The Nanny // Faye Yoko AU

Chapter 26 Penthouse

Yoko's fingers hovered over the safe, mind racing. What does a mafiosa keep in hard copy? she wondered. Passports? Cash? Secrets too dangerous to keep digital? Whatever it was, it had survived the fire for a reason, and that alone made it worth protecting.

Let's try Faye's birthday first, Yoko thought, spinning the combination lock with a shaky hand. Nothing. Mikey's birthday? Still no. Her mind drifted to Faye's late wife. Her birthday? Their anniversary? The lock didn't budge. Yoko sighed, feeling a strange mix of determination and frustration. She almost felt guilty knowing these intimate details of Faye's life, but none of the obvious combinations were working. The safe remained sealed shut, a fortress guarding something important.

Just as Yoko was about to try another combination, a voice from behind made her heart jump.

"What are you doing?" Val stood at the doorway, arms crossed, her sharp eyes assessing the scene.

"Val," Yoko breathed, caught off guard. Her mind scrambled for an excuse. "I was trying to see if this still works," she said, pointing awkwardly at the safe.

Val raised an eyebrow, unconvinced but not outright suspicious—yet.

"I think it's intact," Yoko added quickly, "but I can't lift it. Thought I'd...you know, help out."

Val stared at her for a moment longer than was comfortable before speaking. "I'll take care of it."

Yoko blinked, her curiosity flaring again. "You know the code?" she asked, trying to keep her tone casual.

"Of course," Val said, her voice steady as ever. "Boss sent me to retrieve some things."

Of course she did, Yoko thought, trying not to let her disappointment show. "Oh, good," she said with a forced smile, standing up and brushing off her hands. "I'll help downstairs then."

She turned to leave, but there was something about Val's gaze that made her hesitate. The way Val looked at her, that calculating stare... It wasn't just suspicion. There was something deeper, something like recognition.

There's something odd about that nanny, Val thought to herself, watching Yoko with narrowed eyes as she walked away. Odd... and familiar.

As Yoko walked down the hallway, she couldn't shake the feeling that Val's attention lingered on her longer than it should have. A creeping sense of unease settled over her. Does she suspect something? she wondered, her thoughts swirling in confusion. Or worse... does she know something?

Val stood in the doorway, still watching Yoko's retreating figure, her mind whirring. Familiar... but why? she pondered, crossing her arms tighter. Where do I know her from?

As Yoko headed downstairs, her heart pounded, but she forced herself to stay calm. There was too much at stake to let anyone know how close to the edge she felt.

Out in the garden, the crisp night air was filled with the lingering scent of smoke, and the aftermath of the fire was palpable. Faye stood beside Signora Conte, assessing the damage, clipboard in hand. Her face was unreadable, but the tension in her body was hard to miss. Mikey, wrapped tightly in a blanket, clung to her mother's leg, her small arms wrapped around Faye as if to anchor herself in the chaos.

"Losses?" Faye asked, her voice steady, though there was a slight strain in it as she skimmed the list on the clipboard.

"Almost everything," Signora Conte replied gravely. "The library is gone. Most of the upper rooms. Some of the kitchen." She rattled off the damages, her voice thick with the weight of the loss.