by Cala Riley
I squeeze Matteo’s arm.
“You okay?” He frowns.
“Yeah,” I mutter, looking around.
“You sure? You were so excited to leave the house, but now you seem sad.” He removes my hand from his arm, moving his hand down to my lower back to guide me into the back door of a building.
“I forgot how sad most people’s lives are.” I sigh. “On the way here, all I saw was people looking through one another, but never actually seeing the person in front of them. They move through the world without taking time to take in the natural beauty this world has to offer. Not to mention the fact that they don’t seem to care if their loved one is with them or not.”
“You’re right. We’re all consumed with the grind and never take time for the little things. I’m guilty of it myself.”
“You make time for your friends and family,” I can’t help but point out.
Matteo tilts his head, acknowledging me. “I do, but family is everything in my line of work. A lot of times my family is my work. That’s not to say I don’t still take for granted the time we have together.”
He leads me to a set of stairs, grabbing my hand to keep me beside him.
“What makes you say that?”
He stops, turning to look at me. I see Nico go down a couple steps, turning around to give us privacy.
Matteo reaches up to cup my chin. “You don’t know much about what I do, but I’d like to change that. The first thing you need to know is that it’s dangerous. The guy that came to the house? He was most likely looking to hurt me. We think seeing you scared him off. He didn’t expect a woman to be in the house. A lot of guys in our business hesitate to hurt a woman. That’s what I mean by taking them for granted. Tomorrow’s not guaranteed in this line of business.”
I lean into him. “Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed to anyone. It’s not limited to your business. It’s why I prefer to appreciate life the way it comes instead of worrying about the future.”
He presses his lips to mine. “I love that about you. It’s not the safest to hang out here. Let’s get up to my office.”
I let him lead me up the stairs and to a door at the end of the hall. Matteo enters the room first, going over to a desk to set his bag down. I trail behind, taking in the office. White walls with black accents all over, with a large black desk placed in the middle. A wall of mirrors off to one side. I walk over to the mirrors, trying to figure out why one would need so many. As soon as I get close, the mirrors change into windows, making me gasp.
Matteo chuckles, making me look at him. “Sorry, I had to.” He waves a remote before setting it back on his desk.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” I say in awe.
“I usually keep it as the mirrors unless I need to keep an eye on something below. Once I press this button and it fades, making it so you can look down at the club and watch without being seen.”
“That’s so cool,” I murmur, tearing myself away from the window mirrors.
“Here, I grabbed the book you were reading at home,” Matteo says, setting the book on the edge of his desk.
“Thanks,” I say, grabbing it. “Can I move this chair?” I ask, pointing to one of the club chairs in front of his desk.
“Here, let me,” he says, rounding his desk. “Where do you want it?”
I blush, pointing to the window mirror.
“I should have known,” he teases as he moves the chair.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he says, walking back toward his desk. “Give me a couple hours, okay?”
“Okay. Take your time.” I smile over my shoulder at him as I get comfortable in the chair.
I set the book in my lap, looking down at the employees moving around the club. It’s empty now, probably because it’s still early in the day. I hope we stay long enough for me to see it open. I’ve always wondered what happened in clubs. What is the hype about? Why are there always lines wrapping around the building?
I keep watching until my eyelids grow heavy. The next thing I know, Matteo’s shaking me awake.
I come to, seeing him squatting in front of me with a small smile on his face. “Hey sleepyhead.”
“Hey,” I rasp, stretching in the chair. “How long was I out?”
“About two hours.”
I look past him and see the club is filled with people now.
Damn, I missed it.
“Are you ready to go?”
I smile up at him. “If I remember right, you promised me food.”
“I did,” he says, as he pulls me up.
I stretch again as he moves the chair back to its place and grabs his bag. We take the same stairs down, with Nico falling in behind us.
“Where were you hiding?” I ask him.
“I can’t tell you all my secrets,” he jokes.
Matteo is stopped twice on the way out, Nico always staying close to my side. Once at the back door, Nico heads out first.
“He’s going to make sure the car’s safe. It’s getting dark out. I figured it would be best to take the car to dinner.”
“Whatever you think is best. I trust your judgment.”
He pulls me into his side. Nico comes back, motioning for us to head to the car.
Nico holds open the back door for me. I glance toward the end of the alley, stopping when something catches my eye.
I gasp.
“What’s wrong?” Nico asks.
“What did you see?” Matteo demands, stepping in front of me as he pulls out a gun.
“I thought…” I trail off, looking around Matteo, not seeing anything.
“What did you see?” Nico doesn’t look at me, instead looking for a threat.
“Nothing. I thought I saw someone I used to know. I was wrong.”
I push past Matteo and slide into the car.
“Vanessa,” Matteo snaps from the open door.
“Sorry, I’m fine.”
“Boss, you need to get in,” Nico calls from behind him.
Matteo curses. “This isn’t over.”
He shuts the door, then moves around the car, sliding into the seat beside me.
“Who do you think you saw?”
“No one.”
“You turned white as a ghost, Vanessa,” Matteo points out.
“It’s nothing.”
“I thought we were past lying to each other. It’s whoever you were running from. Why won’t you tell me who it is?”
I can’t tell you because I forgot all about him while I was living locked up in your castle. I didn’t even hesitate leaving your house because I forgot about the threat. I forgot that I think one of your men wants to do me harm.
“Please, can we not talk about it? I’m starving.”
Matteo shares a look with Nico in the rearview mirror.
“One of these days you’ll learn to trust me completely,” Matteo mutters.
I reach out, grabbing his hand. He looks out his window while I look out mine. We might be together, but tonight reminded me I’ve been living in a fantasy world. Reality always comes crashing back in, eventually.
“Find out whatever you can. I don’t care what it takes. Something spooked her tonight,” I bark into the phone at Frankie.
“On it, boss.”
I sigh, leaning against the front door.
The rest of the evening went by without issue. I took her to the best burger joint in Queens. She pretended to be having a good time, but I could tell whatever she saw was still bothering her. She seemed to keep looking over her shoulder instead of enjoying her food.
When we came back home, she curled up on the couch, choosing to watch a baking show instead of reading a book. She usually only watches these when I’m gone. I think she did so now because she finds them calming.
A little while later, I took her up to bed and held her until she fell into a peaceful sleep. That’s when I slipped out and came out here to make some calls. Someone has to know something about this myster
ious person who haunts her.
“It’s just me,” Nico announces, coming around the corner of the house.
“You really found nothing when you were investigating her in the beginning?” I ask again, knowing what he will say.
“I told you all I know. Some people say they saw her talking to a guy, mid-twenties on the bench before running into you, but they didn’t know who he was. He avoided all the cameras, so he knows the area. He has to be a local.”
“You know what is bothering me?” I muse out loud.
“What?”
“How he would have known we were at the club. I don’t believe in coincidences, so if she thinks she saw this guy, then I believe he was there. How did he know we would be there?”
“He’s watching her. Or us and found her.” Nico rubs his hand on his face.
“Your attack might not have had to do with me at all. What if it was this guy trying to get to her?” I question.
“If so, why didn’t he grab her. The door was unlocked. That’s how she was able to get outside.”
“Maybe he didn’t realize she could roam freely. If he was watching from the beginning, then he’d know we took her against her will. Maybe he thought she was locked up so when he saw her in the kitchen, he wasn’t prepared.”
“That’s a theory. We never got any leads from the video. He kept his face hidden, almost as if he knew they were there.”
“Fuck, we have been all off about this. Remember that break-in? What if that was a way to test us? See if there were alarms and how we would react?”
“It would make sense. He’s biding his time.”
“Yeah, but what’s his end game?”
“That’s the million-dollar question. Call two more guards and have them sit on the house. We need to ramp up security.”
“Got it, boss.”
I go inside as soon as he walks off. I shut the door, making sure it’s locked. I quietly make my way up to my office, shutting the door behind me.
Going to my safe hidden behind the picture on the wall, I enter the code. Reaching inside, I pull out the burner phone that is for emergencies.
I dial the only number.
“What’s wrong?” Bash answers on the first ring.
“I think the attacks on the house aren’t targeting us. I think they are targeting Vanessa.”
“What leads you to believe that? I thought they were related to the attacks on your guys.”
“We went to the club today so I could finish some work. I took Vanessa with me. She thought she saw someone outside. It scared her to death. I have never seen anyone turn white so quick. I asked her about it, but she swears she was seeing things.”
“Have you checked the cameras?”
“Of course, but there were too many people walking by. None stood out.”
“I’ll get Lucian on it. See if he can figure anything out. Do you think your house is safe? Do we need to move her?”
“I think moving her will do more harm than help. She feels safe here, even after the attack. She trusts me, but not enough to let this secret go. I don’t know what this guy did, but it had to have been bad for her to keep her silence.”
“Let me know if you need anything then. Keep an eye on her. You need to consider that this may be an inside job. Maybe her run-in with you was orchestrated. Maybe she was hoping you would come find her. She might be working for him.”
I let out a sigh. I hadn’t considered that.
“I’ll keep an eye on her and keep you updated.”
“Matteo,” Bash calls out. “For your sake, I hope I’m wrong. I can tell you’ve grown to care for the girl.”
Unable to admit it, I simply say, “Goodbye.”
I wait until he ends the call, throwing the phone back into the safe. I need to toss it, but that’s a worry for tomorrow.
For now, I have to wrestle with these possibilities.
Could she have been playing me this entire time? Could she be looking for something?
She does spend a lot of time in my office. I don’t keep anything here, but maybe she doesn’t know that.
The day she tried to run? She ran into the basement. Why would she do that? She could have broken a window and jumped out. Sure, it would have alerted Nico and me, but she would’ve had a head start. She might have even made it, so why didn’t she?
She hasn’t asked about the basement or the “man” down there since. Is that another sign I’ve missed?
A knock on my office door pulls me from my thoughts.
“Come in,” I call out.
The door opens, revealing Vanessa standing in the door in nothing but one of my button-down shirts.
“Are you okay?” She frowns. “I woke up, and you were gone.”
Is this an act? Was she listening to my conversation?
I hate that I’m now questioning everything about us.
“I’m fine. I had to handle a call. Let’s go back to bed.”
She smiles. “I’m awake now.”
She walks toward me, dropping to her knees in front of me.
“Not tonight, Vanessa.”
She looks hurt as she looks up at me. “Oh. Okay.”
I pull her up to me, unable to take the hurt look on her face even if she is a traitor. I press my lips to hers, lazily exploring the taste of her.
When I pull back, her eyes are dazed.
You can’t fake that reaction. Or that she was a virgin. This has to be real.
“I’m sorry, cara.” She beams when I use her nickname. “I’m tired. It’s been a long day. Raincheck?”
“Of course. You need your sleep.”
I let her lead me back to bed, sliding in beside her. She makes herself comfortable, lying on my chest. I place my arms around her, enjoying this feeling.
I hope you’re wrong too, Bash. I don’t know if I can give her up, even if it kills me.
Completely wrapped in one towel, I grab a second and start drying my hair. Showering used to be something I did when I could safely do so, but now it’s a habit. I can’t imagine not showering every day.
You’re too comfortable. When Matteo kicks you out, showers will go back to being a luxury, you can’t afford.
I shake the depressing thoughts away. Ever since the day we went to the club a couple days ago, Matteo has been acting differently. We haven’t been intimate since. He’s started coming home later, slinking into bed after I’ve already fallen asleep. At least, he thinks I’ve been sleeping. Instead, I’ve been waiting for him. Wondering what I did that changed his behavior. It had to be me, right? Maybe now that he’s seen me in public, he decided I was no longer fun to play with. His caged bird set free.
I turn away from the mirror, walking into the bedroom. The scene before me makes me come to a dead stop.
“About time you got out,” Isabella grumbles, sitting on the foot of the bed.
“Iz,” Mia chastises.
“What? It’s true. She was taking forever. Tell me, were you getting yourself off in there?” Isabella says.
“Ew. Don’t answer that,” Sofia murmurs, sauntering into the bedroom with a bag of chips. “Let’s not get off track, ladies. We have shopping to do.” She turns to me. “Get dressed. Now, before I get hangry. We’re getting lunch first.”
“Um, I’m not supposed to leave,” I argue, grasping on to my towel.
Sofia waves away my comment. “It will be fine. Matteo won’t care since you’ll be with us. If he does, well, he has me and my husband to deal with.”
“We...” Mia gives Sofia a look as she drags out the word. “Don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. We are asking you to go with us.”
“Really?” My eyes fall on Isabella, or Izzy as she has now told me to call her.
She rolls her eyes. “I know I was apprehensive about you at first. I had good reason to be. The man hid you from us, but you’ve been coming to dinner for over a month now. We’ve decided we’re keeping you, so get dressed.”
“Are you sure h
e won’t mind?” I bite my lip, looking between the three women.
“Please, we’re three of the most protected women in the city. Four now, counting you. What could go wrong?” Izzy jokes.
Sofia spins, bag of chips in hand, and walks into the closet.
“What are you doing?” I ask, following her.
“Finding you something to wear. You’re taking too long,” she snaps, shoving a chip in her mouth.
I walk in past her and grab a pair of jeans and a T-shirt off the shelf.
“Do you mind?” I raise a brow.
Sofia huffs and walks back into the bedroom, leaving me alone to change.
I dress quickly and throw my towel into the hamper on my way out.
“Finally.” Izzy stands from the bed.
I wring my fingers together as Sofia and Isabella pass by, unsure if I should follow.
“It will be fine, I promise,” Mia says, threading her arm through mine, pulling me away.
It will be fine.
It will be fine, right?
He probably won’t even care I’m gone with the way he’s been acting. Maybe he will be relieved I left. As soon as the thought hits, it saddens me. If that’s the case, he won’t be happy to have me home.
I turn, making sure the door is locked and giving Nico a smile.
“Where are you going, Vanessa?” His voice is wary.
“The girls want to go shopping. That’s okay right?” I’m unsure of my decision now.
“I’m not so sure it’s a great idea,” Nico admits.
“Really, Nico? Why would that be? It’s not like she’s a prisoner. She can come and go as she pleases.” Izzy wraps her arm around my shoulders.
I swallow hard. That’s exactly what I am. Or was.
Am I still?
I’m not even sure anymore. The lines between us were blurred, but now they are so intertwined that I’m not even sure where it was to begin with.
“Of course not. She’s free to go, but it’s dangerous,” Nico reminds us both.
“Life is dangerous. If we stopped living because of a little danger then we would never live,” Sofia calls from the car.
“Fine, but I’m going too,” Nico relents.
“Perfect. Come on.” Izzy pulls me along with her to the waiting SUV.
