Page 64 of Unholy Union
But the rest of the Valentes are gone. Cato’s working another long day at his family’s company. The same can be said for Don Valente (or at least that’s their official cover). As of yesterday, Allegra left on another five-day spa retreat. This one in Connecticut.
I shut the door to the bedroom I share with Cato and put on some music from my phone. Just to disguise our voices a little bit more as we talk.
“Well?” Tessa says expectantly. “Why is my bestie all banged up like she’s been put through a freaking meat grinder?”
We sit in the armchairs by the wide window that overlooks the estate lawns and I tell Tessa all about what happened last week when Cato permitted me to visit Papi. Her jaw hangs open listening to me recount how the SUV had come out of nowhere then sideswiped us.
Lazaro had done his best keeping us from fully colliding, but then they opened fire and it was over. A barrage of bullets pierced the car as we spun out of control and crashed into some trees.
Truthfully, it was a miracle we only had the injuries we did.
Tessa gasps as I gently peel back the bandage on my ear and show her the bullet graze.
“Sab, there’s a piece of flesh missing!”
“Yeah… that’s, uh, not growing back.” I sigh, my fingers tracing the small groove at the top of corner of my ear. “But it could’ve been a lot worse. I’m just grateful it wasn’t.”
Tessa’s eyes fill with tears. She leaps out of the armchair and throws her arms around me in another hug.
“Oh, Sab… who the fuck was it?” she demands, anger deepening her voice. “Who the fuck came for you and are they dead yet?”
“Not sure. Cato said he was going to find out.”
“He better! It’s his job to be on top of this stuff. He’s your husband for fuck’s sake!”
I eye her warily, half tempted to laugh. “Tessa, we’re not really a couple. I was honestly surprised he even cared at all. He showed up at the ER and stayed with me the rest of the day. I even fell asleep and woke up and… there he was.”
“Why wouldn’t he? An attack on you is an attack on him!” At the quirk of my brows, she doubles down, growing more militant. “It is! You two are a packaged deal now. It doesn’t matter if you hate each other’s guts, you’re stuck together, and that means something. A capo like Cato Valente? He takes that kind of thing seriously, like an ultimate form of disrespect.”
“His trophy was damaged. The horror.”
“It could be that… or it could be more.”
“I like how you’re the optimistic one now,” I say with a soft laugh. “Usually, the roles are reversed. I guess it’s a sign of the times. Tell me more about what’s been going on with you. I need the distraction.”
Tessa updates me on her boutique.
MODA’s still struggling to find its footing. She hasn’t established the steady customer base she was hoping to have this many weeks after college and her boutique opening.
“But I’m looking on the bright side,” she explains with an upbeat tone. “The first year is rough for any business. I’ll get through it.”
The topic turns to a disastrous date she had with a male model she met through her fashion designer friend, Viola.
It serves as exactly the kind of distraction I was looking for, both amusing and scandalous as she tells me all about the bad date.
“And his breath? I think I’ve smelled garbage that smells better. I was gagging by the end. I don’t care how good looking he is, he’s got to do something about that sewer breath!”
We’re laughing like old times, almost to the point I forget my recent problems. That I’m no longer the carefree and unburdened Sabrina Corsini with my whole life ahead of me that I once was. Instead I’m now married off, known as Mrs. Valente, the woman connected to Cato Valente until I die.
My laughter trails off as I remember and my mood tanks.
Tessa notices, frowning slightly. “I really hate seeing you like this, Sab. I wish there was something I could do.”
“I want to show you something. C’mere.”
The music is still playing, filling the bedroom with the pop sounds of Today’s Spotify Hits, as I get up and lead Tessa to my nightstand.
It takes me a while to dig out the beaded blue and silver rosary from where I’ve hidden it, but when I do, I hold it up for her to see.
