When She Falls (The Fallen, #3)(33)

“How is that possible? They’ve been sharing a bedroom.”

“Maybe Gemma’s kept it covered under makeup.”

“So she’s hiding it…” I take a step closer, trying to keep the sudden rage inside me under control. Red seeps into my vision. “Valentina. Is your father—”

She meets my gaze. “My father has many faults, but he’s never been violent toward us. I don’t think he would do something like that.”

Wouldn’t he? Based on what I’ve seen, Garzolo doesn’t exactly have a functioning moral compass as far as his daughters are concerned.

“It could just be nothing,” Valentina mutters, but I know she doesn’t believe that. “Gemma would have said something to me if it was serious.”

Would she? I really fucking doubt it.

Dem apparently agrees with me. He steps around the counter, his face hardened like stone. “You told me she’s said she doesn’t want you to worry about her. Would she really be honest about something like this?”

Vale grimaces. “I don’t know. I feel like I don’t know anything anymore.”

“We need a plan to get to the bottom of it,” I say.

“I have an idea,” Vale says, her gaze flicking from Dem to me. “But you probably won’t like it.”

“Let’s hear it,” Dem says.

“I told my father that until the doctor clears her for travel, we won’t let Gemma leave. We got into an argument. He said that there is no way he’s missing his meetings, and that my mother and Cleo have to return to New York since they’re expected to meet someone my father wants to set Cleo up with. I told him in that case, they can all leave, and we’ll take care of Gemma. I proposed that…Ras keeps an eye on her, and once the doctor says she’s better, Ras’ll take her back to New York.”

The blood in my veins slows. “What?”

“It’s not perfect. But...” She trails off, looking between Dem and me with hopeful eyes.

“It puts us in control,” Dem mutters, his head already nodding along. “This is good.”

I lift my palms up. “Hold on, does Gemma know about this idea?”

“No, not yet. I told her I’d stay behind and take care of her, but she got all stressed out. Said she’d never forgive me if I skipped out on my honeymoon for her sake. If there was any question about her recovery, I’d insist on staying, but the doctor is sure she’ll be fine in a few days. I know you’ll take good care of her, Ras.”

A dry laugh spills past my lips. “Trust me, I have no desire to make you miss out on your honeymoon, but your idea is impossible. Garzolo will never agree to this.” Not to mention Gemma. She’d throw a fit if she heard I was being left in charge of her. “He thought I overstepped when I brought her home from the restaurant, for fuck’s sake. And it’s not like there aren’t other options. He has guards he can leave with her.”

Vale shakes her head. “Those guards have proven themselves to be useless. Look how easily Cleo was able to evade them. I’m not leaving Gemma under the care of someone incompetent. Or someone who might be hitting her.”

Could one of her guards be the culprit? My fists clench.

“I’ll make it clear to Garzolo that he doesn’t have a choice,” Dem says. “You’re my underboss, and the fact that I’m assigning you to this shows how seriously I’m taking the matter. It must have been our food that made her sick, right? This is our responsibility. Garzolo has to respect that, especially if he doesn’t want to offend us right as we’re on the cusp of expanding our deal. I will not have my wife worried on our honeymoon.”

I move a step back and take measure of my boss. This is extreme, even given the circumstances. Unless...

Damiano wraps his palm over my shoulder and looks me in the eye. “Once Gemma is feeling better, you take her back to New York, and you stay there for a few weeks.”

Fucking hell. I was afraid this was coming. “And what would you have me do while I’m there?”

“You know what. We need to figure out what the hell Garzolo is hiding and why Rafaele is working with him. If our deal blows up, we’ll look like fools. This is the perfect opportunity to do some digging and also keep an eye on Gemma.”

“How would I keep an eye on her?”

Dem smirks. “Because I’ll ask Garzolo to host you. He can’t say no. We’re cousins, so you’re his family now. Distant, but it still counts. It would be extremely fucking rude of him to send you to a hotel after you bring his daughter back to him. I’ll tell him we want to get to know our American partners better so that we can get comfortable with expanding our relationship.”

Vale appears to think it’s a brilliant idea. Her face softens with relief. “I’ll feel a lot better if there’s someone in New York keeping an eye on her. Maybe that bruise really is from Pilates, but if you go with her to New York, you’ll be able to find out what’s going on.” She glances at her phone. “Cleo just messaged me. I have to go back there. Let me know what you settle on.”

She leaves, and I move away from Dem to pace the kitchen.

This is a lot to take in. I have no fucking idea how I’m going to do what Dem wants once I get to New York. I’ll be on my own there. Dem and I have pulled off a lot of insane plots together, but he was always the one conducting the show.