Stolen Queen (Dynasty of Deception #4)

10. Matteo

10

MATTEO

D esire is like an inferno. Her soft lips, sweet taste… it takes every ounce of willpower not to toss her on the bed and sink into her sweet virgin pussy.

But I can't let myself get carried away. She's barely eighteen, for Christ's sake. And I've essentially kidnapped her, even if it was to save her from a worse fate.

But holy hell, I’ve never craved a woman like this. I can allow the kiss to go on just a bit longer, right?

Wrong.

In the next beat, Ava is out of my arms and bolting toward the door. The realization of what's happening hits me like a punch to the gut. She's playing me, using her newfound sexuality as a weapon. And damn it, it was working.

"Nice try, Princess," I growl. I lunge toward her, gripping her by the arm and yanking her back toward me just as she enters the hall.

Her eyes widen in shock and fear as she stumbles back against my chest. Her arms flail, and she screams for me to let her go. I band her to me, keeping her arms down and my face away from where her head could lever back and break my teeth.

"Did you really think that would work?" I snarl into her ear, tightening my grip around her until she can’t move. "That you could just bat your eyelashes and I'd let you waltz out of here?"

Ava struggles against me, her earlier seductive demeanor replaced by defiance. "Let go of me!"

I ground my still hard dick into her backside. “What about what you promised me?” My stomach roils at the insinuation, but if she’s going to play big girl games, she needs to understand potential consequences.

She freezes, and I feel even more guilty that she thinks I’m going to collect on her offer or punish her.

"You have no idea what I've risked to keep you safe," I hiss. "And this is how you repay me? By trying to seduce me and run?"

“I never asked for your help," she spits. "You kidnapped me!"

Her words sting more than they should. It proves the old adage that no good deed goes unpunished.

"I saved you. From your father, from that bastard in New York. And this is the thanks I get?"

Ava struggles against me. "Let me go!" she demands, her voice shaking. "My father will kill you for this!"

"Your father?" I scoff, tightening my grip on her. "The same man who was ready to sell you off to that monster in New York?"

“And you’re better?”

Her words enrage me. “The fact that I’m not fucking you right now after your little stunt is proof that I am.” I’ve lost control. I’ve let a woman mess with my mind, and as a result, I’m going to hell. She doesn’t seem to understand that I’m trying to help her. And yes, I see the irony that I’ve locked her in a room and am now holding her hostage. But I wouldn’t be doing it if she’d understand that by my saving her, we’re in deep shit.

I need to go with another tactic. I maneuver Ava toward the closet, my anger still simmering beneath the surface. She struggles against me, but I'm stronger and more experienced. I press her firmly against the wall with my body, ignoring the way her soft curves fit against me, as I release one hand to open the door. Reaching into the closet, I grab a length of rope. My hands work quickly, muscle memory taking over as I begin to bind her wrists.

"What are you doing?" Ava's voice is high-pitched with panic. "Stop it!"

I grit my teeth, forcing myself to ignore her pleas. The fear in her voice makes me feel like the worst kind of bastard.

"Hold still," I growl, cinching the rope tight around her wrists.

Ava continues to struggle, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps. "Please, Matteo. Don't do this."

With her hands secured, I crouch down to bind her ankles. She tries to kick at me, but I easily dodge her attempts.

“What are you going to do with me?”

“You want to go home so badly, fine. I'll take you home."

Ava's eyes widen in surprise, hope flickering across her face. "You're letting me go? Then why are you tying me up?"

I laugh, but there's no humor in it. "I can't just let you waltz out of here on your own. Your father would have my head on a platter before sunrise."

"I won't tell him it was you. I'll make something up."

I shake my head. "You don't get it, do you? Your father's not an idiot. He'll figure it out, and then I'm as good as dead. No, I have to take you back myself and explain to him how you snuck out and I found you. As a sign of respect to him, I brought you back."

She stares at me, and I can see that she’s weighing the ramifications.

“I’ll tell him how you went to a club, let men buy you drinks and grab your ass.”

Her face pales. “He won’t believe you.”

“Won’t he? My experience with your father is that he doesn’t have much respect for you or any woman. Then there’s the fact that we have surveillance in the club. I can show him you were there.”

I study Ava's face, watching the emotions play across it. Fear, desperation, and yet still, a hint of defiance. Is she going to call my bluff?

"You're lying."

I lean in close, my voice low and intense. "Am I? Are you willing to bet your freedom on that? Because I promise you, if I show your father that video, he'll believe every word I say."

I watch as the fight drains out of her, replaced by resignation. I hate doing this to her, but I need her to cooperate. I hope the threat alone will be enough to make her fall in line because the last thing I want is to send her back to that bastard she calls a father.

“You said you saved me from him. Why would you do that just to send me back to him?”

I run a hand through my hair, frustration and guilt warring inside me. "You think I want to do this? You’ve left me no choice.”

"So you're just going to hand me over to him? After everything?"

I curse under my breath as my phone rings, Elio's name flashing on the screen. I toss Ava over my shoulder and take her back to the room, setting her down on the bed.

I leave the room, taking a breath as I answer Elio’s call. “What’s up, Cuz?”

"Matteo, we've got a situation," Elio's tense voice comes through the line. "Rinella has reached out saying his daughter has disappeared.”

“Which one?” Please, God, don’t let him hear the guilt in my voice.

“Ava.”

My heart races, but I force out a chuckle. "Is that so? Sounds like the princess finally had enough of her old man."

"This isn't a joke, Matteo," Elio snaps. "I’ve agreed to help."

I lean against the wall, running a hand through my hair. "Come on, Elio. He’s an asshole selling her to a sadist. Why would we help him with that?”

“You know how things work. And we need to fix things after Lazaro.”

At that moment, I resent Elio. He’s a good man, but I hate how he’s willing to put Ava in danger to appease her father. He’s not worth it.

"Rinella is threatening to tear the city apart looking for her."

I roll my eyes, even though Elio can't see me. "Let him. It's not our problem if he can't keep track of his own daughter."

“I offered our help. You need to meet me and Lazaro at Rinella’s place. Thirty minutes.”

I feel the blood drain from my face as Elio's words sink in. Rinella's asking for our help to find Ava? Christ, this is worse than I thought. "Yeah, sure. I'll be there."

As soon as I hang up, I accept that I'm truly fucked now. If Rinella's calling in favors, it won't be long before someone connects the dots back to me.

I stride back to the room and throw open the door. Ava looks up at me, her hands and legs tied, her eyes wide with fear and confusion, tears streaming down her face. God, I’m a fucking asshole.

I push down the urge to comfort her, forcing myself to adopt the cold, hard persona I've cultivated over years in this business.

"Playtime's over, Princess. Your daddy's looking for you, and he's out for blood."

I watch Ava's face, noting the conflict in her eyes. She's trapped between two devils, and I can see her weighing her options. On one hand, there's her father, a man who sees her as nothing more than a bargaining chip. On the other, there's me, the man who kidnapped her, but also the one who's been trying to protect her.

"I've got to go meet with Elio and your father. You've got until I get back to make a decision. Option one—I take you back to your father. You face whatever punishment he's got in store for you, and we pretend this never happened."

I pause, letting that sink in before I present the alternative.

"Option two—you stay here with me. I keep protecting you, keep you safe from your father and whoever else he tries to marry you off to."

I lean in close, my voice dropping to a low growl as I unbind her hands and legs. "But make no mistake, Princess. If you choose to stay, you play by my rules. No more escape attempts, no more games. You do what I say, when I say it. Understood?"

Ava nods, her eyes never leaving mine. I can see the wheels turning in her head as she considers her options.

I straighten up. "Think carefully, because once you make your choice, there's no going back."

I leave her, hoping she’ll make the wise decision.

I pull up to the Rinella mansion, my stomach churning with anxiety. On my way home, I’ll stop and pick up some antacids.

As I step out of my car, I school my features into a mask of cool indifference. I'm a dead man if anyone gets a hint of my deception.

Elio and Lazaro are already there when I enter, standing with Vincenzo Rinella in his opulent study.

"I trust you've been briefed on the situation?" Rinella says to me.

I nod, keeping my expression neutral. "Elio filled me in. Your daughter's missing. Any ideas when?”

“She wasn’t in her room this morning,” Rinella says, pacing.

“Do you think someone took her from her room?” Lazaro asks.

“How?” Rinella almost seems annoyed that a kidnapping from his home is a possibility. “I have top-notch security.”

I look away knowing it’s not as good as he thinks. “Is it possible she ran away?”

Rinella glares at me. “That's impossible. Ava knows her place."

I bite back a retort, reminding myself that I need to play my part. "She disappeared somehow. If she wasn’t kidnapped and she didn’t run away, then what?”

Elio nods, backing me up. "Matteo’s right. Perhaps she had help. Is it possible someone inside the house helped her?”

“Not if they value their life.” There’s no missing the murder in Rinella’s eyes.

As the discussion continues, I find myself walking a tightrope. I’m being helpful, expressing concern, while on the inside, I need to hide the truth.

“Maybe she doesn’t want to go to New York,” I say, earning a glare from Elio. I shrug. He knows I like to poke the bear.

“What she wants doesn’t matter,” Rinella snaps.

“Maybe it does to her?—”

“You’ve got a big fucking mouth.” Rinella looks like he’d like to punch the smirk off my face. Back at you, motherfucker.

"Gentlemen, please," Elio interjects, his voice calm but firm. He shoots me another warning look before turning to Rinella. "I apologize for my cousin's… directness. We’re just trying to figure out what happened so we know where to look."

I bite my tongue, forcing myself to nod in agreement.

“Does she have friends? Someone who might be helping her,” Elio asks.

Rinella’s face contorts with a mixture of anger and confusion. He definitely doesn’t like the idea that his daughter might have connections he's unaware of.

Before Rinella can explode again, Lazaro chimes in, "There's another possibility we haven't considered. What if she did manage to get out on her own, you know, to go shopping or something, but then someone else spotted her? An enemy of yours, perhaps?"

My stomach drops at Lazaro's words. It's too close to the truth for comfort, even if he doesn't realize it.

Lazaro continues, oblivious to my discomfort. "If that's the case, we might be better off waiting for a call. Whoever has her might reach out with demands."

“We’ll talk with our men, see what we can learn. If she’s been spotted, we’ll hear about it. In the meantime, perhaps you should stay close to home in case you get a call or she returns,” Elio says to Rinella.

He nods. “Fine.”

"What will you do when she returns?” I already know the answer, but I need to hear him say it. I need to remind myself why I can't just hand Ava over to this monster.

Rinella's face darkens, his eyes cold and cruel. "She'll be punished to within an inch of her life. Then I’ll lock her away until I can send her to Nardone in New York."

My jaw clenches, and I taste blood as I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from lashing out. "And Nardone? He's still interested?"

"He'd better be," Rinella snarls. "I just hope the little bitch hasn't defiled herself and ruined the deal."

It takes every ounce of self-control I possess not to lunge across the room and wrap my hands around Rinella's throat. The casual way he talks about selling his daughter, about punishing her for daring to seek freedom… he deserves to die.

We leave the Rinella home, and I want to return to Ava to make her see her chances at happiness and safety are so much better with me. But Elio has me going with Lazaro to start the search.

We should start with the areas she might know," Lazaro suggests as we drive through the city. "I don’t remember talking to her about any.”

“She doesn’t have any.”

He glances at me as I drive. I wonder if he can see through me.

“Rinella keeps her well-guarded. She doesn’t have friends or hangouts. She’s graduated from school," I say matter-of-factly.

“She had to have gone somewhere.”

I shrug. We spend hours combing through parks, high-end shopping districts, and even a few clubs, although not the one she showed up at five weeks ago. As expected, there's no sign of her.

“Maybe she left town,” I say.

“We should check the bus, train, and airport, I suppose.” Lazaro checks his watch.

I smirk. “Eager to get back with the fiancée?”

His smile is quick, and it’s nice that he’s finally found someone who makes him happy and calm. “I won’t deny it.”

“Let’s call it a night, then. Chances are she’ll show up or, like you said, Rinella will get a call.”

I’m relieved when Lazaro agrees with me.

I head back to my penthouse, not sure what I’ll find when I return. Ava's still sitting on the bed as if she’s waiting for me.

I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what I have to do. "Time's up, Princess. But before you decide, there's something you need to know."

Her eyes are dull, lifeless. I'm failing at my goal. “Your father is pissed. I quote, ‘I’ll punish her to within an inch of her life.’ Then he said he’ll lock you up until he hands you over to Nardone. He doesn’t give a shit what Nardone does with you after that. Are you aware that Nardone has had several wives go missing?”

The color drains from her face, and I feel like shit for having to manipulate her like this. But what choice do I have?

“Or you can stay here. Under my protection.” I step closer to her, my eyes locked on hers. "What's it going to be?"

"I'll stay," she whispers, her voice barely audible.

I should feel triumphant. This is what I wanted. To keep her safe, to protect her from the monsters waiting to devour her. But as I look at her, small and vulnerable on the bed, I feel an emptiness in my chest.

"Alright," I say, my voice gruffer than I intend. I turn to leave, but her quiet voice stops me.

"Thank you," she says, though there's no warmth in her tone. "For giving me a choice."

I have the urge to go to her, to drop to my knees and make her see that all I want is her happiness. But she’s not ready to understand that yet. So I nod, not trusting myself to speak.

I leave the room, shutting the door and making sure it’s locked. Then I head to my study, pouring myself a generous glass of whiskey. The amber liquid burns as it goes down, but it does nothing to ease the ache in my chest.

I've won, but it feels like a hollow victory. I wanted her to choose me because she wanted me, not because I was the lesser of two evils. That knowledge sits like a lead weight in my gut.