“Maybe.” I refill my glass and sit down across from Ras. “So where does this leave us? Why would the Garzolos take Mari? They don’t have any reason to have it out for me.”
Ras looks thoughtful as he swirls his whiskey around. “It could have been a favor for Sal.”
Did our don order the abduction of my sister? I’ve been asking myself this question since the moment I found out she was taken. My gut tells me yes, after all, he had a motive. He wants to keep me in line. But Garzolo’s involvement makes me pause. “Why would they grant him this favor? As far as I know, Sal has no relationship with them, business or otherwise.”
“We’re missing something,” Ras says. “Maybe it wasn’t Sal after all.”
Ras has been warning me all along not to jump to conclusions too quickly. I’ve made a few enemies during my life, but none that would dare do this to my sister. Sal is the only one who’d have the guts to try.
Ras puts his empty glass on the desk. “You should ask Valentina about what her husband intended to do to Mari. She has to know something that could put our doubts to rest. Is she still downstairs?”
“Yes. I left her tied up there,” I say. Shame blazes over my skin.
Ras shoots me an accusatory look and drags a hand over his cheek. “Dem, you can’t leave her like that.”
“I can do whatever the hell I want,” I snap, even as I fight my entire body not to march down there and let her down.
“Sure,” Ras says carefully. “But you might get more out of her by treating her well. She’s on the run, and over the past month, you’ve helped her get back on her feet. She has a soft spot for you. Exploit it to get the information we need. Figure out exactly why she ran and offer her protection from whomever she fears,” Ras says.
“Offer her protection?” I’d have to forgive her first to do that. Why didn’t she give me the truth about herself when I asked her? She had plenty of chances to tell me who she was. I gave her a job, an apartment, my affection, and my trust.
In return, she deceived me.
But she also saved my sister.
I press the heels of my palms against my eyes.
“If you don’t want to actually do that, fine. You just need to convince her the offer is real,” Ras says. “The moment you get her to believe you is the moment she’ll tell you everything.”
I drop my hands and look out toward the sea on the other side of the window. I could lie to her, get the information that I need, and then execute my revenge. Now that I know who she is, it would be easy. I could make Stefano Garzolo feel the pain I did by killing his daughter.
Bile rises to my throat. No. I could never do that. I could never kill her.
But I have to do what’s right by my sister.
I rise from my seat. “I’m going to go talk to her. See how she reacts when she finds out I know her name.”
He gets up. “I’ll wait for you.”
“Tell Mari you’re staying for dinner.”
When I get down the steps and see Valentina where I left her, a strange cocktail of emotions drips into my bloodstream.
Self-loathing, mixed with frustration and lust.
She’s so absorbed with her task that she doesn’t hear me. Her face is angled up, and she’s pulling on the ropes at her wrists, her jaw tense with determination.
I grind my teeth. That knot is foolproof. The only thing she’s accomplishing is hurting herself.
Her shorts and underwear have slipped down from around her knees and pooled at her feet. Those fucking legs. I want them wrapped around my waist and holding on for dear life as I pound my cock inside of her. She was so wet for me earlier. I don’t know how I managed to keep myself from sinking right into her.
I run my hand over my mouth. Cazzo. What did I come down here for? I’ve never met a woman who made me forget about everything but her when she’s in front of me.
It’s a jarring realization. She made me neglect my responsibility to Mari, which is something that can’t happen again. My duty to my sister is the most important thing to me. I can’t let anyone distract me from that.
“The only way you’re getting out of that is if I let you.”
I startle her. She lets out a gasp and then follows it with a hurt look. She’s angry with me.
I deserve it for leaving her like this.
“Any idea of when that might be?” she asks.
Instead of answering, I move toward her until I’m invading her space. She glances down at herself and blushes. I follow her gaze. She’s embarrassed by her partial nudity. I decide to take pity on her.
When I lower to my haunches, her lips part. She reddens even more as I pull up her shorts and zip them up.
“Can you please let me down?” she asks. “My arms really hurt.”
Her wrists are bright red where the rope has rubbed against them. The sight of it makes me feel wretched.
I rise up and start untying the rope, schooling my features to hide all hints of the turmoil I feel at seeing her in pain.
Relief cascades over her expression. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Valentina.”
She makes a choked sound, as if the air she just inhaled suddenly turned dense inside her lungs.
I meet her frightened gaze. “Valentina Conte. I have to say, I prefer Valentina Garzolo. It has a noble ring to it.”
The knot comes apart, and as soon as her arms are free, she wraps them around herself. Her chest heaves with a heavy breath. “How?” she whispers.
“Your passport was inside your bed. You didn’t try to hide it all that hard.”
“I didn’t think anyone would search my place,” she says weakly. I swear, it’s as if she’s shrinking in on herself. My threats don’t faze her, but me knowing her real name appears to. Why?
“Lazaro… Is he alive?”
“I’m the one asking questions,” I say.
“Please, Damiano.” Her voice cracks. “Is he alive?”
When I nudge her chin up, I see tears pooling inside her eyes. Something squeezes hard around my ribcage. “I don’t know.”
She searches my face for a long moment and then sniffs when she seems to determine I’m telling the truth. A tear runs down her cheek, and I catch it with my thumb. “Why did Lazaro take Mari? Don’t tell me you weren’t curious when your husband brought a girl you’ve never seen to your home. Start talking, Valentina,” I say.
I wait while she considers what to do.