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“In the meantime, you’re worried about the safety of your family.” Hal surmised.
“Bingo.” Prosper affirmed
“The trip to Italy?” Hal looked at Gianni with knowing eyes. “Not the vacation it seems?”
“Not the vacation it seems,” Gianni confirmed. Then he went on to clarify, “Well, of course, there will be elements of it—visiting my mother and rest of the family—that is something I have planned to do for a while. But now, all my actions will be interlaced with business dealings. Arrangements are being made as we speak to get all the players into the arena. There will be a large gathering of the heads of all the families while I am in Palermo. Our organization has not had this particularly concerning type of inner conflict for decades; these are unexpected and dangerous times for us.”
“You’re taking Dolly with you.” Hal’s head was reeling. “And the cousin…Gia? And your daughter? You’re getting them out of the picture, too?”
Gianni nodded his head. “Yes. But as it happens, these are convenient coincidences in both respects. Gia was previously enrolled in a school in Milan; she is just being sent a bit early. She will have a small security detail with her, just in case. And Dolly? Because of our personal involvement, my concern is that she may be a target as well. And while it is true that I believe she will be more protected if she is with me, I want her in my company for other reasons that should be obvious by now.”
Prosper threw Gianni a long, challenging look. Gianni met that look head on and unwaveringly.
He spoke directly to Prosper, “You have my guarantee on two things. The first is that Dolly’s safety is paramount to me. That Abiatti trash will have to climb over my dead body and the bodies of my men to do her harm.”
“Good. And what’s the other guarantee?” Prosper growled.
“My intentions toward your sister-in-law are honorable,” Gianni told him.
Prosper gave Gianni a long, assessing look.
“Dolly’s husband, Petey, was my best friend. He was a good man, and Dolly was a good wife to him. There was a whole lot of love there. She spent a lot of years— too fucking many years—grieving that loss. Dolly deserves to be happy, and she don’t have to answer to me or anyone else about where she finds that happiness.”
While the two men were busy making their positions clear on the romantic choices of Dolly McCabe, Hal was busy digesting the facts.
Gianni and La Familia were in deep shit. Which meant Valentina was in deep shit. Hal felt his chest tighten at the thought of her being in danger.
“So, you got a plan for Dolly and Gia. Where are you planning to stash your daughter while the Cosa Nostra rides this one out?” Hal was suddenly in a very bad mood.
Gianni immediately turned to Hal and gave him his full attention.
“That is a matter I have given much thought to. Valentina would have to be heavily sedated to spend any time in a space as confined as an airplane, and even then, I don’t know what that would do to her mental state. It is also not advisable for me to take her away from her doctors.”
“Rock and a hard place.” Prosper chimed in.
Gianni looked at Hal. “I may have a plan. However, before I make up my mind, there is something I would like you to do for me, something that will inform my decisions moving forward. And this, I think you even might enjoy,” Gianni told him with a small smile, “if you’re willing?”
“I’m all ears.” Hal leaned back and took a long sip of the perfectly blended coffee. Then he listened real closely to what the mob boss had to say.
After the talk with her father, Valentina went out into the gardens to quietly revel in this unexpected, but much desired, turn of events.
Because hip, hip hooray! Free at last!
Valentina was distracted from her happy thoughts when she felt her phone begin to vibrate in her pocket. She laughed out loud when she saw the irreverent, loving, and funny text, telling her that her cousin had made it safe and sound to the other side of the Atlantic. Only Gia would be able to wrangle herself into a first-class seat next to a very good-looking and high-profile quarterback on his way to Italy for an endorsement photo shoot. Gia ended the text:Silver Lining.The very best part of Gia being advantageously seated next to that hunk of a gorgeous NFL player was that he was sure to take Gia’s mind off Riker Devlin. Although Valentina had not had the stomach to look at any more texts between her cousin and the bad-boy, the giggle and blush on Gia’s face was a sure tell-tale whenever she was texting him. And it was happening a little too often as far as Valentina was concerned. But thankfully, no-one or nothing held Gia’s attention for long so Valentina felt sure the infatuation with Riker would wear itself out soon—probably before that plane landed.
Feeling exhausted by the whirlwind of events over the past few days, Valentina headed into the house. She stopped off at her father’s wine cellar and picked out a bottle ofLuna di Mieleto cap off her evening and hopefully lull her into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Valentina sighed wearily as she slipped off her shoes and made her way soundlessly up the long staircase. As much as she wanted to take Pauli’s trip at face value, she knew her father only too well, and she couldn’t help but feel that he was keeping something from her. She found it hard to believe that after months of having her uncle chained to her like a favored guard dog, suddenly that leash had been severed with seemingly little regard—especially after what had occurred at the clubhouse.
But it was bound to happen that sooner or later some business would distract Gianni’s uber-focus on her. While Valentina sent up a silent prayer to Saint George to protect her dad from his enemies, she couldn’t help but be thankful.
Of course, as all fathers should be, Gianni had always been a commanding presence in his daughter’s life, and god willing, he would continue to be one for many years to come. But Valentina had known for a long time now that she had to stop letting her father bulldoze her. The job in Haiti had been a huge step in that direction.
Yeah, and look how that turned out,Valentina frowned at the self-defeating thought.
She kicked shut the door of her bedroom, plopped down on the side of the mattress, and poured herself a large glass of wine. After taking a long sip, she went into the en suite and added a generous amount of scented oil into the tub. Valentina inhaled the heady aroma and began to undress. First, she unbuttoned her shirt, then she reached back and unhooked her bra. Exhaling a long-tired sigh, she gently rubbed away the slight irritation caused by the stiff crescent of the underwire cup before she dragged both pants and panties down her thighs. Then she strode naked back into the bedroom to throw her clothes into the hamper. With a press of a button, the rifts of George Winston’s piano music followed her back into the bathroom. The soft, lilting sounds hung in the air and mingled with the fragrant steam that rose from the jetted tub.
Valentina poised herself with one pedicured foot on the edge of the tub and one on the tiled floor before she gingerly began to ease herself into the warm, whirling water.
