Page 7 of Silent Night with Massimo

"Hello." His voice is low.

"Yeah. I thought you'd want to know that Vera came back to Bellini Lodge. They have her locked up in the cellar." There is a pause.

"I know. It might be a problem. I don't know why she's back." He sighs heavily.

"What do you mean deal with it?"

My heart constricts tightly.

I see him slipping his phone back into his pocket.

"For fuck's sake." He says again, more harshly. "I don't need this shit."

Then he walks away as well, and I am left feeling like someone has just shoved a cold steel blade into my heart.

Is Elio working with someone outside of the family?

That phone call - it sounded like - is Elio the real traitor?

I want to scream through the window, scream, and yell until someone comes to talk to me. But I'm terrified. Elio knows where I am, and he was told to deal with me.

I know what that means.

I need to talk to Massimo again. I desperately need him to come and see me before it's too late.

If something happens to me before I can tell him that Elio might be a traitor - he'll never learn the truth and the family will continue to be in danger.

And we need to find out who Elio was talking to on the phone.

Who is he working with?

I hold my hand against my chest, pressing it over my heart to try and soothe the wild rhythm of panic beating against my rib cage.

"Please, Massimo - please come and see me again." I sigh to myself.

Chapter 4

Massimo

Iwake up too early after barely sleeping at all. The house is still quiet, but my thoughts are chaotic and wild. It's day three now. I still haven't decided how to deal with Vera. I can't keep her locked in the cellar forever. But I can't bring myself to do anything else.

The final members of my family are arriving today, and soon the lodge will be full.

Bella is finally starting to relax as more people arrive. I think it helps distract her from the fact that her mother is not here with us. My poor baby girl. She deserves a mother. She deserves to know that kind of love.

It breaks my heart that it was taken from her.

I sigh, tossing the blankets off my body and swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I climb out and pull my hoodie over my head. It's warm in the lodge, but not warm enough to roam around topless. Besides - the kitchen is acommunal area, and I need coffee. I doubt anyone will be up at this time, but you never know.

The hallways are silent. I don't even bother turning on the lights as I make my way downstairs. I know this place like the back of my hand. I have been coming here my whole life; my father used to be Don and ever since I can remember this is where we have celebrated Christmas – our entire family.

Yesterday they started putting up the Christmas lights. From the living room downstairs, I can see the warm glow of flickering strings of lights in green and red. I can smell pine needles from the Christmas tree that we will all decorate together after breakfast. Bella loves this part. She would have Christmas decorations up all year long if I let her.

I make coffee and stand in the kitchen in heavy silence.

Vera will be sleeping now. That cellar lockup is a cold place, not a place I would want to stay. But it is a place fit for a traitor.

I drink my coffee with my mind floating through memories of her.

---