Page 65 of Veil of Vengeance

“You’ll be okay, don't worry,” I whisper as she bites her lips, contemplating what to say.

“I don’t know, I guess I just feel very cagey. We can’t even walk around the property without twenty guards trailing behind us.”

I study her face, and I can clearly make out the undereye bags beneath her concealer and the fear behind her glassy eyes. I wonder if she can see the exhaustion on my face and the yearning to go back home in my eyes.

The rest of dinner is spent speaking in quiet voices, but the tension between the Mom and the daughter is very obvious. Once we’re done with dinner, we head into the living room and dessert is served with some espresso. Mara doesn’t touch her espresso.

“I don’t like bitter food or drinks unless they have chocolate in them, and even then, I can barely stomach it.” She gathers her blonde hair in her hand and puts it up into a ponytail.

“Oh, you would love Alov’s cafe. Their pastries are to die for.” The cafe is just around the corner from our penthouse in Minneapolis, so Dad allows us to go there with one of our bodyguards.

“I wish I could visit it, but…” She shrugs one shoulder, and I nod in understanding.

“I’m going shopping tomorrow. If you want, I can ask Eli if you could come with me to get some clothes,” she suggests. I look down at the oversized joggers and hoodie that I’m wearing. I don’t think I’ve ever worn clothes that were four sizes too big.

“I hope I can, but if he doesn’t agree, could you grab me some basic clothes to wear? I’m a size 8. I’ll pay you back once I go back to Chicago.”

She takes a bite out of the Sfogliatella, some of it getting stuck around her mouth.

“No. Don’t worry about the money. I’ll get you some undergarments as well.”

After telling her my sizes and finishing dessert, I decide it’s best I go back upstairs. Mariana stops me halfway to Emiliano’s room.

“Hey, Val. I can call you Val, right?” She touches my arm lightly.

“Yes, of course. What’s up?” I ask. She gives me a wide smile, her smile lines more evident in her kind expression.

“If you want, I have another room that’s ready.” Her eyes search my face to see what my reaction is. I should accept it. Staying in another room is for the best because that man clearly messes with my brain worse than any drug my family distributes. If I stay in another room, I’ll be able to lock myself in there and avoid being alone with him.

“I think it’s best if I wait until your son comes back, just in case he doesn’t agree,” I say instead. Mariana’s eyes narrow, assessing my face before she nods.

“I don’t want to force you into doing something, and then end up having him take it out on you.” She walks me to the room before telling me goodnight and leaving. Sleep evades me and I settle in front of the fireplace on the couch to finish reading.

When a knock sounds from the other side of the door, I get up and make my way toward it. I open the door and find Mara standing there. She raises her index finger to her lips in a shushing motion, motioning for me to follow her. The hallway is eerily quiet, and I my stomach cramps at the prospect of being able to get away. Do I really want to leave? I mean, I want to leave and get away from my Dad, but… I shake my head. I should ignore the feeling that I’m betraying Emiliano. He’s not someone I should feel a sense of loyalty to. Mara twists her head to look back at me and motions for me to hurry up before turning back around. We reach the stairs, and she turns to look at me again.

“There’s a secret passageway. Eli knows about it, but he doesn’t use it. No one has really used it in about four years now.” She tries to keep her voice as low as possible as we slowly make our way down the stairs.

“Don’t you think it would be better if we act natural, like we’re going to the kitchen or something? Then we can say we weren’t doing anything wrong if someone catches us. If we keep acting like this, they’ll think we’re up to something,” I whisper back. She stops at the last step and looks at me, before giving me a small smile.

“You’re right. Come on, it’d be better if we didn’t get caught at all.”

She turns to the left of the second floor, leading me down a hallway I haven’t been in. The walls are different, fuchsia with swirls of black that create a look of overgrown roots coming from the ceiling. And instead of marble floors, a lime green carpet is in its place. The place resembles something out of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, with all the bright colors. We walk for two minutes, not talking to each other, but I can hear Mara muttering something under her breath. The hallway comes to a dead end with a large painting of a woman on the wall. Her eyes seem to glow like azure stones, her lips turned down in a frown. She looks young, but mature, as if she’s reaching her late thirties. She’s wearing a silver cocktail dress, and her hair is twisted in blonde curls that resemble gold rather than actual hair.

Mara steps toward the painting and grips the sides of it. She slides her hands up and down the frame, before something clicks softly. Stepping back, she pulls the right side of the painting with her and it opens like a door, revealing a small hallway in the wall, with light fixtures embedded in the ceiling.

“My nonno built this when the mafia had an all-out blood war with the Russians. He hid the entrance behind a painting of Nonna,” she tells me as she steps back and turns to face me.

“I don’t know how to express this, but I’m so grateful for this, Mara. Really, thank you.” I grip her hands in my own before I pull her in for a hug.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Valentina. Why are we the ones who always have to pay the price for the mistakes these men make? They always have to blame someone for their own shortcomings, and it's unfair. To you, and to every person out there. If I could help at least one person, then I've done some good.” Mara squeezes me tighter before pulling back. “Now come on. We have to get you out before someone comes back looking for you.” She moves toward the secret entrance and manages to pull herself up into the small hallway. Motioning for me to move closer, she grips a metal bar embedded into the side of the small hallway before she extends her other hand to me.

It takes a bit of an effort to get myself up there, even with Mara’s help, but once we’re both in there, she moves to the side.

“Could you stand over there? I need to close the entrance door and make sure it's secured.”

Once I’m out of her way, she pulls the back of the painting into place, which takes her a couple of seconds to do since the back seems to be made out of metal. The door latches with a hiss, engulfing the entire space with the orange hue of the lights in the ceiling. It takes a bit for my eyes to adjust to the change in lighting.

“Come on, we have to be quick. I don’t know what my brother would do if he caught us.”

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