Page 37 of Bulletproof Baby

I sigh, pushing myself off the bed. "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat? When's the last time you ate?"

"You mean since you kidnapped me?" Her reply is full of sarcasm, which I can appreciate. Eventually, she'll see this was the best idea for our situation. I walk out of the room after pulling my boxers back on, heading to the kitchen. It doesn't take long for Lia to follow me, eager for answers to what has to be hundreds of questions.

I can't help but wonder what she's going to think of me if she knows how much blood I've spilled to get this far.

"What are you doing?" she asks.

I pull out a few items from the fridge to make a quick plate of food. "I'm heating up some meatballs. You should eat. You've been through a lot tonight."

"Valentino, what was the point of this? Kidnapping and bringing me here?"

"There's a bottle of red in that wine rack by the pantry. If you want white, there's a small wine fridge at the edge of the counter next to the dishwasher."

"Why are you ignoring me?"

"I'm not ignoring you, Lia. I'm feeding you and I want you to eat before we get into the details of what's going on. Now, would you like to help me? There's some garlic bread in the oven. It should still be warm. You should know that moving around helps shake the grogginess off."

"Oh, you mean from being chloroformed? That's what they used to knock me out, right?" she asks.

"Something like that. A mild version."

"And no one touched me or anything like that, right?"

I shake my head. "No. My guys know that you're important to me and that I'd kill them if they did."

"What about Frankie?"

"He's home," I tell her as I move around the kitchen, making meatballs and pasta. "He should be calling the police by now."

"Isn't that going to let Saul know that I wasn't kidnapped the first time around?"

I shake my head. "No. I have the guy he hired in the Icebox."

"What does that mean?" she asks.

"It means that there's a man named Jimmy tucked away in a place I call the Icebox."

I hear the exasperation in her huff of frustration as I move around the kitchen, putting a plate of food together. The plate is piping hot as I sit across from Lia at the small kitchen island. She glares at me, more likely to stab me with the fork than eat the food. Thankfully, she takes a bite instead of attacking me.

"This is good," she says after a few timid bites. "Can you tell me what's going on now?"

"Saul had you kidnapped by a guy named Jimmy."

"We covered that. He's in the Icebox. Whatever the fuck that means. Now what?"

I take a few bites, watching her pick at her food between forkfuls.

"Jimmy has been holding you hostage for the past few weeks. He's been ignoring Saul and has not sent me the ransom message because he wants more money out of Saul."

"I need you to make this make sense, Valentino."

"The short answer is I'm going to get La Familia to sanction me killing Saul for violating our agreement that you're under my protection. To make that work, without igniting a war, I have to prove that Saul's responsible for your kidnapping, but I didn't want you to get hurt, Lia. I care about you."

"What started the feud between your families anyway?" Seemingly satisfied with that answer, she changes the subject. I'm more than happy to do so. I don't think I'm ready to let her into the more gruesome parts of my role as Don Barrone.

"My grandfather, Stefano, is the bastard son of Maria Caputo and Antonio Barrone," I tell her, grabbing the wine bottle and leading her into the living room. I open the large doors to let some of that ocean air into the home but light the fireplace to keep us warm.

"That sounds like a story to tell." Her voice is soft as she makes herself comfortable on the sofa. Even though we can't see the beach, hearing the waves crash along the shore is the perfect backdrop for an evening I've been aching to have with her. I hate that it has to be under these circumstances, but at least Lia is finally with me. At least now I'm certain that I can keep her safe.