Page 108 of When She Unravels
She lifts her hand to hide her giggle and shakes her head. “Don’t tease me. I feel so stupid for how I reacted. I probably turned as red as a tomato.”
I laugh. “Don’t worry about it. How likely are you to see him again?”
Her expression dims. “Not likely, I suppose.”
We eat for a while before Martina clears her throat. “Well, it doesn’t sound to me like you could have done anything differently about Gemma. You did the best you could in that moment. I’m sure she’ll understand.”
“Maybe. I just don’t know how to stop feeling guilty.”
“Is she happy in New York?”
The truth is, I don’t know. I don’t know what my sister wants, and she probably doesn’t either, because just like me, she’s been a puppet of Papà’s for as long as we’ve been alive, and she’s been fed lies about our family for equally as many years. I can’t let Papà marry her off to some monster like Lazaro.
“I guess I’ll find out soon enough,” I mutter and finish my breakfast.
We lounge around the living room and put on a movie, but I hardly pay any attention. When Damiano walks through the door, I jump to my feet. “Anything from Ras?”
His eyes grow soft when he sees Martina and I. “He texted me that he managed to get into the studio, and he’s waiting for her to arrive,” he says. “Let’s go to my office so that we’re ready for when he calls.”
It’s really happening. If Ras made it inside, there should be no reason for him not to find Gemma.
We leave Martina on the couch and close the door to his office behind us. He places his cell phone face up so that we can see the caller ID when someone calls and tugs me into his chest. I sink into him. It’s shocking how easy it is to accept his comfort, how natural it feels to yield to his touch. Can I really walk away from this when the time comes?
He nudges my chin up with his index finger and gives me a kiss. When he pulls away, his eyes narrow. “You’re tense.”
“It’s been a long time since she and I talked.”
He slides his hand down my arm. “She’s still your sister.”
When the phone starts buzzing, we both look at it. Damiano lets it ring once and then puts it on speaker.
“Ras?”
Why isn’t he answering? Did he get caught? Is that one of Gemma’s guards calling us?
“Yes.”
I suck in a breath. My God, that was the longest second of my life.
“Ras! Is Gemma with you?”
There’s a laugh as dry as the Sahara on the other end of the line. “She’s here, all right. Valentina, whatthefuckis wrong with your sister?”
Damiano and I exchange a look. “What do you mean? What ha—”
“Give me the phone, you maniac!”
That’s Gemma’s voice. My chest soars with relief. “Let me talk to her.”
Ras swears. “She’s got a few screws loose. Shebitme.”
“You groped me.”
“I didn’t fucking grope you, you tiny psycho. Here, talk to your sister so I can get the hell away from you.”
“You’re the one who locked us in this dusty closet.”There’s a rustling sound.
“Gemma,” I call out.
