Page 67 of Valentino

“What happened?” he asks.

“I have no idea what you are talking about?” Val replies calmly.

“Where were you last night?”

“I was here, all night.” He looks over at me. “Wasn’t I, Anna?”

I nod on autopilot. “Uh-huh.”

Oh my God, I’m going to jail now…. Contempt of the law.

“You didn’t leave at all?”

“No,” Val replies cool as a cucumber. “We were at my house, we had dinner and then came back here to sleep at Anna’s.”

He turns his attention to me. “And you are Anna Russo? Is that correct?”

“Yes,” I whisper as I look between them. “Is something wrong?”

He scribbles down notes before turning his attention back to Valentino and completely ignoring me. “And what is your relationship to Anna Russo?”

“She’s a friend.”

“For how long?”

“Twelve or thirteen years.”

Kind of friends, but I think we just had a moment that you so rudely interrupted.

I twist my fingers in my lap as nerves take me over.

“How do you know Miss Russo?”

“She is the best friend of one of my friends’ wife.”

“What is your relationship with her?”

“You already asked that,” he snaps. “I’m not going to keep repeating myself. She is a friend.”

His jaw clenches. “What happened then?”

“Nothing. We came back here and watched some television and went to sleep.”

“Together?”

“That is none of your business,” he fires back.

“I see.” He scribbles something down. “I understand that you used to be close with Carlo Bernetti.” His eyes rise to meet Valentino’s.

There is no air in my lungs…. None.

“Yes.”

“No longer?” He raises his eyebrow in question.

“No.”

“Because you stole his girl?”