“From the little I know, this isn’t looking good for Fiero and Caleb.”
I slip my feet into my tennis shoes, bending to tie the laces. “It’s why I need to speak with Massimo. I have intel on what Dom was doing with the?—”
“Don’t say another word. Not over the phone,” she cautions.
“Okay. Just send me The Commission’s address, and I’ll go speak to Massimo.”
“You won’t get anywhere near him, Valentina. Security is tight, and unless you’re on the visitor list, you’re not getting past the front desk.”
“Send me his number then. I’ll try calling him.”
“He won’t pick up. These meetings can take hours.”
Panic is waiting in the wings as I wrack my brain trying to think of another option. “Fiero doesn’t know everything. I should have told him, but Dom had threatened me, and later, I was trying to protect a secret about me, and it’s all connected. Fiero is in this mess because of me. Please help me to help him, Cat.”
“You don’t need to ask. If you tell me what you know, I’ll go to HQ and update Massimo. I’m at our place in the city, and it’s not too far away from Commission Central. I can’t go to you because Armis is home sick. He caught that bug Bella had a couple weeks ago. I can’t leave him alone until the housekeeper arrives this afternoon. Could you come here?”
“Sure.” I’m already running down the stairs. “Fiero has appointed me a driver and twosoldatifor protection. I’ll be there as quick as I can.”
“Come in,” Cat says, swiftly opening her door after I rap on it. “You made good time.”
“I told the driver to put the pedal to the metal. They know I’m doingsomething to help their boss, so they were all invested in getting me here in record time.”
“I called my housekeeper, and she’ll be here shortly.”
“How is Armis?” I ask as she leads me through the wide hallway into an open-plan kitchen-cum–dining room–cum–sitting room. It’s tastefully decorated in shades of white, gray, and cool blue with exquisite furniture and fittings and the most spectacular view over Central Park.
“His fever has come down, thankfully. Nat was here this morning, and she’s given him medication. He’s currently sleeping.”
“I’m sorry to ask this of you when you have a sick child.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” She gestures for me to take a seat at the table. “Fiero is family. I want to help.” She moves toward the kitchen. “Coffee?”
“Please.”
“How are you feeling after yesterday? I was worried about you.”
“I’m okay. A little embarrassed I broke down in front of everyone like that. Especially when it was my first time meeting most people.”
“Everyone was just concerned for you. There is no need to be embarrassed.”
“That’s what Fiero said. We talked everything through last night.” I scrub my hands down my face. “After I tried to run away like a coward too afraid to tell my husband the truth.”
Cat walks over carrying a tray with two mugs of coffee, a small jug filled with milk, and a bowl of sugar cubes. The plate of pastries looks delicious, and I wish I could eat, because my tummy is hollow, but I have no appetite. My stomach is twisted into knots, and I’d probably throw up if I tried to force something down. I’ll stick to coffee.
I sip my coffee as I tell Cat everything I told Fiero last night. She doesn’t interrupt, only reaching out to hold my hand as I purge it all. “That’s as much as Fiero knows. I wanted to tell him the rest, but I passed out before I could.”
“I’m not surprised. You had a very traumatic day. I know how draining it is to share your experiences. I’m so sorry that happened to you.” Tears prick her eyes. “This isn’t the time, but I’ll share my story some time. There are a lot of similarities.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” I’ve heard a few rumors about the things done to her as a teenager and later when she was married to Don Conti, but I’ve no idea if they’re all true or embellished.
“Therapy helped me a lot. If you want my therapist’s number, text me for it.”
“I’ll probably take you up on that.” Serena mentioned therapy yesterday too, and I think it might help me. I don’t want to be a prisoner to my past. I want to build a future with Fiero, and I can’t do that if I’m a broken mess held hostage by the things done to me.
“Tell me what I need to know.” Catarina holds my hand, offering silent comfort.
“I should have told Fiero this weeks ago, but like I said on the phone, Dom had threatened me before I came here. He told me to keep my mouth shut or he’d harm my family. That was code for he’d find my baby and kill him.”
