Chapter 73

Mafia Kings: Valentino: Chapter 73 I found the Minerva – a tiny hotel, more like the one in Gela than the luxurious cave in Ragusa – and bounded up the stairs.

I knocked on Room 404.

The door opened a crack, and Caterina looked out at me.

“Hey,” she said with a smile...

Though she seemed very subdued.

I pushed my way in, shut the door, and kissed her –

But she wasn’t very passionate as she kissed me back.

I pulled away from her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

She leaned in to kiss me –

“What’s wrong?” I asked again.

“Nothing. Everything’s fine.”

“Bullshit. Are you going to tell me, or are we just going to ignore it?”

She looked up at me with a sad but defiant look. “What do you think is wrong?”

I knew.

But the pit of my stomach filled with dread at naming it...

So I lied.

“I think you’re having second thoughts about seeing me.”

She glared at me. “Now who’s slinging bullshit?”

She started to walk away –

But I grabbed her arm and pulled her back to me.

“Let go!” she yelped, trying to fight me off.

I had no choice.

I had to tell her the truth, or I might as well walk out.

If I said nothing, we’d end up wasting what precious time we had.

“It’s because I was going to say ‘I love you’ on the phone, but I stopped myself,” I said. “That’s it, isn’t it.”

She looked at me in shock, tears in her eyes –

And then nodded silently.

My heart suddenly swelled with the same emotion I’d felt hours before.

I started to speak –

Stopped myself –

Fuck, man, don’t do this – DON’T DO THIS –

“I love you,” I said.

Cat immediately burst out sobbing and clasped a hand over her mouth. Then she removed it and smiled as tears streamed down her cheeks. “I love you, too.”

I pulled her to me... wrapped her up in my arms... and just held her as she cried.

After a moment, she asked with a sniffle, “Why didn’t you say it on the phone?”

“Because it makes the whole situation worse.”

She pushed away from my chest so she could look me in the eyes. “What?! Why?!”

“Because we can’t do anything about it,” I said grimly. “In a week and a half, I have to get married. I have to. I have no choice.

And it fucking sucks to marry a woman I don’t want, and who doesn’t want me... when I’m in love with the woman I can’t have.”

Cat looked at me a long time in silence.

She finally whispered, “Then why did you turn down Don Rosolini when he said you could marry me instead of her?”

I backed away in horror. “You heard that?!”

“I heard him tell Alessandra about it.”

I felt ashamed –

And guilty as hell –

But I immediately became angry.

Because I couldn’t bear those other feelings.

“You knew and you never told me?!” I asked, enraged. “WHY?!”

Cat stood there looking at me, tears pouring down her cheeks...

And she gave me the saddest smile I’d ever seen.

“It hurt too much to tell you,” she whispered. “And I wanted you so badly.”

That killed me.

It broke my fucking heart.

This woman...

This amazing woman...

She’d known all along about what a piece of shit I was...

And she still wanted me anyway.

My voice broke as I said hoarsely, “I’m sorry... I was a fucking idiot. I’d do anything to go back in time and tell Dario ‘yes.’”

“So do it,” she whispered, taking a step forward. “Tell them you want to marry me and not her.”

“They won’t change their minds.” I scowled. “Niccolo won’t change his mind.’

“Then run away with me!” she begged as she took my hands in hers.

“I can’t.” I felt desperate – like a rat trapped in a barrel slowly filling with water. “Massimo might be dead... Lars, too. We’ve lost all our money, and Roberto hasn’t gotten it back. This thing with Don Vicari might be the only chance we have to stop Uncle Fausto. I can’t run away and leave them in the lurch. I can’t.”

She gave me that sad smile again –

But this time, she cupped my cheek with her hand.

“I know,” she said softly. “I just had to ask.”

“I’m sorry,” I croaked out.

She hesitated. Then...

“I am, too,” she whispered. “But it’s not under our control... so we just have to make the best of it, I guess.”

“How do we do that?” I asked. I was angry at Niccolo, at Don Vicari – at the entire fucking world.

She smiled sadly. “Make love to me... and tell me you love me.”

I pulled her to me.

Half of my heart was filled with grief... and the other half was filled with love.

“I love you,” I whispered. “I love you.”

When I kissed her, I tasted the salt of her tears.