Soulless Devil (Sons of Valentino #3)(42)

“She refused to let Doc see her,” he says, sitting in the single sofa opposite me.

“Why didn’t you make her? She needs to see a doctor. Call him back.” I hiss.

“She was distraught, screaming. She was fucking scared, Romeo. I did whatever I had to do to make her feel safe. You weren’t fucking here. You left. I swear to God you need to get your shit together, bro. This isn’t about you. It’s about her, and right now, she fucking needs you more than she ever will.”

“I know that,” I grunt.

“Do you? Because I know the only thing you’re thinking of right now is going and taking your rage out on a certain Petrov.”

“Did you find ‘em?”

“Of course I did. But you need to let me or Matteo deal with this. You can’t leave her.”

“No. I need to do this,” I tell him. “She’ll understand,” I add, not sure if I’m trying to convince him or myself.

“Yeah, that’s doubtful. But, for some reason, she loves you and sooner or later you’re gonna have to tell her who you are.”

“She knows who I am.”

“No, she doesn’t. She knows what she’s read online about our family, which honestly is probably a better picture than the reality.”

“I can’t lose her,” I admit. I’m fucking petrified of losing her and I only just got her.

“Well, if you don’t sort your shit out, you’re going to,” Luca grunts and stands.

“Thank you for staying here last night, for looking out for her.”

“Always. What do you want me to do about the two bastards in the warehouse?”

“Keep ‘em there. I know I shouldn’t leave her, but I have to do it.”

“Your call.” He shrugs and walks out the door.





“Please don’t leave me.” Livvy’s pleas tear me apart.

“I’m going to be back before you know it, and my cousin will be here. She’s a little unhinged but perfectly capable,” I tell her.

Her brows furrow. “Capable of what?”

“Of… anything. Anything I can do. She’s family. She’s trained in the same shit I’ve been.”

“Which is?”

“Combat. Look, I know there are things we need to talk about. And we will. I promise. But right now, I really do need to go and run an errand.” I rake a hand through my hair. I don’t want to fucking leave her, but there’s a strong part of me that needs vengeance.

“I can go. You don’t need to get me a babysitter, Romeo. I’ll just go back to my room.”

“I want you to stay. I want to know that you’ll still be here when I get home. I want you here, Livvy. More than anything.” If I have to stay to make sure she does, I will.

“Okay, I’ll stay. But I need to know that you’re not going to go do something stupid.”

“I promise. I won’t do anything stupid.” I smirk at her. Nothing I do is stupid, and what I’m about to do is the furthest thing from it.

“Romeo, please don’t do it. Don’t go after them. I just want to forget it all, and I can’t do that knowing you’ve done something immoral.”

“Babe.” I wrap an arm around her shoulder and pull her into my chest. She’s a little rigid, and I’m a gentle as I can be so I don’t hurt her. “I won’t lie to you. Ever.”

“Then don’t. Just promise me you’re not going to go after them.”

“I can’t do that,” I tell her.

“Some consequences yet hanging in the stars. Shall bitterly begin,” Livvy whispers the Shakespearean quote. “Nothing good ever comes from vengeance, Romeo.”

“Justice, that’s what comes from vengeance.” I kiss the top of her head. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” With that, I walk out. I introduced her to Izzy when she turned up twenty minutes ago. It’s taken me that long to actually manage to leave the bedroom. The guilt that consumes me is unlike anything I’ve ever felt. I’m tempted to say fuck it and let Luca deal with the assholes for me. What does it really matter if it’s me or him who kills them? But I know that it will matter to me. I won’t be able to get past it if I don’t end them myself.

“How is she?” Izzy asks when I walk through to the foyer.

“Not great,” I grunt.

“She will push through this, Romeo. Just go do what you have to do. Don’t worry about her. I won’t let anything happen,” Izzy promises.

“Thank you.”





I feel like I’ve been waiting years for this moment. Blood is pumping through my veins. I can feel the adrenaline. The rush. I need to fuck these two motherfuckers up. I’d bathe in their fucking blood if I had the time to waste. As much as I’d love to make this slow, I can’t. I need to get back to Livvy. I hate that I had to leave her. I hate that she knows what I’m doing and doesn’t approve.

Will she look at me differently? Is this what sends her running? I’m not sure. But if she runs, I will fucking chase her. And I’ll catch her.

“You know, my Aunt Angelica once tortured a man by cutting his dick off before shoving it down his throat, meaning the fucker died by choking on his own cock.” I tell them the legendary story I’ve heard my father and uncle mention a few times over the years. Neither of the fuckers currently strung up in my warehouse say a word. No doubt they’ve already heard of Angelica Valentino. My aunt has a reputation for a reason. “As much as I’d love to take this slow, make you both hurt as much as you hurt her, I don’t have the time,” I say, approaching them as I retrieve a knife from a holster on my belt. They’ve both been hung up, naked, beaten but even the work-over my brother and the boys already gave them isn’t enough. I doubt it will ever be enough. I go to the one with the scar first. “Dmitri Petrov.” I know who he is. I also know what I’m about to do is going to start a war between the families.