Page 63 of Valentino

"Hear what?"

"That I'm building a whole defense case out of the bare minimum."

She doesn't answer right away.

"He helped," I say, because I can't stop coming back to that. "I don't know what that means. I don't know if it means anything. But he helped."

Vittoria exhales, long and slow. "How do you feel about him right now?"

I open my mouth, then close it again. The answer is there, but it's tangled up with too many other things to pull free.

"Safe," I say finally.

The word comes out cracked.

"Which is insane. He killed a man for me, and I keep looking at his hands thinking they're the reason I'm still here. I don't know what that says about me."

"It says somebody protected you when you needed protecting."

I press my lips together.

"That's not the weird part and you know it."

"No." Her voice softens. "The weird part is that you're trying to make sense of any of this twenty-four hours later."

I drag a hand across my face.

"Vee—"

"Amanda, you were drugged, kidnapped, and almost assaulted. If your feelings were neat and logical right now, I'd be concerned."

Despite everything, a laugh escapes me.

"So your benchmark for mental stability is complete emotional chaos?"

"It's the one we're using."

I close my eyes.

"You have me," Vittoria says. "You know that, right?"

The lump in my throat gets bigger.

"Yeah."

"Good. Because you're stuck with me.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Valentino

The pasta is nothing special. My grandmother would have wept at the state of this kitchen. But it's warm, plain, and something her stomach might hold after a day of poison, and right now that's all it needs to be.

I balance the plate and the glass of water and walk down the short hall. I stop outside her door and knock with one knuckle.

She opens it. The phone is pressed to her ear, her hair damp, my hoodie swallowing her whole. She holds up one finger to me, and I almost smile at that. Even now, she still runs the room.

"I have to go," she says into the phone. A pause. "I know. I know, Vee. I'll call you tomorrow." Another pause. "Love you too."