Page 68 of Valentino

Valentino glares at him with such evil that I feel myself wither.

“That is none of your business,” he sneers. “Now if you don’t mind, we have to get to work.”

“Carlo Bernetti’s house was burnt to the ground last night,” he replies. “And his extensive vintage car collection worth millions of dollars was stolen. What do you have to say about that, Mr. Leone?”

“I say….” A trace of a smile crosses Valentino’s face. “He shouldn’t play with matches.”

What?

My eyes flick between the police and Val, they burnt his house down.

Is that where he went last night?

“Tell me.” Valentino sits forward. “Mr. Sartori,” he sneers. “Are you aware that Carlo Bernetti is wanted in regard to the murder of Giovanna Morelli?”

“I am.”

“And what exactly are you doing about that?” he fires back.

“We are following up on enquiries.”

“Do it faster,” he snaps.

“Your reputation precedes you, Mr. Leone. You do not get to shoot up my streets. You do not take revenge into your own hands.” He closes his notepad. “I know what you do. I know who you are.”

“And who am I?” Valentino sneers in a whisper.

“Some call you the King of Cocaine…. Others call you a cold-blooded killer. I know that you run one of the biggest organized crime syndicates in the world and I intend on bringing you down.”

Valentino breaks into a slow smile. “What a wild imagination you have, Officer Sartori.”

“It’s Commissioner Sartori,” he corrects him.

“For how long?”

Their eyes are locked.

“What does that mean?” the commissioner fires back. “Are you threatening me? Is that a threat?”

“That’s your imagination,” Val whispers with a smirk. “I would be very careful if I were you. Milan can be a dangerous place.”

The commissioner’s chin tilts to the sky, clearly rattled.

The other officer closes his notepad in a clear message; he doesn’t want a bar of this.

My blood runs cold; I’ve never seen Valentino like this….

He’s scary even to me.

Valentino stands and walks to the door before opening it in a rush. “I do not care if Carlo Bernetti’s house burnt down, and quite frankly, I sincerely hope that he was in it.” He gestures to the door. “Leave.”

“This isn’t the last you’ve heard of this,” he grumbles as they walk through the door.

Val closes the door behind him with a sharp snap. He walks up the hall and disappears into the bedroom, no doubt to read the text messages and type out his reply.

I stand rooted to the spot, shocked…. Horrified and quite frankly, shaken to the bone.

“I’m going to work,” Val says calmly as he walks out into the living room, briefcase in hand.