Undressed By The Mafia God novel Chapter 30

Chapter 30: I Need A Pad

He stopped directly in front of her. "You asked for me," he said simply.

"Are you Marco?" Valentina asked.

"Yes."

"My sister told me about you," she said quickly. "She said you were helping her."

He knew exactly which Marco Veronica had meant, and it certainly wasn’t him. Still, he nodded noncommittally. "Really?"

"Well," Valentina continued, hopeful now, "I thought you might help me too."

"I am not helping you escape," Marco said flatly, already turning away. He didn’t need this.

Valentina shot up from the sofa and grabbed his arm with surprising strength. "No, please. Just listen."

Slowly, he looked down at her hand on his sleeve. She released him immediately.

"What is it?" he asked. "Make it quick."

She hesitated, color creeping up her cheeks. "It’s... it’s embarrassing."

"You have one second."

"I need a pad."

"What the fuck is that?"

Valentina stared at him. Then she burst out laughing. "You’re kidding, right?"

He merely raised a brow in irritation.

"Well, I... my... I... I use it for my monthlies..." Valentina stammered.

Marco’s face flushed a furious red, starting at his collarbone and marching up. "Oh. Oh. Right. That." He cleared his throat, then cleared it again. "Okay. Uh. Right now. Like immediately?"

"Yes." Valentina nodded, watching him with wide, innocent eyes. She found the transformation fascinating. One second he was all sharp edges and commands, the next he looked like a man who had just been handed a live grenade labeled womanhood.

"You need anything else?" he asked.

Valentina hesitated, then nodded slowly. "Yes."

Marco braced himself. "Can you make a list? I’ll rush to the store."

She smiled then, soft and grateful and just a little mischievous. "Thank you."

By the time Marco changed into jeans and a jacket, Valentina had finished writing. He scanned the page, his eyebrows inching higher with every item. Pain killers. Tampons. Pads. Heating pads. Chocolate. Ice.

Ice cream.

"What the fuck?" he muttered under his breath and looked up at her. Valentina sat primly on the sofa, hands folded, wearing the most unapologetically cheesy smile he had ever seen.

"Fine!" Marco snapped. He stalked out of the house, keys jangling, muttering curses at Luca.

*****

Vito Scalese was crawling out of bed when the banging started. It was aggressive, impatient.

"What the fuck?!" Vito swore, dragging a hand down his face as he stumbled toward the door. "I’m coming, goddamnit!"

He yanked it open and found Cassidy standing there. One eye was swollen shut, purple and ugly. The imprint of a ring was still faintly visible on his skin. Vito did not need a crystal ball to know who had delivered that message.

"Jesus Christ," Vito muttered, stepping aside.

Cassidy pushed past him, limping slightly.

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