Page 55 of Bulletproof Baby

"None of your fucking business," Valentino says from behind her. "Security!"

I thought Valentino was mad at me. No. He's upset with me. There's still love in his eyes even as he lays his feelings out for me to stomp all over. The vile, pure hatred, venomous glare he doles out to the woman calling herself his mother is something different.

It's that beast in him that he tries to hide from me. That piece of him he likes me to beat up on.

"Shit," Hera huffs under her breath. She slowly turns around as two burly looking NYPD officers stand behind Valentino.

"I want her arrested for trespassing, harassment, and any other charge you can make stick. I want security on high alert that this woman is a threat to the safety of my child and the mother of my child. I do not want Hera Fasano anywhere near us. Am I making myself clear?"

"Crystal, sir." The officer nods with fear in his eyes as his partner grips Hera by the arm to shuffle her out of the room.

Valentino rushes over to me. "Are you okay? I'm fucking sorry about that, about her. She popped up on me earlier today. That woman is up to something. I can fucking feel it. Lia?"

"Yes, Val?"

"Will you please come home with me and let me keep you safe?"

"Yes, Val. I will."

24

VALENTINO

The whirlwind of emotions swirling inside of me has me on edge. Moments like this typically have Twyla snapping a femur or something, but I don't want to be dramatic or drastic. They're fractures mostly. Injuries that heal within weeks that I can feel even when the bruising subsides.

I don't want to feel that kind of pain anymore. Chasing the pain of something more hurtful than my mother abandoning me is getting me nowhere. Having Hera show up after decades of not speaking is pissing me off. I want to break her bones this time around, not mine.

Still, my pain seems to land on the intangible side of things these days. I guess that's why I need the physical pain, something to touch to make it real enough because as Don fucking Barrone I can't tell anyone that my heart was broken by the first woman who was supposed to love me.

Lia deserves better than this, than me. I'd fucking flee, too. How dare I get upset with her? I've told Armande too many times to count that she's not in the life. Why the hell would she hang around while two dons are duking it out, leaving a trail of bodies in their path?

Lia grunts, grimaces, and breathes deeply. A shade of red colors her face and I rush to her side. "Should I get, Dr. Monroe? Or the other one?"

"No, don't leave me."

"I'm not, Lia. I swear. Whatever you need, you'll have it. You and, what's her name?" I ask her.

"Don't have one." Lia huffs out a few more pained breaths.

"I don't like the sound of your breathing, Lia. I think I should get the doctor. You need another dose of that epidural or something. I know what pain looks like and you're in a lot of it."

"For fuck’s sake, Valentino, let me feel this shit," she bites out, but then she mumbles a sentence I swear she thinks I can't hear. "I deserve it."

"Look at me, Lia. This is not the time for self-flagellation. Less stress on you and the baby. Let's push good energy, right? Like Twyla said. What's her name going to be? She's going to be here any minute now. What are Mom and Dad going to call their little bambina?"

"What about Ava Grace, after my grandmother? My Nonna who practically raised me and Frankie." Lia sighs as the contraction subsides and I swipe hair out of her face.

"Beautiful. Are we giving her all the names?" I ask Lia.

She squints at me. "All what names?"

"Ava Grace Mirante Bonetti Barrone?"

That gets a smile on her face, laughter before another contraction hits. She squeezes my hand as she bites down and starts to push.

"Wait, no, not yet. We need doctors, don't we?" I ask her.

"Are we ready to push?" Dr. Bastian says, entering the room.