Page 109 of Empire of Temptation

Then Valentina walked the couple to their table and exchanged a few words with the other woman. Valentina nodded to the mayor and strode away, and this camera angle showed how the mayor ogled Valentina’s ass as she retreated.

Motherfucker.

“I’m going to kill him,” I said quietly.

“How did he get a reservation? Roberto is usually very thorough.”

This was not Roberto’s fault. I hadn’t said anything about barring the mayor, unfortunately. I’d obviously given Lombardi far more intelligence than the man actually possessed.

We continued to watch the footage. I was pleased to note that Lombardi and his wife ate quickly and left, with no more interaction with Valentina.

The office door opened and my two younger brothers entered. Sergio explained what we were doing, and Dante leaned against the wall and crossed his feet. “There was no issue at the front door. No sign of Segreto or the dishwasher.”

“Or the back door,” Rico added. “It was quiet back there.”

Grunting, I didn’t take my eyes off Valentina as she bustled throughout the busy crowd. She unlocked her office,went in, and removed her sweater. Then she put on fresh lipstick and fluffed her hair in the mirror on the wall.

“There you are, Luca,” Rico said from over my shoulder. “Right on time at nine-thirty.”

I knew what the entryway camera would show—me, speaking to the hostess and being shown to my table—but I stayed locked on Valentina. She checked her breath, then tugged the neckline of her dress higher, then lower. Higher again. Finally lower. Was she excited for our dinner? Nervous? There was no reason for her to be, but I found her uncertainty adorable.

“You have it bad,” Sergio said.

“What is bad?” Dante asked.

“Luca’s obsession with Valentina.” Sergio angled toward my younger brothers. “He’s grinning like an idiot at the screen every time she appears. And wait until you see his neck.”

I ignored them. On the screen Valentina walked toward me, and I watched as she pressed tight and gave me her mouth. When we both finally sat, I could only see her profile from the camera angle. “Skip ahead,” I told Sergio. “Find where she goes into the kitchen. See what happens then.”

Sergio clicked on the laptop and the video footage sped up. Dinner progressed, we shared dessert. When Valentina got up from the table, Sergio let it play at normal speed. As Roberto came to speak to me at the table, Valentina went into the kitchen and talked to Giovanni and the kitchen staff. She looked excited and happy, and she made sure to hug each of the workers. Lucky for each man, he kept the contact brief and respectful. She went into her office, and I could see her from that camera.

She didn’t spend long in there. It all seemed very routine until she left the office and reentered the kitchen. At the same time, one of the line cooks came in the back door.

“Dai, I remember that guy,” Rico said. “He was out taking cigarette breaks all night.”

On the screen, the line cook spoke to Valentina and hooked athumb over his shoulder to indicate the alley. I straightened in my seat, the nape of my neck itching once again.

Valentina hesitated, then her spine lifted as if she were preparing herself. I held my breath. Who was in that alley? She wouldn’t be stupid enough to go out there alone, would she?

Silence descended as my brothers and I watched Valentina slip out the back door into the alley.

My brain short-circuited as fury filled every vein, cell, and pore inside my body. “Motherfucker!” I snarled, then whirled on Rico. “You didn’t think to mention this to me?”

He held up his palms. “Luca, I swear. I didn’t see her come outside.”

“Then explain how you missed it, stronzo.”

Color lit his cheeks and he shifted on his feet. “The car alarm started going off?—”

I slapped my palm on the armrest of the chair. “Porca di una puttana!”

“It was quick,” he finished. “I went to shut it off and came directly back. There’s no way Segreto got past me in that short amount of time.”

“You had better fucking hope so, fratello. Sergio, enlarge it and play it,” I barked.

The alley camera filled the television screen. Valentina glanced around, then marched over to the dumpster. Because of the camera position, we could only see her, not whoever was behind the dumpster.

But I knew. That was Segreto, getting Valentina alone in a place where he could still hide from me.

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