Page 80 of Mafiosa
Nic narrowed his eyes. ‘You don’t deserve her.’
‘I know.’ Luca tilted his head, just a little, and it was as though I could read the rest of his response in the careful lift of his brow.Neither do you.
‘Bravissimo, boys.’ Felice clapped his hands together. ‘The blood of betrayal runs deep here atEvelina. I can’t say I’m surprised, given the DNA you all share. Now, a word from our female protagonist, Persephone, perhaps?’ He swivelled around to me, his face a mask of glee. ‘Doyou, Persephone, in fact, love Gianluca or will you remain loyal to our beloved Nicolò, the one who has been so selflessly training you for your revenge, probably under the impression that he was winning you back? Just how deep does your deception run in this little charade?’
Felice was threading a line of guilt right into my soul. I had known my feelings for Luca would hurt Nic if they ever got out, but I hadn’t thought about it so starkly – at least not like that. I hadn’t really been thinking at all, just searching for that solace that I could get from Luca’s kiss, from his skin against mine, his breath against my ear… I looked to Luca,searchingly, but he was facing away, grinding his jaw. He would not play into Felice’s spectacle.
‘Can you show some respect?’ I hissed at Felice. ‘Clearly this isn’t funny, and it’s got nothing to do with you either.’
I was losing my footing – caught between wanting to respond directly to Luca, and wanting to run a million miles from the roomful of Falcone spectators.
‘What’s that, Persephone?’ said, Felice, wearing his classic expression of faux surprise. ‘Or should I start calling you Marilyn?’
‘What?’
‘Marilyn Monroe.’ He licked his lips. ‘I believe she slept with both Kennedy brothers, yes? And what happened to her then…?’ He trailed off, tapping his chin.
‘She committed suicide,’ Gino said.
‘Nah. That’s what they want you to think. She was definitely murdered,’ Dom supplied.
‘Was she?’ Felice leered at me.
‘Enough!’ snapped Valentino.
‘Valentino!’ said Felice, shocked. ‘You cannot end a soap opera midway through. I want to watch the finale.’
‘Shut up,’ said Valentino, his weariness transforming into a biting cruelty. ‘Stop getting in their heads. It’s counter-productive.’
‘I am merely expressing curiosity,’ Felice pointed out.
‘Stronzate!’ Valentino levelled his uncle with a dark look, his finger raised in accusation. ‘You’re so full of shit, if you ever had an enema you’d evaporate into thin air.’
The laugh burst out of me before I could stop it. It joined a spate of other sounds of uneasy amusement. Suddenlyeveryone was clearing their throats.
Felice looked like he had been stabbed.
He curled his lip, his words now thick with rage. ‘How dare you speak to me like that, you insolent, incompetent, ill-prepared—’
‘Basta!’ Luca shouted, his demeanour as feral as it had been with Nic. ‘One more word and you’ll lose your tongue.’
Valentino seemed unaffected by his uncle’s tirade. Then again, he always wore the best mask. ‘You have work to do, Felice, and I have a family to run. Nic and Luca, I suggest you take some time apart from each other before this gets any more out of hand. Dom and Gino, you’re on security. CJ has been manning it alone long enough. Sophie, I want to see you in my office right now.’
I wasn’t sure whether I should have been grateful or terrified, but Valentino was plucking me out of this impending shitstorm, and I didn’t have any choice but to follow him. He was the boss after all, and the last person I wanted to piss off. I traced a wide arc around the others, trying to catch Luca’s eye, to say something, anything, to make him feel like he wasn’t in this alone.
He glanced at me, his face awash with confusion – with regret. I did the only thing I could think to do without stirring up more dissension. I smiled at him; it was shy, tentative almost, but I watched him exhale heavily, a kernel of relief caught in his expression.
I shut the door to Valentino’s office behind us. Instead of rounding the desk and leaning across it, Valentino placed himself just opposite the leather armchair, and gestured for me to sit. It was almost like we were two old friends, about tohave a catch-up. You know, if you disregarded the massive implosion and my starring role in it.
I sat down opposite him, looking as contrite as I could. I did feel guilty for hurting Nic, but nothing in the world would convince me to erase that kiss from my memory, the lingering sensation of Luca’s lips on mine… I shut down my thoughts. I definitely did not want to get all hot and bothered in front of Valentino. It was already awkward enough given how similar they were in appearance.
‘Well, that was unexpected,’ he said evenly.
‘Yes…’ I tried to gauge his mood. He seemed totally impassive, lips set in a hard line, lids drawn low over his eyes. He was lethal, this kind-faced boy, who could snap in the blink of an eye – acid-tongued and cruel when he wanted to be, placid when he felt safe. ‘It kind of got out of hand.’
‘Which part?’ he asked wryly.
Was he kidding? I was on my guard, sitting in what had now become my usual chair, my arms crossed, my legs crossed, my voice as neutral as I could make it.
