Soulless Devil (Sons of Valentino #3)(45)

“No, of course not.” I scowl at him.

“So, does this boyfriend have a name?”

“Romeo,” I say with a smile.

“Of course it is.” Kirk laughs.





Walking through this cabin brings back a lot of good childhood memories. There’s a sense of comfort here, safety, but it’s missing something.

Not something. Someone. Romeo.

I shake off the sadness. It’s only been a few hours. I refuse to believe that I’ve become that attached to him in such a short amount of time. In all of the years I dated Kirk, I never missed him. Not even during the past six months. I think I missed having that one friend who knows everything about you and never judges. The way I miss Romeo right now is different from that. It’s too much. How am I supposed to last a whole week if I can’t even last a few hours?

My phone pings in my hand. I turn it over to see the screen, and a smile spreads across my face. It’s Romeo. Then panic sets in. He’s video-calling me. Shit, I can’t answer him yet. I need to get my story straight. Rejecting the call, I send him a message instead.

Me:





I’ll call back in a few.





Romeo:



Is everything okay?





Me:





Yes, fine. Just talking to my parents.





Romeo:



I miss you already. You know I can ditch my family and come to Covington.





Me:





My dad will shoot you.





Romeo:



I’ll bring Doc with me so he can patch me up afterwards.





Me:



You have an answer for everything.





“So, Romeo, huh? It’s serious?” Kirk asks.

I peer up to see him staring at me. “Yeah, I think it is.” I smile.

“In all the years I’ve known you, I’ve never seen that look on your face,” he says.

“What look?”

“Love.”

“Kirk, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. We were convenient, Livvy. We both knew we weren’t end goals.” He shrugs and heads to the kitchen. “I’ve stocked the fridge and pantry for you, but if you need anything else, just call.

“Thank you. For everything.”

“No worries. I’m going to head out. Just, ah, make sure you call if you need anything,” he says again.

I nod my head and pray that he doesn’t move in for a hug. Thankfully, he reads my body language perfectly and doesn’t approach me, exiting the cabin with a wave of his hand instead.





Chapter Twenty-Five





Being away from Livvy this past week has been absolute hell. I’ve thought about getting on a flight to Covington so many times. The one thing that held me back was her. She insisted I stay with my family. I just have to hold out two more days. Two more days and she’ll be back in New York. Back in my arms. Although, with the shitshow I’ve returned to, I think she might be better off staying away longer.

I flew back on Boxing Day with Luca and Matteo. We’re holed up in Theo’s apartment. He went off on some rampage and shot some people he wasn’t supposed to. Not that we have a list of people we are supposed to take out. Currently… But there are definitely those who we should avoid. He now has three of the five families after him. I don’t blame him, though. I would have done the same thing. I have done the same thing. The difference is the only witness I left… well, last I heard he was still in a coma and is missing a tongue. He won’t be talking to anyone anytime soon.

The assholes my brother took down deserved it. They were planning to auction off his girlfriend—though it’s still unclear if she would call herself that—to the highest bidder. Talk about a Christmas full of surprises. And as if all that wasn’t enough, turns out Matteo went and got hitched to his best friend Savvy in Vegas, while Theo is dead set on this Maddie chick, who he’s attempting to move into his apartment along with her little sister, Lilah.

If we had cameras following us around, I think we’d put the Kardashians to shame in the family drama category of life. The reason we’re here is to help protect Theo from himself and the other families who all want his head. Which was a great idea in theory, if he hadn’t gone off on his own and got himself fucking shot. He did, apparently, put an end to the rising mafia war. Although, we now have to face why the Russians attacked him in the first place.

“You know, we should just tell them. It’s not like Pops doesn’t already know,” Luca says. He’s adamant about wanting to tell Pops and our older brothers about Livvy and the two Russians who ended up in our warehouse.

“If I wanted everyone to know my business, I’d send a fucking memo, Luca.”

“It’s your call. You know I’ll follow you right to hell and back. But, I’m just sayin’, this whole Russian feud could be because of us.”

“It’s not,” I deny, even though chances are it is.

“Your call, bro,” he says again before asking, “How is Liv doing?”