile her up," I said, turning to Alejandro.

Although my focus was on him, my ears elongated, trying to hear anything that was spoken aloud between them. I felt pathetic, looking like a teenager trying to spy on my girl. But she was not my girl, she was my wife. At least to the world she was and Santos knew it very well.

"That's the problem. We don't want Val to spill anything about what Santo's man revealed about the coup. He might be probing for the same."

Alejandro's concern was genuine but I had seen Valentina in a different light by now. Daughter of a crippled who trained her way up. An assassin in the making, I was more worried about Santos than Val.

"So I am letting this go," Alejandro whispered. "Hope she doesn't stab him here."

"Hope so too," my lips parted at my concern for an enemy rather than my wife. I moved closer to the place she sat. There was crowd everywhere for me to camouflage easily without looking as if I was spying on her conversation.

Within earshot, I heard Elena's name. There remained no doubt, Santos was trying to play her into an angry confession. What I didn't expect was Val's calm demeanor. She placed her hand over his, hurting him as she spoke high of me, her fake husband. Santos cringed face, his eyes dancing at her hold over his wrist and back were the confirmation, she was raining on him.

I was transfixed, hearing her standing faithful to the Moralez name. When she walked away, I watched Santos. He returned to his guards, quick to divulge something in their ears. With their nod, they all walked away. Alejandro had his eyes on me. The second I blinked mine, he walked out behind them.

What I was curious about was the talk. What Santos spoke.

Walking inside the luminous washroom, I latched the door behind. Clutching on the pristine marble, Val held her head down, breathing heavily. The bolt sound spun her head towards my direction. With my hands held up in surrender, I walked ahead.

"It's the woman's restroom," she remarked with a raised eyebrow. Her hand travelled to grab tissues to pad her face and neck. I wasn't sure if she was reeling from the aftermath of taking down a madman or crying.

"I know, I came to ask what did Salazar say?" I turned her to face me. It was best to distract with words than be drawn into the whirlpool of her allure. 

Her eyes snapped at me when I held her arm. "Don't worry, he didn't ask about the mole. I didn't tell him either." Her fingers unclutched my grip. I saw her skin turn pink, where I grabbed her. She followed my gaze. "Men who hold woman like toys shouldn't be concerned about how it imprints."