Page 112 of When She Unravels
The family Garzolo is at war with? How do counterfeits connect to the deal with Sal?
I sit up and run my hand through my hair. The Casalese clan controls a massive amount of counterfeit factories in the area around Naples. We supply the entirety of Europe with goods that are impossible to distinguish from the real thing, and that’s because the luxury houses use our factories for the production of their authentic merchandise as well. The only difference between what they sell in their glittering stores and what we sell on the black market is the price. It’s the dark underside of the fashion industry few people know about.
What’s Garzolo’s angle? Was he trying to undercut his rival’s business by flooding the New York market with his own merchandise? Was he trying to get his supply from Sal?
Shit, that could be it.
The phone begins to ring.
Valentina sits up and pulls the sheet up to her chest. “Who is it?”
I eye the caller ID and hand her the phone. “It’s Gemma.”
Her eyes grow wide. She picks up and puts it on speaker. “Gem? How did it go?”
“Hello, Valentina.”
Vale’s jaw slams shut. I don’t need to ask to know who the gravelly voice belongs to.
“What possessed you to do this, daughter?”
Stefano Garzolo has caught on to what we were trying to do, which means I need to calibrate my approach.
“Papà,” Vale breathes. “Where’s Gemma?”
“Your sister is in her room, under guard. She’s unlikely to be leaving it any time soon after the trick you two pulled.”
Vale brings her hand to her mouth.
I make a gesture at her to stay quiet. “Garzolo, I suppose we might as well jump to introductions. My name is Damiano De Rossi, and I have your daughter in my possession.”
There’s a pause on the other end of the line, and I can tell whatever Stefano Garzolo was expecting, it wasn’t this.
“Your don told me that when your sister returned to you, she returned alone.”
“He lies, especially to people who fail to do his bidding.” I need to sow doubt and do it fast. Garzolo is in trouble on his home turf. That’s his main problem. If I can position myself as his chance to solve it, I’ll get what I want out of him.
“I presume it’s all in the open now,” he says.
“It wasn’t hard to figure out who hired you once Valentina told me her side of the story.”
He huffs a laugh laced with disappointment. “Of course she did. I bet it didn’t even take much. Do you have children, De Rossi?”
“No.”
“You will one day. I pray yours don’t disappoint you like mine do.”
His words send a spike of anger through me. No wonder Vale didn’t want to go back to this. She pulls the sheet to her chest, her knuckles turning white while her cheeks redden. I steady her by placing my palm on her thigh.
“So what now, De Rossi? I take it you’re not a forgiving man.”
He wants to know if I’m going to make a move on Sal. Once I confirm it, this conversation will only have two possible outcomes. Garzolo will come to my side, or he will rat me out as soon as we hang up the phone.
What’s life if not a series of calculated risks?
“I’m not,” I tell him.
The man on the other end of the line lets out a sigh. “And what do you plan to do with my daughter?”
