“Hardly a big offense.”
“She wasn’t his to touch.”
There’s a rustling sound, and I imagine Sal is leaning forward in his seat. “Whose is she?”
“Mine.”
This time, he ejects a gleeful laugh. A new weak spot for him to probe at. “You mustn’t have been happy about that.”
“I shot his hand. He’ll be fine.”
“Mio Dio. I’d like to see this woman who has made you so possessive. Well, I’ll tell Nelo that wasn’t done well. He was a guest in your home after all.”
“I would appreciate that,” I force out.
“The business with Mari… Let’s not write it off so quickly. Nelo will act the perfect gentleman next time he’s around. You have my word on that.”
By now, Nelo is well aware the next time he comes around, he’s not leaving this house alive, but I don’t bother getting into it with Sal. “If you say so. I’ll let you get back to your dinner.”
“Say hello to your new friend from me. What’s her name by the way?”
“Ale Romero,” I say without hesitation. “She’s just a seasonal worker.”
“Maybe I’ll have to stop by before the season’s up,” he muses. “Goodbye, Damiano.”
I hang up and head back upstairs to get Valentina.
I find her in my bedroom, folding her clothes on my bed. The sight of her in my space is like a warm caress. It pleases me more than I care to admit.
She hears me enter and turns, holding the clothes in her hands. “I wasn’t sure where to put these.”
“The maid will clear space in the closet for you,” I say. “Leave it for now. Ras is waiting for us downstairs.”
Her posture stiffens. “Did you tell him about Lazaro and me?”
Does she really think I’d share her secret as soon as I left her? “No, and I won’t if you don’t want me to.”
She relaxes. “Thank you.”
I can tell she’s still ashamed. She blames herself for what her husband forced her to do, that sick fucking waste of-
No, enough. I’ll wait to know if he’s alive or not before I contemplate all the brutal ways I’ll make him pay.
We descend to the living room and make our way to my office. Ras is standing by the bookshelf, his arms crossed over his chest. He cocks his head to the side when he sees me helping Vale walk, so that she doesn’t need to put much pressure on her injured foot. She eases down into a chair and looks at him. “I won’t waste your time. Here’s what I know.”
A smile tugs at my lips at her directness.
“The morning of the day Martina and I got away, there was a bridal shower with all the inner-circle women.”
“Your sisters were there?” Ras asks.
“Only Gemma came. Cleo didn’t make it. She and Mamma had a huge fight, so she wasn’t allowed to go. Mamma said it was important for me to show up.”
“Did you hear anything of interest?”
“To be honest, I wasn’t listening all that deeply. I was…” She rubs her hands up and down her thighs. “I was just trying to keep it together in front of everyone.”
Ras’s frowns. “Why?”
“Things were bad with my husband, and I didn’t want anyone to pick up on it,” she says. “The specifics aren’t relevant to this story.” She shoots me a look. “Anyway, Gemma was worried about our father. She said something about him seeming off. He’d added additional security detail to the entire family.”
“He was scared of something,” I conclude.
“Papà’s always been cautious when it comes to security, but Gemma wouldn’t have exaggerated something that wasn’t real. She always paid a lot more attention to his dealings than me.”
“What else?” Ras presses.
“I left the party early. Lazaro wanted me home. My cousin Tito drove me, and we started talking. We’ve always been friendly. He alluded to being frustrated he’s had to put in long hours working for some asshole. He didn’t specify who the asshole was. He said he, his father, Lazaro, and my brother, Vince, were all involved.”
“Brother?” I ask.
“He lives in Switzerland.”
Ras scratches his chin. “He’s your father’s money guy?”
“Yes. My impression was that they were all essentially on loan to someone outside of the clan and doing their bidding.”
“That has to be Sal,” Ras muses. “We know Lazaro was tracking down Martina.”
“Does your father have a habit of doing favors?”
Valentina pulls her top lip between her teeth. “Not as far as I know, but that doesn’t mean much. I preferred to stay away from his business.”
Ras pushes off the wall and makes his way closer. “But your sister is more involved?”
“I wouldn’t say she’s involved. Just curious. When we were kids, she’d eavesdrop outside of father’s office. She liked hearing his secrets.” Vale crosses her legs. “I didn’t.”
Ras and I exchange a look. It’s not much, just like Vale had warned me. We’re closer to confirming Garzolo was in some kind of an arrangement with Sal, but we need more specifics.
“You sure you don’t have any idea why your father would have agreed to work with the Casalese don?”
She shakes her head, her expression sullen, then her eyes widen. “Oh! Gemma also said Papà was hinting at giving her to one of the Messeros. They’re another family in New York, but as far as I know, we’ve always kept our distance from them. It surprised me that there was talk of marriage. I have no idea why Papà was looking for an alliance with them.”
“What if you could talk to your sister?” Ras asks. “See what else she knows. If she’s nosy by nature, I can’t imagine your mysterious disappearance would make her less curious.”
Valentina pales. “Talk to Gemma? But…how? I can’t just call her cell phone. Papà always monitored our phones.”
“If we figure out the logistics, would you talk to her?” I ask. “Do you trust her to keep your whereabouts a secret?”