Chapter 20 - Untouchable
One month later. The Valenti estate was completely repaired, the shattered glass replaced, the blood scrubbed from the stone. It was a warm Sunday afternoon, and we were having a picnic in the expansive back gardens. Lorenzo was sitting on a blanket, laughing as he taught Mia how to play a simplified game of chess. Leo was kicking a soccer ball with Marco and Dante on the grass. I sat on a wrought-iron bench under the shade of a massive oak tree, sipping a glass of iced tea. Enzo walked over from the patio, holding two crystal glasses of expensive bourbon. He handed one to me and sat down beside me, his arm naturally wrapping around my shoulders. He looked younger, lighter, the crushing weight of the war finally lifted from his broad shoulders. "The city is quiet," Enzo murmured, watching our children play. "The remaining syndicate bosses called a meeting yesterday. They voted unanimously to recognize the Valenti family's absolute territory." I smiled, taking a sip of the warm, amber liquid. "They know better than to test you again," I said. "They know better than to test us," Enzo corrected softly. He turned his head to look at me, his dark eyes filled with that same possessive, endless heat I had fallen in love with all those years ago. "They whisper about you in the underworld, Clara." "Do they?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "They call you the Iron Queen," Enzo smiled, his thumb tracing my jawline. "They say Enzo Valenti might be the beast, but his wife is the one who holds the leash." I laughed softly, leaning my head against his shoulder. I thought about the terrified waitress bleeding on the restaurant floor, begging for her life. She felt like a stranger from a completely different lifetime. I looked at my healthy, happy children, and the fiercely loyal, dangerous man who would burn the world down to keep me warm. "Let them whisper," I said, closing my eyes and enjoying the afternoon sun. "We have a kingdom to run."
