Her dress was black as well, but it was far more extravagant than mine as it draped down her centerfold body, spilling across the floor. Clearly, far more expensive too.
“Bella, I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” she said, shocking the shit out of me. Blinking rapidly, my stomach started to do some deep churning as I figured out who this was: Valentina. The wife. She was the only person who made sense in this situation, and she was the sort of stunning beauty to perfectly match Angelo’s tall, dark, and devastatingly handsome. Fucking hell, she was gorgeous, and I was the other woman.
“You need a waitress?” I said, acting more blasé than I felt.
My heartbeat slammed against my chest as I went to move around her, praying she wouldn’t stop me before I made a beeline for Angelo to get the hell out of here. We’d showed up, he’d talked shop with his dad and the high rollers, and it was time to bail now before Vee murdered me.
My prayers were dashed when her hand wrapped around my forearm, blood red nail flashing, but she didn’t dig them in as I’d expected. “I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time,” she said suddenly, offering a sheepish smile. “Sorry I was late tonight, but I’m here now, and I think it’s time we talked.”
A very light breeze could have knocked me on my ass as I stared. “Sorry, what?”
I mean, was I hallucinating? Had someone slipped something in my water?
There was no other reasonable explanation.
While I was still trying to figure out if I’d unintentionally taken some sort of wicked drug that turned everything topsy-turvy, Valentina released me and moved toward the door. A second later there was an ominous click of the lock slotting into place, and I shook myself out of the daze, expecting this was the point her polite facade faded and she tried to slit my throat with her lethal claws. Shit, she was a mafia princess; she probably had a gun tucked up her skirt.
“I don’t want any trouble,” I said shortly, crossing my arms over my chest like that might protect me. In reality, all it did was emphasize the belly beneath. Valentina’s eyes lingered on my mid-section for a beat before she took a deep breath and lifted her gaze to meet mine.
There was no anger in her light brown eyes; if anything, she looked relieved.
“You might want the sort of trouble I’m offering,” she said simply, and I was grateful that she stopped a few feet away, giving me a false sense of security. “Because I could be a very good ally for you in this world, and without my guidance, you might fall into one of the many, many dark traps littered about.”
My eyes narrowed on her as my mouth fell open. “Okay look, call me paranoid but I’m not buying the act.” This had to be some sort of prank. Like, drop a vat of blood on my head at the dance sort of prank. “What’s your angle? What do you want from me exactly?” Even if she was legit with her offer for help, no one did that without expecting something in return. No one. Not even people who gave a shit about me.
Except for maybe Rhett…
My Zeppelin.
Fuck.
This was not the time to fall into that mental headspace. Not when I was face to face with Angelo’s wife.
"You don’t understand,” she said with a shake of her head. “I’m sorry; I’m not explaining myself correctly. For some reason, I expected that A would have filled you in on our situation, but I forgot what a gentleman he is. He wouldn’t share my secrets.”
A had to be Angelo, and for some reason, it riled me right up that she knew he was a gentleman. I mean, not that he actually was, but the familiarity in her tone told me that they were more than just people who’d married to unite their families—like he’d claimed back when his father forced them to get engaged at age seventeen. They were friends. More, no doubt. Lovers for sure, since they’d been trying to get pregnant.
And now I had to wonder if I was the one who was about to commit murder. I was already a homewrecker, might as well add the title of murderer to it.
“Angelo and I don’t really talk,” I said stiffly, arms starting to ache from how tightly I was holding them against my chest. “Not anymore.” Because we used to. We used to talk about everything.
Her eyes flitted down to my stomach once more, but she was classy enough not to add any comment like I can see that talking is the last thing you get up to or something similar.
“Angelo and I are married in name only,” she said quickly as she once again met my gaze. Sincerity bled from her, which was disconcerting. “I hate being part of this mafia family, and he’s my shield against the depravity of the world. If I hadn’t been married off to him, I would have been to someone else. Someone probably way worse. Men in our world aren’t typically kind.”
Her face implored me to believe her, and despite my better judgment, I did.
“So, you’ve never been… uh… you know. In love?”
I already knew they didn’t live together. I’d been staying at the Ricci compound for months, and not once had Valentina even visited. Angelo had said she was in Italy, and I’d accepted that, but the house didn’t hold one of her personal items. I’d been through every damn room, and there was no sign of her presence.
She shook her head, a strangled laugh escaping. “I have a girlfriend who is my whole life. She’s a secret though, and I pray that you will take that as seriously as I am taking your safety. If my father finds out that I’m gay, he will murder me and her. That’s not just a saying, but a fact. I wasn’t always the Altissimo heir.”
That she’d so willingly shared that with me was a huge indication that she’d approached me tonight with the right intentions. I mean, if I told anyone, no doubt she could have me knocked off in seconds, but it was still a risk.
Or it would be, if I was an asshole like any one of the other women at this stupid fucking party. Lucky for Valentina, I considered myself to have a shred of decency.
“I’ll never breathe a word,” I promised, some of the tension releasing from my body. “I’m so sorry you can’t be with the person you love, like you deserve. No one should ever have to hide their heart.”
Her lips quivered and her eyes watered as she cleared her throat. “My life was predetermined before birth. I’m well used to the role I must play to survive, all the while hoping one day there will be a path to freedom. Maybe with my father’s death. Maybe it won’t be until my own death. But one day, by some means, I’ll be free of this cage.”
The urge to cross to her and hug her trembling body was strong, but I resisted. We weren’t friends. But maybe one day we could be.
“I’m sorry if I’m making life harder for you,” I said, finally letting my arms fall to my sides. I also took a deep breath, filling my lungs properly for the first time since she’d entered the bathroom. “Angelo and I have an arrangement, but I never wanted that to come at a risk to you.”
She waved me off before she delicately wiped at the moisture under her eyes. Somehow, she didn’t smudge her makeup or look like a hot mess. Sorceress. “There’s no risk to me. If there’s one thing the Altissimo family understands, it’s mistresses and children out of wedlock. It was made clear to me more than a year ago that Angelo had both families’ consent to take a mistress, if it meant a baby would be made. And honestly, my father had already written me off as infertile after all these years without me getting pregnant. He has no idea that I’ve never even seen Angelo’s dick, let alone touched it.” She shuddered like the idea of Angelo’s cock made her nauseous.