Page 103 of When She Unravels
“Only Gemma came. Cleo didn’t make it. She and Mamma had a huge fight, so she wasn’t allowed to go. Mamma said it was important for me to show up.”
“Did you hear anything of interest?”
“To be honest, I wasn’t listening all that deeply. I was…” She rubs her hands up and down her thighs. “I was just trying to keep it together in front of everyone.”
Ras’s frowns. “Why?”
“Things were bad with my husband, and I didn’t want anyone to pick up on it,” she says. “The specifics aren’t relevant to this story.” She shoots me a look. “Anyway, Gemma was worried about our father. She said something about him seeming off. He’d added additional security detail to the entire family.”
“He was scared of something,” I conclude.
“Papà’s always been cautious when it comes to security, but Gemma wouldn’t have exaggerated something that wasn’t real. She always paid a lot more attention to his dealings than me.”
“What else?” Ras presses.
“I left the party early. Lazaro wanted me home. My cousin Tito drove me, and we started talking. We’ve always been friendly. He alluded to being frustrated he’s had to put in long hours working for some asshole. He didn’t specify who the asshole was. He said he, his father, Lazaro, and my brother, Vince, were all involved.”
“Brother?” I ask.
“He lives in Switzerland.”
Ras scratches his chin. “He’s your father’s money guy?”
“Yes. My impression was that they were all essentially on loan to someone outside of the clan and doing their bidding.”
“That has to be Sal,” Ras muses. “We know Lazaro was tracking down Martina.”
“Does your father have a habit of doing favors?”
Valentina pulls her top lip between her teeth. “Not as far as I know, but that doesn’t mean much. I preferred to stay away from his business.”
Ras pushes off the wall and makes his way closer. “But your sister is more involved?”
“I wouldn’t say she’s involved. Just curious. When we were kids, she’d eavesdrop outside of father’s office. She liked hearing his secrets.” Vale crosses her legs. “I didn’t.”
Ras and I exchange a look. It’s not much, just like Vale had warned me. We’re closer to confirming Garzolo was in some kind of an arrangement with Sal, but we need more specifics.
“You sure you don’t have any idea why your father would have agreed to work with the Casalese don?”
She shakes her head, her expression sullen, then her eyes widen. “Oh! Gemma also said Papà was hinting at giving her to one of the Messeros. They’re another family in New York, but as far as I know, we’ve always kept our distance from them. It surprised me that there was talk of marriage. I have no idea why Papà was looking for an alliance with them.”
“What if you could talk to your sister?” Ras asks. “See what else she knows. If she’s nosy by nature, I can’t imagine your mysterious disappearance would make her less curious.”
Valentina pales. “Talk to Gemma? But…how? I can’t just call her cell phone. Papà always monitored our phones.”
“If we figure out the logistics, would you talk to her?” I ask. “Do you trust her to keep your whereabouts a secret?”
She chews on her lip before answering. “Yes, I think so. She’s always been loyal to our family, but she wouldn’t betray me. I have to hope that hasn’t changed.”
I turn to Ras. “It’s our best bet at getting more information. Can we get a burner into her hands?”
“I can see what contacts we have in New Y—”
“Contacts can be bought,” Valentina interrupts. “I don’t want to risk pulling my sister into this only for Papà to get word of it before we talk to her.”
Ras considers her for a moment and then looks at me. “I can go.”
Sending my right-hand man to do the job will ensure it’ll get done properly, even if it feels like overkill for what should be a fairly simple task. But Vale’s visible relief at hearing his offer makes me acquiesce. “Take the fastest route, I want you back in forty-eight hours.”
