CHAPTER 41: WHO IS VALENTINA QUINN?

Luciano was on his way to the communication room, when Salvatore approached him.

"Carpo, I’ve rounded up the traitors and kept them in a room in wait for your judgement," he said, pulling up beside him, as they both now walked to Luciano’s destination.

"I’d go there now, but Vittorio just called with news from Adin."

"Oh, and I thought you were trying to escape Elio?"

His forehead wrinkled. "Why would I want to escape Elio?"

"Don’t even get me started, carpo. Both himself and Marcello approached me with an apology letter directed to you. They wanted me to cross check it for anything that isn’t necessary. I have never seen that many adjectives in my life. Almost doused myself with alcohol and flicked a matchstick. I ended up drinking the alcohol instead."

Luciano chuckled. "Don’t be a hater Salvatore. They’re trying to right their wrongs."

"By making me read an apology letter? It’s your fault for teaching those boys mushy emotions. Now they think we’re in a love set reality show."

"Stupido!" Luciano cracked with laughter again.

"No jokes, carpo. Elio was on his way to your room to give you the letter. I thought you had encountered him and that damn letter, and that’s why you’re hiding from the cringe. I know I would have."

"I wish. I don’t know what Adin has in store for us today. They never call with happy news."

"It’s definitely about Valentina no?" They turned a corner in sync.

"It has to be. They’re the reason she’s still in Neravalle in the first place."

"Sure carpo? No other reason truly?" His eyes twinkled with mischief.

"You better say what it is you have in your mind, and stop waiting for me to read it."

"Fair enough-" he bobbed his head. "Anyway, Vitto isn’t exactly a big fan of the girls’ presence in Neravalle. He thinks she influenced your anger this morning. I thought the same until I met the girl. I’ll burn the world too for a girl like that, carpo."

His chest tightened as an image of Valentina flashed in his head.

Burn the world for her? It didn’t seem like such a crazy idea.

"You know how Vitto is. Besides, I wasn’t just mad because of the Valentina situation. Security is slacking and if I don’t tighten things up around here, we’ll end up in a difficult situation. We cannot afford to lose the secrecy of Neravalle. That’s what makes it safe," he explained patiently.

Salvatore shrugged. "Don’t need to tell me. You know I always go with the flow of anything at all. Your orders, my execution."

"You’re a good man Salvatore," he replied as they arrived at the door.

The guards in front of the door bowed, and then swiftly opened the door for him to go through.

"Thank God you’re here," Vittorio said as soon as he stepped in.

Luciano’s eyes quickly roamed around the room.

Screens covered the walls of the room like mirrors, each illuminated by surveillance feeds and unending data lines.

One side of the wall had a huge map covering it, with red lines drawn from top to bottom, both horizontally and vertically.

Luciano took his seat in the center of the room, and waited for Adin to come up.

"I thought they were already on screen?" He asked exactly a minute after.

"Adin was, but he had to go off to confirm something. He’ll be right back," Vittorio replied.

"Always have something to do. A busy boy," Salvatore joked.

"Would you like to go to the states and join him?" Vittorio asked.

"Over my dead body. I love Italy too much. Besides, the boss will be bored to death with you and your sixties style dressings if I leave him alone with you."

Vittorio formed a fist, and Salvatore quickly ducked whilst laughing.

Just then, one of the screens shifted from data codes to reveal the faces of both Adin and Eva.

"Luce!" Adin, the blonde hair, and blue eyes covered with thick glasses guy called, a big smile on his face on spotting Luciano.

Eva who was behind, with her giant breasts almost resting on his head smiled too.

"You didn’t tell anyone you were leaving," Luciano ignored Adin first, and spoke directly to Eva.

"Sorry carpo. I knew if I lingered even a bit the next morning, I would have been tempted to remain in Italy longer. You know I had to help glasses."

"Don’t call me that," Adin hissed.

"Just call her boobs. That’ll shut her up," Salvatore suggested.

"Shut up caveman. No one invited you here," Eva fired back at him.

"I love you too gorgeous." He threw her a wink.

Vittorio shook his head, as Luciano cleared his throat.

"Adin"

"Sìcarpo

."

"What information do you have for me?"

Adin ran a hand through his hair, as he took off the glasses to reveal exhausted eyes.

"I’ve been working nonstop for this report. Turns out you’re not the only one interested in Valentina Quinn."

"Spare me the details, and hit me with the point." Luciano crossed a leg over the other, and reclined into his seat.

"That is what I’m trying to tell you, Luce. There is no information yet. The data I got is sealed, so I have to crack them open. That’s what I’ve been working on. By evening, every single information will be ready. But from my source, I don’t think what we will find inside is good. They keep saying she can’t come back to the states just yet."

Luciano hissed through his teeth. "Is she an alien? Why is information about her so tight fisted?"

"I wondered the same thing too, carpo," Eva cleared her throat. "I visited Agent Carter last night. Didn’t ask him directly, but as we were discussing, I chipped her name in. He quickly asked where I had heard that name from before, and if people from the government agency were talking about it. Told him I had just heard a bit about her from zone 666, the private data room. And that apparently, she was one of the victims of one of the biggest air crashes to date. He didn’t say anything else, but I swear I saw panic in his eyes. Whatever is in that file, they all want to keep it a secret."

"But they can’t. I’ll crack it open by the evening, Luce. I promise," Adin assured him.

"By the evening you say? No more, no less."

"Si carpo," they chorused.

The screen went blank right after Luciano lifted his hands in dismissal.

"I’m calling it now, the girl wasn’t part of any aircraft crash. It’s just a cover up for something more sinister," Vittorio said.

"But what could it possibly be? She doesn’t look mentally ill or murderous. Why is she being so protected? By the US government agency of all bodies? Is she a spy?"

Luciano stroked his chin, as his eyes wore a thoughtful expression.

"She could be. Remember she was found in Giovanni’s home. She knows how to play the dumb game too," Vittorio said.

"But you see, that’s a problem, considering her friend is more transparent. Wouldn’t we have read something on her if they were actually spies?"

Luciano jumped to his feet, startling both men.

"Salva, let’s go," he said, already walking to the door.

The thought of Valentina being a spy was too damaging for his mind to consider.

Because it would mean that the Luce Nera of Neravalle, and Aurivilla, had well and truly been fooled.