“He caught it,” Emma admits, and she sounds frustrated. “The bastard.”
“He would,” Valentina says, and I see the tiniest hint of a smile. “Leo’s always been stupidly fast. It’s obnoxious. When we were kids, I could never land a hit on him no matter how hard I tried.”
“It really is obnoxious,” Emma agrees carefully, like she’s not sure if this is a trap.
“What else have you thrown at him?” Valentina asks, and now there’s definite curiosity in her voice.
“Just the fork,” Emma remarks, bringing her legs up to her chest. “But I scratched his faceandslapped him on the first day. I drew blood twice.”
Valentina’s smile widens despite herself. “Good for you. Leo deserves it.”
“Hey,” I protest from my position by the bookshelf. “I’m right here.”
“We know,” Emma and Valentina say in unison again, and this time they both look at me with matching expressions of mild annoyance.
I’m getting the distinct impression I’ve lost control of this situation entirely.
The conversation continues, and while Valentina doesn’t exactly warm up to Emma, the sharp hostility starts to ease into something more like grudging tolerance. They bond over insulting me, which is both helpful and deeply concerning. Emma holds her own against my sister’s interrogation, giving as good as she gets, and I can see Valentina’s respect growing even if she’d never admit it out loud.
They’re not friends. They’re probably never going to be friends. But there’s a mutual understanding developing—an acknowledgment that they’re both caught in circumstances neither of them asked for, both dealing with the consequences of what their family’s have done.
After about forty-five minutes of this, I decide I’ve had enough of being insulted by two women at once.
“Alright, Val,” I say, pushing off from the wall. “Time to go. You’ve terrorized Emma enough for one day.”
“I was just getting started,” Valentina protests, but she’s already standing up, straightening her blouse.
“And that’s exactly why you’re leaving.” I take her elbow and steer her toward the door. “Before you really get started and say something you’ll regret.”
Emma watches us go with an expression that’s hard to read—part relief, part something else I can’t identify.
I escort Valentina out of the library and down the hall toward the front entrance. She goes without too much resistance, though I can tell she has more she wants to say.
At the door, Valentina turns to face me, her expression serious.
“So, Emma is different,” my sister says quietly.
That’s a nice way of saying it. “I know.”
“She stood up to me,” my sister muses, almost looking thoughtful. “Most people don’t stand up to me.”
“Emma’s not most people.” The words come out more defensive than I intend.
Valentina’s eyes narrow slightly. “Leo. You have a crush on her.”
The world seems to stop spinning. “What?” I burst out, feeling my heart skip a beat. What the fuck is my sister talking about? “No. That’s—that’s ridiculous. She’s Connor Brennan’sdaughter. I kidnapped her for revenge. I don’t have a?—”
“You one hundred percent do,” Valentina interrupts, looking at me like I’m an idiot. “You’re blushing right now. You’re stammering. And you just defended her to me without even thinking about it.”
“I’mnotblushing,” I snap, even though I can feel heat in my face. “And I’mnotstammering. I’m just—you’rewrong. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m your sister.” Valentina crosses her arms and rolls her eyes. “I know when you’re lying, and you’re lying right now. You have a crush on Emma Brennan.”
“I don’t,” I insist harshly. “This is about making Connor pay for what he did to Gabriel. That’s it. That’sallthis is.”
“Is it?” Valentina’s not backing down. “Because it looks like you’ve forgotten all about revenge and started thinking about something else entirely.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I repeat, feeling cornered and hating it. “Emma is leverage. She’s a means to an end. I don’t have feelings for her. Idon’t.”