Page 110 of When She Unravels
I can hear the skepticism in her voice. She’s loyal to our father and has her guard up, but I need her to believe me.
“Lazaro was abusing me,” I force out. “He made me do awful, horrible things. He’s evil, and Papà knows, but he married me off to him anyway. That saying we have about Papà always prioritizing our safety? It’s a lie. The only thing Papà prioritizes is power.”
Damiano’s hand curls into my shirt. “Three minutes, Vale,” he whispers.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Gemma asks. Her voice trembles, and I think she’s crying.
“I couldn’t. Listen to me, one day, I’ll tell you everything, but we don’t have time now. I need your help.”
Come on, Gem. Please give me a lifeline.
“Okay. What do you need?”
There’s no time to feel relieved. “That day at Belinda’s bridal shower, you told me something was going on with Papà. He increased everyone’s security detail. Has anything else happened since? Do you know what he was worried about?”
She takes in a deep breath. “After we found out from Lazaro you were gone, Papà lost it. He said you made a terrible mistake that the whole family would end up paying for. He called Lazaro an amateur for failing to accomplish a simple task that was given to him. Papà said he won’t be able to close the big deal he’s been working on, which means the truce is going to end. Mamma yelled at him to watch his tongue in front of me and Cleo, and he left. Since that night, he’s barely spoken to any of us. He spends all day in his office. I don’t even think he leaves it to sleep.”
“What deal?”
“I don’t know, but it had something to do with whatever Lazaro was supposed to do for him.”
“A deal with Sal,” Damiano mutters. “We already knew they were working on something.”
“Who is that?” Gemma asks.
“There’s no time to explain,” I say. “You said there’s a truce? With who?”
“With one of the other clans—the Riccis—but there’s no truce anymore. The week after you left, they killed Tito.”
Pain stabs through my gut. “My God, poor Tito…”
“They’re retaliating for something, but Mamma won’t give us any details. Still, she can’t hide the death of our cousin. We know something dangerous is going on. I think that’s why my engagement was so rushed. Papà needs allies.”
“One minute,” Damiano says.
“Gem, do you have any way to find out more?” I ask.
I can imagine her nibbling on her bottom lip as she considers my question. “Papà’s got a guard outside his office all the time now, so I haven’t been able to eavesdrop. But maybe I can try something to get the guard to leave his post tomorrow. It’s a long shot, but I might get something.”
“That’s good. Take the burner, hide it well, and call the number on it if you get anything. No one can know we talked, okay?”
“I won’t tell anyone.”
“Time’s almost up,”Ras says.
Tears well up in my eyes again. “I love you. I miss you more than you can imagine.”
“I love you too. When I call you next, we’ll talk longer, okay?”
“Okay. Please, be careful.”
Damiano hangs up the call.
I place my palms on his desk and lean forward. My heart races like a pack of wild horses. I thought talking to my sister would make me feel better, but I was desperately wrong. It feels like my chest is about to split open.
Lazaro is still alive.
My husband—my tormentor—is somewhere right now, scheming how to find me. Fear wraps around me and squeezes all the air out of my lungs.
