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“She’s perfectly safe, at my apartment. I’m meeting her at the office in about forty minutes.”
“This ransom seems too amateur,” he goes on. “Don’t you get that feeling? And why the fuck did they text you and not Angelo?”
I swallow hard. In all the commotion, I don’t think Angelo himself really considered this.
Of course I know why; because there are images of us together, and this person knows that what we are doing is forbidden.
Not for the first time, I think about this coming from our own camp.
Someone wants out. That has to be it.
There is no other reason for someone to bribe me personally, other than trying to go around Angelo to get to Valentina, and I’m a scapegoat.
Well, if they think they can bribe me into submission, or bring me to my knees, they picked the wrong asshole to mess with.
Again, I have to lie to him. “That part I am still trying to figure out. Sloane is trying to trace the texts and the photos. One had live feed, and she may be able to unscramble it. After that, we’ll try the cameras at the property.”
“I know, we get threats all the time. If we listened to everything that was forced upon this family, none of us would ever leave the house.”
“Exactly why we don’t bargain with scumbags,” I say. “Never have, never will. I’ll watch Valentina, and when I can’t be there, Rocco will stand in, or Santino, or Darko.”
I can see him pinching the bridge of his nose. I know after Mia and Katiya’s ordeal; this definitely hits home a lot harder than it probably normally would. Because those threats were all very real, and we were lucky to get the girls back relatively unscathed.
The Petrovs, well, they are a different kettle of fish altogether.
Nobody would have ever dreamed Marco would find love in the Russian camp, but she’s severed all ties with them, aside from her Uncle Aleksi. Since the truce, we haven’t had any issues with the Russians, but I certainly don’t expect it to stay that way.
“It’s just with Ma and everything…” he trails off.
“I know, Marco. It’s been a rough couple of days for all of you, the last thing you needed was more stressed added on top.”
“This is the life we lead, and we have to take threats to the ones we love seriously,” he says.Don’t I know it.“And I’m glad that she has you, E, it makes me less stressed knowing she’s in safe hands. I suggested she come stay with me, but she was equally horrified as if I’d suggested she go live on planet Mars.”
I chuckle. “I wonder where she gets her feistiness from?”
“Not from me,” he argues.
One thing all the Medicis have in equal merits is their stubbornness, and Valentina is no different.
“Are you far away?”
“About fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll see you later.”
We hang up.
Sloane is looking at me over her glasses.
“What?” I say, my gaze shifting to her.
She shakes her head. “Nothing.”
“Don’t be all cryptic,” I say, walking back over to her desk. “You’re forgetting I can read people really well.”
“So you know stuff, like when people are lying, or withholding information, or just being dickwads in general?”
“Dickwads?” I chuckle. “But yes, you’re perfectly correct. I get a vibe off certain people, some stronger than others. But body language never lies.”
