A beat of silence.
“Oh, well, fat chance. Have youmetmy Italian friend?”
“Right.” Penelope sighed. “Then maybe find another way?”
“I’m not sure there is one. What exactly did she say?”
“That you are both too predictable.”
Silence again.
“Lucia?” A pause. “Did you hear me?”
“Yes. It’s just… That’s it?”
“I’d say that’s plenty. And have you ever dealt with her directly? Believe me, that was alot. She knows. And if I had to guess, she’s not the type to sit idly by and let it slide.”
Penelope could only hope they’d take her warning seriously. She knew her reading of Valentina was accurate, or at least accurate enough. She knew her type.
Penelope was her type—obsessively so. At times, Valentina felt like an exaggerated, theatrical reflection of what Penelope herself might have become had the world, or she, tilted a different way.
Chapter 32
Choices
Lucia’s chair creaked as she leaned back, her gaze darting across the room. She probably should have worked on her delivery. Maybe then, the news about Penelope’s phone call with Varnelli would not have gone off like a bomb during Francesca’s planning session.
“Isn’t it a bit…too convenient? So what, your girlfriend’s so tight with Varnelli they chat on the phone?” Skye asked, her voice barbed.
“I told you, she called to ask about her father. She had every right to do that.”
“That’s what she toldyou. For allweknow, Blackwell’s been playing us the entire time. Maybe she’s Varnelli’s mole!”
“You just wanna place the fault on someone else whenyouweren’t even able to resist a puppy email!” Lucia snapped back, her voice brittle, thinner than she’d intended.Why are we doing this shit again, Skye?
“The trouble started way before! Jules’s machine was already infected with something, and—”
“Wait, wait.” Jules’s brows furrowed. “Hold on. Skye’s paranoia aside, what if Varnelliisfeeding off something Blackwell doesn’t realize she’s giving away? Loose ends? A trace somewhere?”
Lucia bristled. “She’s not careless. And she’snotfeeding Varnelli.”
“You sound awfully sure for someone who’s known her all of five minutes,” Skye said.
“I trust her.”
“Trust is cheap when the wrong person cashes it.”
“That’s enough,” Francesca said, her tone low but sharp enough to cut across the argument. She gathered the scattered papers into a neat stack. “We won’t waste our energy tearing into each other. Blackwell may have flaws, but betrayal isn’t one of them. If she were working with Varnelli, we’d already be in handcuffs.”
The room stilled, and the tightness in Lucia’s chest eased. She didn’t know what she’d have done if Francesca had turned on Penelope.
Jules spoke into the stillness, quieter this time. “Then we take her warning seriously? It seems kinda vague, but you know Varnelli best. Is that what she meant?”
Francesca’s features hardened. “Yes. We will have to adapt the plan.”
Jules shot a quick glance at Lucia before focusing on Francesca again. “What about hitting the warehouse a day earlier? We’ll catch them off guard and make some changes to the entry strategy.”
“Yes, that’s our best move. Lucia, see if Blackwell has had any other contact. Also, ask if the Meridian is still raising concerns about the humidity glitch. Last thing we need is scrutiny on yourMadonna.”
