Chapter 10 Old Codes, New Oaths
Valentina’s POV
“Holy shit, that was you?” Killian stares at me, eyes wide. “We got offered the contract for those eight guys at the Ropello wedding, but passed on it-we had another job lined up. Everyone in the underground still talks about what went down that night. Jesus.”
I just nod, lips curving into a wry smile. “That’s how I earned the name Vandal. I destroyed everything in my path to reach Alessio Calvetti. And Giuliana? She put a bullet through Giovanni’s skull-no open
casket for him.”
Killian roars with laughter, the sound echoing around the hospital room, cutting the tension in two.
Before I can respond, Gia breezes in, arms full of takeout bags, eyes darting between us. “What’s so funny? And did the doc clear you? When are you getting out?”
“He says I can leave tomorrow, as long as I promise to take it easy for a few weeks,” I reply.
Gia sets the food down and grins. “So, where are you staying?”
Killian jumps in, not missing a beat. “She’s staying with us at the clubhouse.”
Gia snorts. “Good. Last thing you want is to shack up with Papa and his parade of girlfriends.”
I roll my eyes, but laugh. “Leave him be. He’s been lonely long enough. I’m glad he’s getting some.”
A low voice drifts from the doorway. “Getting some what?” My father enters, removing his gloves, every inch the stoic don, his gaze direct.
I lift my chin, playful. “Papa, how was the hunt?”
He ignores the question, turns on the TV. The local news blares: A brutal murder reported at Schuster Investments in the early hours of the morning. The camera zooms in on a nervous young janitor, microphone shoved under his chin.
“Yeah, I was vacuuming the tenth floor. I saw a light in one of the offices, which was weird-nobody’s ever here that late. I peeked in and saw a severed head on the desk. Eyes gouged out-just empty sockets-and two hands beside it. It was fucked up. But I didn’t puke, Mom!” He gives a ridiculous wave before the feed cuts out.
I glance at my father, the language between us ancient and unspoken. “Ti amo Papà, grazie.” (I love you papa, thank you.)
He smiles, soft and lethal. “Qualunque cosa per te, figlia mia.” (Anything for you, my daughter.)
Gia narrows her eyes. “Papa, did you really have to do your signature move?”
He shrugs, all old-world calm. “Si, Rosalinda.”
Suddenly, both Giuliana and I freeze. Our real names. Our secret lives. Our eyes snap to Killian.
He holds our gaze, then lets out a breath. “Your secrets-Caterina’s, Rosalinda’s, all of it-are safe with me. I’ll take them to the grave. Not even my club President will ever know.”
Papa narrows his eyes, his whole frame coiled for violence. “Why should I trust you? Why not kill you
s
now and keep my daughters safe?”
Killian meets his glare, steady as stone. “Because I’m in love with Valentina. If I betrayed her, if I put either of you in danger, it would kill her. And I would never hurt my Old Lady.”
He says it for everyone to hear-no shame, no hesitation. The words land heavy in the room. My chest aches; tears burn my eyes, but I let them fall, smiling as he leans in and kisses me, his thumbs brushing away the tears.
Papa shakes his head in disbelief. “You hardly know each other.”
Gia laughs, all sharp edges and nostalgia. “Papa, you and Mama were arranged. You didn’t even know her name on your wedding day. And you loved her for twenty-three years.”
Papa studies us both, then Killian. The weight of his legacy presses down, but there’s a glimmer of acceptance in his eyes.
He finally nods, voice quiet but sure. “Take care of her. Protect her.”
“With my life,” Killian vows. “Both of them. Always.’
Papa leans down, kisses my head, then Giuliana’s. “I need to vanish for a while. They’ll recognize my work. But I trust you two to stay safe. I love you both.” He nods to Killian, then slips out, a Fixer disappearing into history, leaving new oaths in his wake.
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Giuliana’s POV
Men. How impossible is it to get one to settle down? Apparently, it’s damn near impossible. My poor sister, still trying to bury her feelings beneath a brittle smile. She’s endured hell this month-well, we both have, but what she’s suffered is unspeakable. Beaten, violated, then Killian-of all people- standing before me and Dad, declaring his love for her, calling her his Old Lady as if that absolves anything. Now the club is a swirling mess. The new club girls have thrown everything off-balance; the other girlfriends and old ladies are furious, trust evaporating with every sideways glance. Some of their men stray, and with fresh meat circulating, none of us can trust a single taken Steel Furies.
Watching Slate these past weeks is its own private torture. When Valentina first came home from the hospital, Slate spent every night tangled in my sheets. Life felt golden. His cock-sin incarnate-ruined me for anyone else. I did the stupidest thing; I caught feelings. It happened in the blur of sex, riding him hard, and as I shattered, my heart cracked open and my mouth betrayed me: “God, I love you,” slipped out. I meant to say, “God, I love your cock.” Everything changed in that instant. The next day, he shut me out-wouldn’t meet my eyes, never came back to my bed. For two weeks now, I’ve watched a thin, leggy blonde with plastic tits and a powdered face drape herself across him. She’s always angling for his attention-pool lessons, perching on his lap after dinner, making a show of riding some other guy while staring at Slate and licking her lips. Candy, I think. Of course it’s Candy. I haven’t seen him take her to his room yet, but it’s only a matter of time. New pussy always wins.
Tonight I’m setting up the taco bar when Raptor sidles up, flashing a wolfish grin. He’s all sharp lines and tattoos, black hair spiked up, blue eyes gleaming. His ink covers him-neck to ankle, even coiling around his infamous, pierced monster cock. Hence, Raptor. He’s a showman, notorious for public fucks, a spectacle I can’t pretend not to enjoy. His eyebrow and lip are punctured with silver, and rumor has it his tongue is armed with a vibrating barbell.
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He leans in, voice low and teasing. “You could be, if you want. Been dying to have a taste, Gia. That
body, those curves-fuck, you make a man hungry. Let me bend you over, spank you raw, and fuck you till you soak my cock.”
My eyes go wide. Heat rushes between my legs. Dirty talkers are my weakness. “Public, or do you want privacy?”
He perks up, mischief in his eyes. “Dealer’s choice, sweetheart.” He lifts my hand, pressing a kiss to my knuckles. What is it with these badass bikers and chivalry?
A voice like thunder crashes into us. “What the fuck is this?”
I whip around-Slate stands right there, glowering. The room goes silent, tension crackling. Candy pouts by the pool table, her glare icy.
Raptor smirks, undeterred. “Hey, Slate. Just asking Gia if she’d rather I spanked her in front of the crow d or behind closed doors, then fucked her till she screamed. She was about to give her preference.”
The punch is a blur-one second Raptor is upright, the next he’s sprawled on the floor, grinning up at me. Suddenly I’m hoisted over Slate’s shoulder. His voice is a growl against my hip. “Nobody gets to touch this ass but me.” He spanks me, hard, making me yelp. “And nobody fucks her but me. She’s my Old Lady. You so much as breathe on her again, Raptor, and I’ll rip your head off. Understood?”
He stalks away, the others silent, Raptor mouthing, “You’re welcome” from the floor.
At his room, he jabs in his code, kicks the door shut behind us, and tosses me on the bed. He’s rifling through his closet, back rigid.
I slide off the mattress, heading for the door. “I need to get back to the kitchen,” I say, voice brittle. “I have shit to do.”
He doesn’t turn. “Wait. I’ve got something for you.”
“No, Slate. I’ve done enough waiting. Two weeks of silence from you, and I know why. I opened my big mouth, told you I loved you-wasn’t even what I meant to say. My heart was screaming it, but my head just meant ‘I love your cock.’ Then you vanished. So go. Go have your fun with Candy. I’ll let Raptor know that public is just fine for me.” I try to walk away. Mistake.
He’s on me in a flash, tearing my shirt open, bra unfastened, shorts and thong stripped away in seconds. In another breath he’s inside me, thick and relentless, pinning me to the door.
His breath is hot in my ear. “You think it was easy, staying away from you? When a brother wants an Old Lady, he has to get Sarge’s approval. Once it’s official, he’s required to keep his distance for two weeks-to be sure. Sarge signed off the moment I asked. I had to keep quiet. Candy? Just a show for Blaise, to prove nothing she did mattered. You’re the only one I’ve ever wanted. Two fucking years, Gia -I’ve been jerking off to the thought of you. I’m not a pretty man. Never thought you’d want someone like me. But the second you walked through that door looking for work, I was done for. Here.” He brandishes a vest, patches shining. “Be my Old Lady, Gia.”
Pinned and breathless, I read the patch: Hotness. Below it, Steel Furies. And under that-Property of Slate.
I grind against him, chanting, “Yes, yes, yes,” until I shatter, and a moment later, he comes undone with
