Page 117 of Sinner's Vows

“Is she there, with you?”

“We have several Gabriella here. It’s a beloved name amongst the sisters at Potenza.”

“I see,” Ariana says with half an eye roll. “The one we’re looking for came to the convent in Potenza when she was seven years old. She had an American accent as she was born there. We’ve only recently learned about her…and her being here in Italy. I’m so sorry, but there have been grave misunderstandings, and we’ve been on a mission to locate her.”

For a long spell, it’s quiet on the other side.

“What did you say again your name was, dear?” the Reverend Mother asks.

I stare at Ariana, finding it weird she asks Ariana to repeat herself. “Scalera. Ariana Scalera.”

“And you are looking for?”

Strain settles in Ariana’s shoulders as she says, “Gabriella Scalera? But she had a name change when she got adopted?—”

“To Randazzo? You’re looking for Gabriella Randazzo?”

My gut twists as Ariana’s eyes widen.

“No,” she says. “Although…although there is a family relation.”

“I see.” The Reverend Mother clears her throat on the other side, and it suddenly feels like a dead end.

“Why are you asking?” Ariana asks.

This circle of questions feels like a slow puncture to our plans.

“I’m asking because someone else called and asked after a Gabriella Randazzo yesterday. It can’t be a coincidence.”

“Fuck,” I hiss under my breath.

“What did they ask for?” Ariana asks, urgent now. “To speak to her?”

“No, testing the waters, just like you, to come and fetch her.”

I sag as I press a fist to my forehead, my pulse racing, my heart in my throat. “This only means she is there,” I mouth to Ariana, and she nods.

“Is she safe?” Ariana asks, and I salute her quick thinking.

“With the name Randazzo linked to her?” the Reverend Mother says. “Have you been following the news?”

Fuck. This woman is messing with us. She doesn’t know who she’s dealing with…or does she? I take the phone from Ariana. “This is Dominic Scalera, Gabriella’s brother. I’ll send extra security your way. Please, we just need a day?—”

“A brother, you say? And how many brothers does Gabriella have?”

It feels like a test. “We were six, but now we’re five. Matteo, Alessandro, Dominic, Stephano, Luca, and Benedict,” I rattle our names off, in case it does something for her.

A chair creaks over the phone, and then a soft whimper sounds.

“I’ve kept that girl safe for more than fifteen years,” the Reverend Mother says. “I’d like to think I can manage a few more days, Nicky.”

Holyholyfuck.

Ariana’s hands fly up to her mouth as she stares at me, wide-eyed, in shock.

“How—” I ask, but the question breaks off in my throat. Secrets…so many secrets.

“You’re the gentle one,” the Reverend Mother says, her voice straining with tears. “Bianca—” She breaks off with a swallow. “Never mind, we don’t have time. I’ll need proof, my son, of your relationship to Gabriella, before I can release her to you. She is safe, and I’ve moved her because of everything that’s been happening, but you don’t have much time.”

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