by Lucy Rains
There was little that could frighten me now.
Chapter 43
“Matteo wants to talk to you.”
I raised an eyebrow at Gavin. “Me?”
Gavin stepped forward and took the empty glass from my hand. “You.”
I scowled at him holding me glass, “Did he say why?”
Gavin leaned around me to set the glass in the sink. “I didn’t ask.”
I pulled the elastic tie from my wrist and wrapped it around my hair. I couldn't understand why Matteo would want to talk to me. He had just gotten home the night before and had not spoken with anyone except Tobias.
Gavin tried to fight his smile as he took my hand and led me down the dark hallway. He pushed through a cracked door and led me inside a dark room. There was a lamp on each side of the bed that softly illuminated the bedroom. Matteo was sitting up in his bed, a navy blue robe on and a laptop propped on his lap.
I heard Gavin walk out of the bedroom and back down the hallway. My feet moved forward slowly, noticing the lack of bruising on Matteo’s face. No scratches, no marks, no bandages.
“Has Kyson already been in here?” I asked.
Matteo smiled, “We spoke last night.” Matteo took a deep breath, “It is wonderful to breath again.
I glanced around the large bedroom, eyeing the endless bookcases filled with colorful bindings of books in every size. Along the closest bookshelf to Matteo’s bed were framed pictures. The first ones I had seen in the condominium.
I stepped closer, squinting at the faded pictures. One had a younger Matteo in it with a tall blonde woman by his side. They looked at each other with wine glasses in each hand, their faces almost touching. Another picture had a young man in it that I immediately recognized as a much younger Charles.
I reached out, picking up the picture. Matteo sat next to him, they both smiled up at the camera. The background was dense forest, and both were dressed in military fatigues, holding rifles.
“When was this?” I asked softly.
Matteo smiled, closing his laptop. “That was a few decades ago when we were serving in the british army.”
“Is that where you met?” I asked.
“We met a year before that. When I first entered the army.” Matteo’s emotions turned wistful with a touch of sadness. “He stuck up for me. Helped me. I was weak and alone. Charles made sure everyone left me alone.”
I smiled, setting the picture back down. “Yeah, he stuck up for me too. Especially when I was alone.” My eyes burned and I cleared my throat. “So, are you okay with us staying here for a while? We’re kind of homeless.”
“You are welcome to stay as long as you need to.” Matteo leaned to the side of his bed and pulled up a manilla folder. “I called you in here because there is something you need to see.”
I sat down on the bed next to Matteo and watched as he pulled a few papers out of the folder. “More maps? Pictures? Already got work for us to do?”
Matteo shook his head but did not smile. “This is Charles’s will.”
“His will? Charles had a will? Did he have any family?”
Matteo shook his head. “No, just me.” He set the file to his side. “And you.”
My mind jogged back to my first morning in Paris when Charles told me about his lack of family connections.
I shrugged, eyeing the will. “What’s in his will? Land? Weapons?”
Matteo could not keep the smile from his face anymore. His mind filled with delight. Tilting his head towards the file, he rubbed a thumb over his stubble lined chin. “Let’s just say, I don’t think you will need to stay around here for very long.”
*******************
Not willing to wait for the elevator, I flew down the twelve flights of stairs to find the guys in the exercise room.
I burst into the room wide eyed and panting. Alex and Pierce stood with Roman as they coached him on lifting weights while Kyson and Gavin ran on treadmills.
Everyone stopped as my excitement radiated to all of them. The treadmills slowed, the weights were set down and all five guys walked over to me.
I lifted the sheets of paper in my hand as my face broke into a smile.
“What is that?” Pierce asked.
“It’s Charles’s will,” I panted.
Pierce and Kyson exchanged glances.
Alex motioned with his hand for me to continue, “So?”
“We don’t have to stay here!” I waved my hand with the papers. “We can start a new life somewhere. Anywhere!”
“What exactly does it say?” Gavin asked, his arms folded, his stance wide.
My eyes glanced at the papers, “It says he left me a lot of money.” I swallowed. “33 million.”
Pierce shook his head, Alex coughed and Kyson whistled.
Gavin didn’t flinch. “ ‘We’ aren’t doing anything.”
My hand paused and my face dropped, “What are you talking about?”
“It’s your money, Jade,” Pierce said. “He didn’t leave it to us.”
“He left it to you,” Gavin added.
I watched their faces, waiting for the smiles to crack through. But there was no humour in their minds. “You have got to be kidding me,” I huffed. A laugh bubbled in my throat, “You guys can save up millions of dollars for years and spend it on me, but I can’t spend money I did nothing to earn on a life for us?”
“It’s different,” Gavin mumbled.
“How the hell is it different?!” I shouted. “Me!” I pointed to myself. “You!” I pointed
to Gavin, “Money!” I raised the papers above my head. “Us!”
“It is a gift, Jade,” Pierce interrupted my yelling. “Meant for you.”
“Okay, let me get this straight. You want me to just sit on this money, keep it to
myself? That’s what you guys want?”
The guys exchanged glances without answering me.
I rolled my eyes, “Can’t we all ever agree on something? Anything? Ever?”
Alex coughed, “Oh, I’m pretty sure we all agree on something.”
I looked at him in confusion, watching the sinful smile spread across his face at his internal joke. Kyson wiped a hand over his mouth to hide his own smile and Roman studied his shoes.
When I felt the twinge of arousal in all of the guys around me I glared at Alex. “Are you serious? We’re talking about 33 million dollars and you’re making sex jokes?”
“Technically, it wasn’t a joke,” Alex shrugged. “More like a fact.”
My shoulders dropped in disbelief. This was not the reaction I had expected at all. I wanted this to be a group celebration. Something we shared together. I looked to
Pierce and Kyson but they remained silent. I didn’t expect Roman to have an opinion.
I tilted my head up, stabbing Pierce with a look of nonchalance. “Fine.” I folded up the papers. “I’m flying back to the states. Tomorrow. Anyone that wants to come with me can let me know and I’ll be sure to buy you a ticket.”
“Wait a second,” Gavin growled.
“Do you even know how to buy airline tickets?” Alex asked.
I continued without acknowledging their comments, “If you would like to help me decide where we go, you are welcome to submit your input.”
“Jade,” Pierce sighed. "That's not-"
“I’m making this decision.”
"Dont-”
“I don’t take orders,” I said in a bored tone with a raised eyebrow. “I barely take suggestions at this point.”
“I have some ideas of where to look,” Kyson chimed in. “Places with lakes and mountains.”
I smiled, glad one of them was coming around. “Excellent.”
To be continued...
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