Chapter One
Valentina
January 2015
“SORRY!” I STUMBLED OUT OF THE way and as business professionals and customers shuffled past me. I nearly collapsed onto the ground in front of me, barely managing to move out of the way before my face made an imprint onto the cement sidewalk.
Nobody acknowledge my apology, nobody really even acknowledged me, then again it was New York. I could be breathing my last breath and the chances of someone actually stepping in were one in a million. Pretty sure I saw that in one of my Freshman Psych classes. It wasn’t that New Yorkers were mean or rude like people assumed, but they were busy.
And busy meant they didn’t have time to stop on the sidewalk and help an eighteen year old girl to her feet because she looked like she was about to get smothered against the nearest window.
I took another deep breath. This was stupid, I was being stupid. It was a bank. How many times had I walked by this exact building and thought nothing of it?
My stomach clenched. Today was different.
I felt like one of the girls I read about in my romance novels, the ones who had adventurous lives, were pursued by dead sexy men in full body armor. Hah, yeah that was so not my reality.
My phone buzzed in my purse.
Probably one of my uncles checking up on me to make sure I was on my way to the store.
Now or never.
The letter had been burning a hole in my pocket for weeks and I wasn’t the type of person to ignore things, especially weird things, things that actually made my life seem less normal, less boring. For the last eighteen years I’d gone to school, tried my hardest to get good grades, and worked at my families flower shop.
Oh and I read.
I had no specific talents, unless you could actually count reading, which, is apparently frowned upon when you’re applying for college. I could still hear my Uncle Gio’s laughter. “Reading is a hobby, Val, not a talent.”
My phone kept buzzing.
I clenched my teeth, then pulled it out of my purse and answered it. “Yes?”
“Val?” Uncle Gio’s thick accent wrapped around me like a warm hug. “Are you sick?”
“No,” I glanced helplessly at the glass windows of the skyscraper. “I’m on my way.”
“You will be late.” He stated it like a fact, didn’t ask.
“Maybe.” I said distractedly. “Traffic is…bad.”
“But you walk.”
“I have to cross streets, Uncle Gio.”
He was quiet and then. “Did you eat?”
“Gio!” I groaned, already feeling my cheeks burn with embarrassment, when would I ever be an adult to them? “I ate, alright?”
More silence and then. “I don’t believe you. I brought extra cannoli, just in case.”
If I ate any more cannoli someone was going to have to start running to work instead of walking. “Fine, I just, I need to go, it’s hard to hear you.”
“Where are you?”
“Close!” I lied, “See you soon, Gio!”
“Love you, little Val.”
I held my groan in. I would always be little Val.
Always.
I straightened my shoulders and shoved my phone back into my purse. Little Val would back away, Little Val would have burned the letter I was currently carrying.
Little Val would probably have told her over protective uncles and brother.
But I didn’t want to be little anymore. I was a woman.
I reached for the door handle just as another body bumped into me propelling me through the doors with an umph.
The crisp smell of papers and too much floor cleaner burned my nostrils as I did a few circles. Where the heck was I supposed to even go.
I stepped out of the way and pulled out the letter.
Bank of America
Safety Deposit Box 36
There was no return address, and it wasn’t even in typical handwriting, but typed out. Maybe I should have said something to my uncles.
But, and here’s the creepy part, the part that led me to the bank the minute they opened. The part that had me lying to my uncle for the first time, since…forever.
At the very bottom of the page was a quote from Shakespeare.
The course of true love, never did run smooth.
It was one of my favorite quotes. When I was five I’d stolen one of the old books from Gio’s library and snuck chapters when I could. Again, I was an odd child, so if you knew me you’d know it wasn’t particular strange for me to devour words like they were bread and water.
I’d been obsessed with A Midsummer Nights Dream ever since then, and that very book was still placed under my bed at night.
I had it memorized.
Geez, I was lame.
“Miss?” A wickedly sexy guy approached me, he was wearing a black suit, black tie, and had sunglasses hanging out of his front pocket. My mouth must have dropped open, because a small smile curved around his lips as he ducked his head.
“Are you…” I turned around. “OH I’m sorry were you talking to me?”
“You talking to me.” He said in a perfect Deniro accent. “You talkin’ to me?” He laughed a bit.
I joined him, realizing how ridiculous I was being. I was in a bank, looking like a lost child, and he was in a suit, clearly he worked there, though his name tag wasn’t visible. I frowned.
“May I help you with something?” He asked holding out his hand, his smile was easy, but something about it had me hesitating. His hair was a reddish blonde, his skin dark, as if he was Italian but…his eyes, something about his stormy blue eyes made me want to turn around and run.
“No.” I said quickly. “I just…wrong building.”
“I’m sorry.” He grabbed my arm gently. “Did I scare you? I didn’t mean to. I work here and you were staring down at a paper and you looked lost, I put two and two together…” his voice trailed off.
I felt my tense body relax, “Sorry, I’m just…” I waved into the air. “Long night reading vampire novels, didn’t get much sleep.”
“Tell me, how is Edward?” He joked.
“Still with Bella, damn him.” I fired back quickly.
He burst out laughing. “You’re going to do just fine.”
“Do?”
“Now, what did you say I could help you with?” He was already reaching for the paper. I let him have it because I didn’t want to be rude. He quickly scanned it then handed it back.
“Weird right?” I said jokingly, a bit embarrassed that he’d read the whole thing and now probably thought I was insane or had escaped a mental institution.
“Eh,” He shrugged, “I’ve seen weirder, you have no idea.”
His smile faded.
“I believe you.” I croaked out.
“Safety deposit boxes.” He turned on his heel and started walking, I followed him dumbly. “Are right over here.” He scanned a key card over some metal thingy and walked me to the furthest corner of the building. “Just walk down the hall and find your number. Some have keys, some, high profile deposit boxes use a thumbprint.”
I held up my hand and then dug through my purse, finally locating the key and lifting it triumphantly into the air. “Key.”
“Fantastic.” He nodded once. “Stay as long as you need.”
“Thanks.” I bit my lip in nervousness, I was really doing this. Holy crap. My heart slammed against my chest as I started walking down the quiet hall.
“I hope you find what you’re looking for Valentina.” He whispered after me. “I truly do.”
My steps faltered.
I’d never told him my name.
Shaking, I quickly turned around.
But he was gone.
I nearly toppled into another lady on my way out of the hall to find him.
“Miss?” She was juggling about a million papers. “Can I help you?”
“A man.” I blurted. “He just left down the hall and—“
“—no.” The lady frowned. “I would have seen him, I’m sorry, maybe…you imagined it?”
“Right.” I swallowed the dryness in my throat, my heart really going to town threatening to crack right out of my chest and start thumping across the floor.
“You look lost?” She offered.
“Nope.” I clenched the key between my fingers, my sweat pooling around the metal. “I have a safety deposit box to look at.”
“Well,” She nodded. “Let me know if you have any questions. My name’s… Emiliana.”
“Okay.” I took two steps backwards then turned on my heel and made a beeline for the boxes, they lined both walls.
Finally, I located number thirty-six, and without giving myself time to chicken out, shoved the key in the lock and turned.
Had I known then, what I know now. I would have ran towards the bank, shoved my way through the fires of hell, and done just about anything legal or illegal to get to that box.