Page 203 of Mafia Kings: Valentino

Shit.

For somebody who was going to get laid in a few hours, I was suddenly incredibly depressed.

I remembered what Isabella had said last night:

Do you love her?

A woman comes all the way here for you – and you hadn’t ‘thought about it’?

You should probably START to think about it, then.

I stood there for a long time, thinking…

And then I looked through the other calls on Paolo’s phone until I found it:

Alessandra’s number.

It was one of many Lars had made us all memorize.

I pressed the number and waited, my heart beating twice as fast.

“Hello?”a familiar voice answered.

“Alessandra?”

“Valentino!”she cried out joyously.“What are you doing calling from THIS number?!”

“He lent it to me.”

“So it’s going okay?”

“Yeah – yeah, it’s going great. I’ve seen Caterina a couple of times in the last couple of days.”

“I know!”Alessandra said impishly.

“…you do?”

“She’s been texting me. I’m so happy for you two!”

She sounded so joyful, it lifted my spirits the tiniest bit.

“I just wanted to say ‘thank you’ for doing this,” I said humbly.

“You’re more than welcome!”

“Dario doesn’t know yet, does he?”

She sounded a little grim.“No. At least, he hasn’t said anything. But you know Dario. He has a way of looking into your eyes and knowing what you’re thinking.”

She couldn’t have put it better. My oldest brother had an almost spooky way of reading people.

“But Niccolo has given me crap ever since Caterina left. He suspects something, and he won’t let up.”

“That’s because he’s an asshole.”

She laughed.“Only sometimes.”

I wanted to say,Talk to me when he forces YOU into an arranged marriage –

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