Page 195 of Mafia Kings: Valentino

To simply hold her again.

However, I couldn’t talk to her until I had Paolo’s phone tomorrow morning.

Until then, I had another problem.

If any of this was going to work, I was going to need to get somebody else on board…

Or, sooner or later, I’d be completely fucked.

I was careful to avoid Don Vicari, the old lady, or any of the servants as I crept to Isabella’s room.

When I finally got there, I knocked lightly on the door.

A girl’s voice called out, “Who is it?”

“Valentino,” I said in a quiet voice.

There was a long pause.

Then –

“…what?!”

“I need to talk to you,” I whispered.

I heard the lock unlatch. The door opened an inch, and one eye stared through the crack.

“What are youdoinghere?” Isabella whispered frantically. “If my father catches you – ”

“Trust me, I know. Let me in, I need to talk to you.”

She looked panicked. “I can’t – ”

“I’m not going to touch you or make a pass at you, but I need to come in.Please.”

Isabella paused…

Looked behind her at something…

Then opened the door.

“Hurry,” she whispered.

I stepped into the room, and she shut the door behind me.

As I passed by her, I noted what she was wearing: a long, light blue, shapeless nightgown that stretched from her collarbones to her ankles. It was sleeveless, which was the only thing remotely sexy about it. In fact, it looked like it might have been in style 30 years before I was born.

But as soon as I was inside, I got a surprise.

Ludavica was standing on the other side of the room, wearing a nearly identical nightgown in pink.

“What are you doing in here?” I asked, confused.

“Helping her get ready for bed,” Ludavica snarled. “What the hell areyoudoing in here?”

Whoa.

Touchy servant girl.

---