“Okay, we will deal with that later. I have a sweater dress you can wear tomorrow. But what are you doing in Papa’s office?”
“Why are you even at this house anymore?” I snap at her, deflecting my anger.
“I was going to leave, but I saw you get out of Giovanni’s car a little while ago, and I grew curious.” She grabs onto my arms, pulling me back onto my feet.
“I need Papa’s phone.”
“I’m sorry, you what?”
“I made a deal, and I need his phone. Now.”
She hits me on the head as if I can change the actions I already did. I’m in too deep; his paperwork is everywhere in the office right now.
“Stop making deals with these men,stupide.” Her head falls back, and a laugh fills the room. “Well, if you are going down, so am I.”
If we get caught, I don’t want her to go down with me. But it does feel nice to have someone helping me with this.
I continue searching through a bunch of things in the office, not even sure where to look anymore.
“Thank you,” I say as she scans the room shaking her head.
“Did you look in here?”
I walk over to the long drawer under the desk, trying to pull it open, but it’s locked. I slowly turn my head to Ana, and we both slam our mouths shut.
There is something in this desk that I need.
Ana steps closer to me as I take the bobby pin out of her hair and begin to pick the lock.
“Are you sure?”
“I am.”
Once the lock clicks, I pull the drawer open, seeing five burner phones. I stare at them, trying to think about why he would need all these.
Should I give all of them to Giovanni or go through them right now to see what’s on them?
Maybe I should forget this happened.
I never should have snooped. There’s a reason I never wanted anything to do with this life: I’m not cut out for it.
When Papa told me to wear my best, that was the first time I’d even set foot in this room in months.
Papa would never hurt me, but he would use other people to hurt me. He knows I hate what he does.
“Are those what Giovanni needs from you?” My sister sounds out of breath, sharing the same set of nerves as me.
“Yes.”
I grab all the phones and try to put everything in the office back to normal. I’m hoping he doesn’t need them anytime soon. He would know I was the one who took them. No one else in this house would go against him. Ana might be helping me, but I know that if it came down to it, she would tell our father I made her help me. She has done things like that her entire life.
“Go home. Thanks for the help,” I tell her as I rush upstairs, locking my bedroom door behind me.
19NINA
The house is filled with loud laughter and the sound of champagne glasses clinking. There isn’t much difference than the last time we had a game night with everyone.
Family that didn’t show up to our family dinner have showed up tonight.