She seems to get the same idea. Her fingers pull down my zipper, and she takes me into her trembling palm.
Why is she trembling?
I pull away and see that her eyes are glassy and wet. “Vale, you’re upset.”
She doesn’t answer. She just starts stroking me. It should be enough confirmation she wants this. It would be in any other situation, but not this time. I stop her. It physically hurts, but I stop her. “Not now.”
She sighs and drops her forehead to rest against my chest. Then when I’m about to ask her if she’s okay, she starts to cry.
Yeah, this is going to have to wait. I tuck myself back in, lift her from the vanity, and bring her back out to my bedroom to place her down on the bed.
She downs the glass of water I give her, which I take as a good sign, and eventually, she goes quiet. I can tell she’s processing something, so I give her time. Ras is probably downstairs wondering what the hell I’m doing up here. He can wait for a bit longer.
She places the empty glass on the nightstand. “You shooting Nelo is a problem, isn’t it?”
“I’ll need to call Sal to try to smooth it out. Whether I’m able to or not is another question.”
“What does it mean for your plan with my father?”
“We need to move quickly.” I’ve lost the luxury of taking my time with this. Sal will be on high alert as soon as Nelo gets into his ear about what happened. He might get curious about the woman I have with me, and if he discovers it’s Valentina Garzolo, he’ll know I’m aware of what he’s done. He won’t wait for me to make my move before he sends his army here to eliminate me. He values the money I make him, but not enough to risk me starting an uprising that can only end in his death.
Valentina nods and wipes her cheeks dry. When she looks at me, there’s unmistakable conviction in her eyes. “I’ll tell you everything I know. It’s not much.”
Hope floods me. “It might be everything we need.”
She looks less convinced, but she gives me a soft smile. “Let me clean up a bit first.”
“Go. I need to check on Ras,” I say, as we rise off the bed. When she starts toward the door, I curl my hand around her wrist. “I want you in my bed.”
Her skin pebbles with goosebumps. “Do you?”
“Bring your things here.”
“They’re Martina’s things.”
“I’ll buy you a new wardrobe tomorrow.”
She laughs softly. “What about my imprisonment?”
“Like I said, it’s over.”
Her gaze falls to my lips. She swallows. “I’ll tell you what I know about my father’s business, but I don’t know if I’ll stay.”
She will, she just doesn’t know it yet. She’s mine, and I’ll do whatever I need for her to realize it.
I go against my instincts and let go of her hand. “Understood. You’ll be more comfortable here while you decide.”
The relief I feel when she acquiesces with a small smile is palpable.
Downstairs, Ras is pacing the living room. He looks up when he hears me approach and swears. “Dem, you need to get on the phone with Sal. There’s still a small chance Nelo hasn’t been able to reach him since he’s likely getting stitched up.”
He’s angry at me. He thinks I’m fucking everything up because of my feelings for Vale.
But shooting Nelo doesn’t feel like a mistake to me, even now that I’ve cooled down. It feels like justice.
“You think I shouldn’t have done it,” I say.
“Doesn’t matter what I think. What matters is that we do everything we can to cool the situation down.”
“He shouldn’t have touched her,” I say as I take my phone out of my pocket. “Is the kitchen clean? Everything needs to be in order before Mari gets home.”
Ras lets out a long breath. “They’re cleaning it now. I told the driver to bring her back in two hours.”
“Vale is going to share what she knows about her father,” I say. That should be enough to ease Ras’s concerns about me not thinking clearly at this point because of Vale. I know that’s what he’s worried about, I can see it in his face. As much as I want to tell him off for doubting me, I can’t deny that in my family, there’s a history of people making rash and destructive decisions because of love.
But I’m not in love with Valentina. I can’t be. Attraction isn’t love. Need isn’t love. This wordless thing I feel for her… It can’t be love.
As I dial Sal’s number, my skin crawls at the thought of hearing his voice and pretending I have no idea what he tried to do to my sister. I can’t let my emotions show. He has to think I’m clueless.
After a few rings, he picks up. “Damiano, ragazzo mio. You caught me just as I was about to start my late lunch,” he rasps in a gravelly voice, courtesy of his pack-a-day smoking habit. “Chiara spent all day on risotto alla piscatora.”
He likes to pretend we’re the best of friends, even if everyone knows it’s a charade. “Lucky you. I won’t keep you hungry for long.”
“I like to hear that. How is my favorite topolina doing? Has she recovered from her New York trip?”
This fucking asshole. “She’s feeling much better.”
“We’ll find whoever is responsible for what happened,” he says. “These things can take time, but justice always gets delivered.”
Don’t I know it.
“There’s been a small misunderstanding with Nelo and Vito,” I say.
“Oh? Did they visit you today like I asked them to?”
“They did.”
“Did Nelo tell you the good news? I think him and Mari will make a beautiful couple.”
I remind myself their marriage is as likely to happen as Sal choking to death on his risotto, but his words still light a flame of fury inside of me. “He mentioned it,” I say curtly.
“What do you think?”
“I’m afraid Nelo’s behavior today disqualified him as a potential husband for my sister.”
There’s a prolonged silence before Sal responds with a humorless laugh. “What did my nephew do this time?”
“I had a woman in my home when he stopped by. He got handsy.”