Chapter 171 Valentina
Dakota's P.O.V.
"Who sent you here?" I ask as I pull her to her knees. She's at least five inches taller than me, with long black hair in a braid.
"I can't tell you, or I'm dead." She looks from me to Galdino. He's pretty calm for someone who has just had a gun drawn on them.
"You're dead either way, so tell us,” I say as his men run into the room, but I don't look at them. I'm looking into the woman's brown eyes, and I'm shocked. She doesn't look defiant or cocky. She looks scared.
"Frank Chidsey. He said that he would have someone call to say it was safe for you to come to your house, and then he wanted me to wait here to kill you." Galdino looks at me as tears run down her cheeks. I would estimate she's in her early thirties. She doesn't seem like an assassin, not that I have much experience with them.
"Are you an assassin?" I ask as I ease up on her hair. She laughs dryly and without humor.
"No. That cheap bastard wouldn't actually pay someone to do this. I'm a manager of one of his businesses, but he said he was adding this to my job description. He said if I didn't do it, I would be killed. I'm not a murderer, but I know how to shoot a gun." I look at Galdino as I release her hair.
"It's your call. She was here to kill you. What's your name?" I turn back to the woman, and she slowly gets to her feet.
"Valentina. I will do whatever you want if you don't kill me. I have a five-year-old son at home." She looks around nervously.
"Let me see a picture of him," Galdino says. Valentina nervously pulls her phone out of her pocket, turns it on, and then holds it up. There's an image of a beautiful boy with the same black hair and brown eyes as his mother.
"Does he have a father to take care of him if you're dead?" Galdino asks. She begins crying, but I don't say anything. She made this bed, and now she has to lie in it.
"No. It's just him and me. He's the reason I agreed to this. If Frank kills me, Enzo would have no one. I know who you both are, and I have no right to ask this, but please don't kill me." She falls to her knees and wraps her arms around herself, rocking back and forth. I look at Galdino, and he walks to the other side of the room. I look at his men, and they move closer to Valentina while I follow their boss.
"What do you want to do?" I whisper to him as he opens the curtains, and we look out the window.
"I think I'm becoming soft because I don't want to kill her. In the old days, I would have her son brought here, killed him in front of her, and then killed her. Now, I want to help them. Are you rubbing off on me? Oh, and by the way, how in the fuck did you learn to throw a knife with such accuracy?" I smile but don't turn to him.
"I told Grandpa Chrissy that I didn't need a gun to defend myself. She looks desperate, and I believe her. I made a mistake with Jamie, and I won't do that again. If we help her, I want men to always be with her so she doesn't try anything. What do you know about Frank? Grandpa Chrissy talked about him, and he seemed to be from one of the weaker families." Galdino nods and looks back at Valentina.
"Yes, he is, and after today, he will no longer be a nuisance. We're going to use his assassin to lead him into a trap. Are you comfortable with her being in your house?" He looks at her again, and I do the same. She's still on her knees, looking at the ground.
"I think that would be best. Let's talk to her." We walk back over, and she looks up.
"Can I at least say goodbye to Enzo before you kill me?" She asks, looking from me to Galdino.
"We won't kill you if you help us trap Frank. Text him that it's done and you want to meet to give him proof. While I show up to meet with him, Dakota and two men will take you to pick up your son. You're going to stay with us at the Kondrati compound until we are sure you're not going to try something else," Galdino tells her. Valentina stands and nods.
"I'll do whatever you want. Where do you want to meet him? He never even asked about sending proof. Like I said, he's not very professional and doesn't know anything about running a business." She pulls her phone back out. Galdino tells her where to send Frank, and two minutes later, she receives a text that he'll be there in thirty minutes. Galdino and three men leave to meet Frank while Valentina and I go to her apartment.
"I truly am sorry about this, and I appreciate you giving me a chance," she says.
"Honestly, I would have killed you when I came into the room, but I wanted to know who sent you. That's the only reason I didn't aim for your head." Valentina looks away and nods.
"I understand." We pull up to her building a few minutes later. When we get to the third floor, Valentina hesitates.
"Is everything alright?" I ask and glance at the men with us.
"No. The door is open. Belinda would never leave the door open." The men push us behind them and go inside. I pull out my knife, grab Valentina's arm, and follow them. We reach the living room, and she begins screaming. An older woman is lying on the floor with her throat slit, and a note is stuck to her chest with a knife.
I have Enzo. If you want him back, you will do what I told you to and stop fucking around. I followed you to the Buccheri compound and saw him leaving. If you don't do what I told you, Enzo is dead.