Page 35 of Once Upon a Time in Venice

‘I knew that my voice would be my way out. I was always singing – at home, at school, in church.’ Lucia fixed Gina with a meaningful look. ‘I longed to be discovered, knowing it would be my only escape from being married off to an uneducated peasant boy.’ Her voice dripped with disdain. ‘But I knew that no one would help me, and I would have to use what God had given me.’ She swept her hand down her body, highlighting her curves and her full breasts. ‘No one was going to find me in that forgotten backwater, I had to take matters into my own hands. When my father took things too far and almost killed my little brother one night after staggering home drunk out of his mind, I knew I had to get out, or next time it would be me.’

The cruel look was gone from her face now, and Gina could see raw emotion there, the trauma of her past plain to see across her tortured features. ‘I fled to the city one night, with only the clothes I stood up in.’ Lucia looked away, her eyes low. ‘Those days were hard, harder than even the myth La Leonessa tells. I would have done anything – anything – I could to get what I wanted. You have no idea of the sacrifices I made.’

Now she looked up again, pride and defiance in her face.

Gina met Lucia’s eyes with her own. ‘You aren’t the only one. Most people have to make sacrifices …’

Lucia glared at her angrily. ‘What did you have to do? What price have you paid to escape, Gina Bellini?’

Maria Monti was sprinting through the woods, branches clawing at her face, her cheeks wet with tears. She was sobbing, panting, out of breath but unable to stop running, as though the hounds of hell were chasing her.

There was mud and leaf detritus on her hands. It had oozed under her fingernails; the cuticles were black with dirt.

She stumbled over a tree root and almost fell but didn’t slow down. Running, must keep running, don’t stop!

She was almost home; nearly there, so close, and then everything would be all right. Home meant safety; nothing bad could happen to her there. She could bury herself beneath her blankets, hide in her bed, and not have to face the consequences of what she’d done …

Gina blinked, pulling back her shoulders and lifting her chin, looking straight at Lucia. When she spoke, her voice was calm and controlled. ‘Why have you called me here, Signora de Santis? How can the White Palace be of service to you?’

A feline smile spread across Lucia’s beautiful face, her composure returned. ‘That man – your friend, Marco. I want to have dinner with him.’

Gina frowned. That was the last thing she’d been expecting. A new feeling rose within her – was it jealousy? Possessiveness? Gina wasn’t sure, but she sure as hell didn’t want La Leonessa getting her claws into Marco.

‘I’m a concierge, not a matchmaking service,’ she shot back, her hackles rising. ‘Besides, he’s a married man.’

Lucia gave a tinkling laugh, which was anything but humorous, and her eyes glittered dangerously. ‘That has never held me back before. All you need to do is provide what I ask for. You wouldn’t want a story getting out about how La Leonessa was so disappointed with her stay at the White Palace. Its standards have dropped terribly – it’s all style and no substance – and she would strongly recommend to all her well-connected friends that they stay elsewhere the next time they’re in Venice.’

Gina inhaled sharply, trying to keep her temper. It felt as though the walls were closing in on her. ‘That story wouldn’t be true, but our guests come first, we pride ourselves on it. Plus, I can’t guarantee—’

‘I’ve spoken to Brad, and he thinks it’s a wonderful idea. So, I think you’d better try your absolute hardest to make it happen, don’t you? We wouldn’t want your little secret getting out either …’

‘I have no idea what you are talking about.’

‘Oh, but I think you do.’ Lucia threw her head back and laughed.

‘I’ll see what I can do.’

As Gina left the room, La Leonessa’s cruel laughter ringing in her ears, she felt as though Lucia had wrapped a cord around her neck and was slowly strangling her, cutting off the oxygen until she couldn’t breathe.

The noose was tightening, and it seemed like there was no escape for Gina.

Chapter 15

Lombardy, February 1995

Detective Roberto Gallo was sitting at his desk in the Varisi police station, reading the details of a burglary case that had happened nearby. He was of average height, mousy-brown hair, slim and tidily dressed. He was not somebody who attracted attention, which in many ways was ideal for his role. He chewed absentmindedly on the end of his pen. This was about as exciting as his job got. Any bigger cases were handled by his colleagues in Milan.

He looked up as he heard a knock, then the door flew open before he’d had a chance to offer a response.

It was a young recruit by the name of Costa; his eyes were wide, and he delivered his news breathlessly: ‘Detective, it’s come through. Forensics have identified the body.’

‘And?’ Adrenaline rushed through Detective Gallo, and he felt a pang of shame, reminding himself that this had been a real person, with hopes and dreams and loved ones.

‘You were right. It’s him.’

Detective Gallo let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, and resisted the urge to punch the air.

Lorenzo Mancini.