Page 87 of Valentino

My phone vibrates in my pocket. “Hello.” I answer softly.

“Val,” a panicked woman’s voice whispers. “Carlo knows.”

“Chiara.” I walk to the window and look out over the street below. “How do you know?”

“He just called me going off his brain and….”

“What?” I frown.

“He knows I went to Anna, he knows I told her everything. He said he’s going to kill me.”

“Who else did you tell that you went?”

“Nobody,” she stammers. “You’re the only person who knows.”

He’s watching Anna’s office….

Either that or he’s spoken to Anna. My mind begins to spiral, when would he have spoken to her…. I’ve been with her ever since Chiara left her office. Did she call him?

“Did you hear me?” Chiara whispers.

“Why the fuck are you still at your house?” I whisper angrily. “You were supposed to be leaving town.”

“You told me if I went to her that you would look after me.”

“Financially, Chiara, and I paid you very fucking well. Get the hell out of there.”

“Can you send someone around to pick me up, please Val. He’s going to kill me.”

“He’s not going to kill you, just get out of there. Right now.”

Bang.

“Oh my God,” she whispers. “There’s someone downstairs.”

“What do you mean?”

“A window just smashed.”

“Get off the phone, I’m calling the police.”

“Wait, let me check.” The phone clunks as she puts it down somewhere.

I listen as adrenaline screams through my system, I hear clunking and then a muffled voice.

What’s happening?

“What are you doing here?” Chiara cries. “You need to leave. I’ve already called the police; they are on their way.”

“What did you fucking do?” I hear Carlo’s voice growl.

No….

“I didn’t, I didn’t, I swear I didn’t,” Chiara cries.

He says something that I can’t understand.

“I didn’t, I promise you I didn’t.”