Stolen Queen (Dynasty of Deception #4)

12. Matteo

12

MATTEO

I lean back in my chair, only half-listening as Elio wraps up our business for the day. My mind keeps drifting to Ava. It's been a week since she tried to make her escape. Since I forced her to choose me over her father. The guilt at manipulating her with fear still eats at me. I clearly don’t know what the hell I’m doing.

Every time I see her, I want to explain myself, to make her understand why I’m doing what I’m doing. But what’s the point? She can’t hear it. Not yet. No, she needs time and space.

"Matteo? You with me?" Elio's voice snaps me back to the present. I blink, realizing he's staring at me with concern etched across his face.

"Yeah, sorry. Just thinking."

He leans forward, elbows on his desk. "You've been distracted for a while. What's going on?"

I shrug, aiming for nonchalance. "Nothing. Just tired."

Elio's eyes narrow. "Bullshit. You've been acting weird since Lazaro and Diana decided to get married.” He cocks his head. “Do you have a problem with that?”

On the one hand, I’m glad he’s associating my behavior to Lazaro marrying Diana and not Lazaro breaking the arranged engagement to Ava. On the other hand, I’m irritated that he’d think I have a problem with Lazaro marrying Diana.

“No. Why would I?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. You tell me. I'm asking if you're okay. If something's bothering you, I want to help."

I force a smile, trying to reassure Elio. "I'm fine, really. Just got a lot on my mind."

Elio leans back in his chair, studying me. Concern fills his eyes, and it makes me feel guilty for keeping secrets from him. We've been through hell and back together over the years.

"Alright," he says finally. "If you say so. But you know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

I nod, grateful for his friendship. "I know. Thanks, man."

"You remember how fucked up everything was just a few months ago? Christ, I thought we were done for."

"Yeah," I agree, thinking back to how he first pissed Rinella off by ending his engagement to Ava and later sinking one of Rinella’s boats. What I don’t know is why he’s bringing it up.

“You and Lana… you two were about to put me in the looney bin.”

I laugh. “Not quite.”

“Still. I told you both the truth. About seeing Piper and knowing I needed to be with her.”

Fuck. Does he know about Ava? I nod, hoping I’m not betraying the truth I’m desperately trying to hide.

“I’m just saying, we’re family. You can talk to me. I’ll support you.”

“Thanks, but there’s nothing going on.”

“Liar, but okay. I just want you to be happy. Life is damn near perfect. I've got Piper. Lazaro's home and he’s happy with Diana. Even Lana is calmer with Henry’s influence.”

I smile at his enthusiasm. It's good to see him happy after everything he's been through.

“If only we could get Rinella off our backs. That motherfucker is never happy. Like it’s our problem that his daughter ran away.”

My heart stops.

“Personally, I hope she’s off living her best life,” Elio continues. “But fucking hell, she’s so na?ve, how is she able to stay hidden?”

“Perhaps she’s not as na?ve as we think.” She is, of course. But she’s also brave and gutsy, which in our world could get her killed.

“I think someone has her.”

I swallow. “You mean like kidnapped her?”

“Maybe. Or protecting her. Do we know anything about her contacts with others in our world? Maybe one of her father’s men has her hidden away. Or another family.”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. “Our intel is that Rinella kept a tight leash on her.” I think about that night in the club and how others would have seen her. Seen me with her. It’s only a matter of time before my deception is revealed. Perhaps I should confess everything now. Would Elio let me continue to protect her or force me to hand her over?

He sighs. “Again, not our problem.”

Piper pokes her head into his office. “Dinner is ready.”

Elio’s smile shows all the love he has for Piper. He stands and goes to her, giving her a kiss as he rubs her belly round with child. “We’ll be right there.”

When she leaves, Elio turns to me. “Why don’t you join us? It’s been awhile since you’ve stayed for dinner.”

“Sorry. Hot date.” I rise from my chair.

Elio laughs. “You know, you’re the only one of us not settled down. Perhaps it’s time you think of finding a wife.”

I make a gagging sound. “Not gonna happen. Besides, someone's got to keep the ladies of Chicago entertained, right?"

Elio rolls his eyes, but there's a hint of amusement in his voice. "You're telling me you're not even a little jealous? Watching all of us settle down while you're still out there playing the field?"

"Nah, man," I say, patting his shoulder. "I'm living the dream. Different girl every night, no strings attached. Why would I want to give that up?"

"Because it's lonely," Elio says, his tone turning serious.

I shrug, trying to brush off his concern. "Maybe for you. But I'm not built for all that domestic bliss stuff. I like my freedom too much." What’s really strange is that until recently, that was true. But saying it now feels like a lie.

"Freedom to do what?" Elio challenges. "Hit up the same clubs, fuck the same type of girls who don't give a damn about you?"

His words hit a little too close to home, but I refuse to let it show. "Hey, not everyone wants the white picket fence and 2.5 kids. The nagging."

Elio holds up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I'm just saying, don't close yourself off to the possibility. You might be surprised."

I force a grin, hoping to end this line of conversation. "Trust me, I'm plenty open. To all kinds of possibilities, if you know what I mean." I waggle my brows.

“You’re a man whore.”

“A card carrying man whore.”

Elio's words echo in my mind as I leave his office. My secret feels like a lead weight dragging me down. I've never kept anything this big from him before. We've always had each other's back, no matter what. But this… this would change everything. All I can think about is his having to kill me. I’d hate to put him in the position to have to be the one to end my life.

I grip the steering wheel tighter, my knuckles turning white. Part of me wants to turn around, go back to Elio, and confess everything. He's always been the voice of reason, the one who could see the bigger picture. Maybe he'd know what to do.

But then I think of Ava, a prisoner of her asshole father who’ll torment her and then send her to Nardone, who’ll likely end up killing her. No, I can't tell Elio. Not yet. The risk is too great. If keeping this secret means protecting Ava and our family, then that's what I have to do.

I pull into my parking spot, killing the engine but not immediately getting out. My mind's racing, trying to figure out how to handle this mess I've gotten myself into with Ava.

For the past week, I've been giving her space, hoping she'd come around on her own. But that clearly isn't working. Every time I bring her food or craft supplies, I see the fear and resentment in her eyes. She thinks I'm the bad guy here, and honestly, I can't blame her.

I run a hand through my hair, frustrated with myself. I need a new approach, something that'll show her I'm not the monster she thinks I am.

Maybe… maybe I've been going about this all wrong. Keeping my distance might've seemed like the right move, but it's probably just making her feel more isolated and scared. I need to talk to her. Really talk to her. Explain why I did what I did, even if she doesn't want to hear it.

As I step out of the car and head for the elevator, I start formulating a plan. The elevator doors open, and I step to the door of my penthouse, determined to try something new. It could backfire spectacularly. She could scream at me, throw things, try to escape again. But I have to try. I can't keep her locked up forever, living in fear of me. That's not what I want for her.

As I approach her room, I take a deep breath, steeling myself for whatever reaction I might get.

With a deep breath, I open her door.

She looks up at me from where she’s working on a new piece of jewelry. Her eyes are wary, but she tries to hide it with a smile.

“You’re home.”

“Yes. I was thinking maybe you'd like to leave this room for a bit. Get a change of scenery?"

Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "You mean… I can go outside?"

"Well, not outside, exactly," I clarify. "But you could come into the living room, maybe watch some TV or something."

"Okay. I'd like that."

"Great," I say, trying not to sound too eager. "But before we go, I need you to promise you won't try to run away. I know you don't trust me, but if you leave here, your father will find you, and I can't protect you then."

Ava stares at me for a long moment, her expression unreadable. "I promise.”

I want to believe her, but I can't shake the feeling that she's just telling me what I want to hear. She probably has her fingers crossed behind her back.

I hold out my hand to her. She glances at it like she isn’t sure what I’m doing. Finally, she takes it and lets me help her up. Her hand is small and warm, sending a sizzle of energy through me. It’s a strange sensation, different from other women. It’s not just the draw of attraction. It’s more. Deeper. Intense. It makes me think about what Elio said about finding a single love.

As I lead Ava into the hall, I say, “Want to help me make dinner?”

Ava looks up, surprise evident in her eyes. "You want me to help you cook?"

I nod, trying to keep my tone casual. "Yeah, if you're up for it. Thought it might be nice to do something together."

She hesitates for a moment, then nods. "Okay, sure."

As we make our way to the kitchen, Ava's gaze darts toward the main door. My body tenses instinctively, ready to stop her if she makes a break for it. My breath holds as I wait to find out whether Ava is ready to accept the reality of our situation or if she’s going to try to flee and force me to lock her up again.