Page 60 of Valentino

The television sounds from the floor above, and I point up.

Romeo nods.

The stairs are dangerous, if he hears us and comes to the top of them we have nowhere to hide. I go first, in the dark as adrenaline screams through me.

I tread onto the first step, I remember one of them creaks…but which one?

Third or fourth.

Shit.

I hold my breath as I step over both the third and fourth step to be sure. I make my way up and stand in the shadows on the upper floor as I cover the other boys while they come up.

My eyes dart around as we go from room to room but as the minutes tick by, I don’t feel him. I don’t think he’s here.

Even when you can’t see someone, you can feel if they’re somewhere hiding.

Not feeling a thing here….

The lights flick on and we walk from room to room.

“He’s not here.”

“Fuck it.” I look around. “Clean out his office, bring any paperwork. The keys to his classic car collection are in the top drawer of the filing cabinet.”

“Yeah, okay.”

”Romeo, get the keys and take them, call for backup for them to be collected.”

“How many?”

“All of them.”

“That’s an eighteen-car garage.” Romeo frowns.

“So we take eighteen fucking cars. Do you have a problem with that?”

“No.”

They get to work and I walk into the master bedroom. I look around and then I see it. A photo of Anna in a gold frame on the bedside table.

She’s laughing and on a beach somewhere with a flower tucked behind her ear.

Fury rages through my bloodstream.

I drop it to the floor and stand on it until the glass breaks, and still not satisfied I pick it up, remove the photo and light it, I throw it onto the bed as it burns.

I dial Giuliano. Ring, ring….

“Hey.”

“Bring gasoline.”

“Why?”

“We’re burning his house to the fucking ground.”

ANNA