Page 81 of Veil of Vengeance

“Val, you know we’re here for you. Mom, Monica, Marco, and me, we are all here for you. You don’t have to keep things to yourself.” The leaves crunch under my boots as I turn to face Violette. Her bright blonde hair is swept to the side in a long braid and her blue eyes are lined with her black liner. She drops her hand from my shoulder and slips it into the pocket of her red coat.

“I know all that, I do. And I’m grateful to have you all, but I’m just not ready to talk about…everything.”

Her eyes search my face, her eyes narrowing slightly before she nods.

“I get it. Last time we were all together... You, Mon, and I.” My brow furrows, surprised that Violette is willingly talking about the day we were ripped from Mom’s arms and taken by the four traitors. She shrugs. “We’re worried, that's all.” I wrap my arms around my stomach, my eyes falling to the grass.

“Can we please talk about something else? Everyone ever talks about is the abduction and I’m sick of hearing it.”

Violette is quiet for a second, and when my eyes make their way back up to her face, she sighs.

“It must’ve been awful.”

I roll my lips between my teeth, not wanting to lie. It wasn’t awful. In fact, it was the most freeing time of my entire existence, but now the anxiety of the consequences of what I’ve done is making me question everything.

“Hey, you didn’t tell me that you were going to come out here with Val.”

Violette turns her head to look back at Monica, and I give Mon a sheepish smile.

“I came out here alone,” I tell her. Monica huffs out a breath.

“Oh, I know. The whole house knows. Mama and Nonna are both watching from the kitchen window.”

My head whips to the side, and I spot both my mom and Nonna trying to appear like they were talking to each other.

“How long have they been standing there for?” I ask, turning my head back to Monica, expecting an answer.

She shrugs. “I don’t know, maybe half an hour.”

I groan, rubbing both my hands over my temples.

“Do you guys want to go to the coffee shop that’s opened around the corner?” Monica suggests, and I look over at Violette to see what she’ll tell Monica, but Violette just stares at me.

“Fine, whatever, but you know we can’t leave until we tell Nonna or Dad, and have security following us,” I say, and Violette rolls her eyes.

“As if that protected you last time,” she mutters under her breath. I playfully bump my shoulder into hers as we make our way up the large marble stairs. Monica keeps to the end with the wall, clinging to the railing.

“How’s your fiancé treating you?” I keep my voice low enough, not wanting Mon to hear us.

A slight blush covers Violette’s cheeks and over the bridge of her nose, but she shrugs, “He’s nice, I guess.”

I bite the side of my cheek, trying to figure out how she really feels about Massimo.

“You have a crush on him, don’t you?” I ask.

Violette whips her head my way as we come to a stop in front of the large door leading into the house.

“Val, do you realize how ridiculous that sounds? How can I have a crush on my fiancé?” she says as she shakes her head. I give her a shove.

“It’s not impossible. Besides, it’s not like you guys are marrying because you’re in love,” I tease her. Her lips twist as she regards me with narrowed eyes.

“It’s not like you’re marrying for love either, Valentina. Don’t forget that our marriages are for the benefit of the family,” she retorts, offended. I run my hand through my hair.

“No, maybe I’m not marrying for love either, but let’s not tell lies. Both our marriages are to benefit our Dad, not the family or the Outfit.”

Violette’s eyes widen, and we both look to see if Monica heard us, but we just find the door open. I take a step toward the door, but Violette grabs my arm.

“I don’t know what has happened to you, Val, for you to forget that it doesn’t matter whether our marriages benefit the Outfit or our dad. Because Dad is the Outfit, and the Outfit is Dad. You think anyone would dare question that?” She sinks her nails into my arm. “Grown men have done less and suffered greater consequences.”

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