Stolen Queen (Dynasty of Deception #4)

28. Matteo

28

MATTEO

I grip the steering wheel as I drive to Elio's place. Last night, I was white knuckling it out of anger. Today, it’s out of fear. Not of Elio’s wrath, but of the loss of his respect for me. He’s not just my boss. He’s my family, and I've royally screwed up.

As I pull up to the D'Amato estate, I steel myself for the confrontation ahead. I've known Elio my whole life. We grew up together, fought together, bled together. I've never seen him as furious as he was last night.

I played down my concern about this visit to Ava, but as I approach Elio's office, my confidence wavers. It’s possible I’m about to lose my family.

Knocking on the door, I hear Elio's gruff "Come in." I enter, finding him behind his desk, a scowl etched on his face.

"Sit," he commands.

I comply, maintaining eye contact. For a moment, I wait for him to yell at me again, but then it becomes clear he’s waiting for me to explain myself.

“I’m sorry about last night… the things I said and for putting you and the family in a difficult situation.”

Elio's expression remains hard, but he nods slightly, acknowledging my apology. “Have you returned the girl?—”

“She’s a grown woman, Elio. And no, I haven’t. I won’t. I might be sorry for how I impacted you, but I don’t regret what I’ve done.”

Elio's eyes narrow. "Matteo?—"

I cut him off, leaning forward. "Ava's safety is my top priority now. I won’t let her father abuse her or send her to Nardone. Surely, you can understand that… wanting to protect a woman from abuse.” It might be a low blow to reference how his wife was once abused by her first husband.

His jaw tightens. "Do you realize what you're risking?"

“I do. And I'm prepared to face those consequences. I'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe, even if that means walking away from everything. Or dying at Rinella’s hand."

Elio's eyes narrow. "You realize what you're saying? Rinella won't just come after you. He'll come for all of us. The entire family is at risk because of your actions."

That part is fucked, and I want to find a way to fix it. “I’ll take all the blame. You can disown me if necessary.”

“She’s worth all that to you?”

I struggle to find the right words to express the depth of my feelings for Ava. How do I explain that she's not just some girl I'm infatuated with, that she's become my whole world?

"Yes. She's unlike anyone I've ever met. She's got this spirit, you know? This fire inside her that just draws you in. Even after everything she's been through, she's still so kind, so full of life."

He watches me, studying, assessing.

"And she's brave. She snuck out of Rinella’s home. Twice.”

His brows shoot up. “What? Did you help her?”

I shake my head. “She showed up at one of the clubs. God, she was like a lamb in a wolf's den, but she walked in anyway. I got her home safely.” I skip the part about the kiss. “But there’s something about her daring, so I watched her and sure enough, a month later, she’s sneaking out again, but she falls, hits her head, and I?—”

“You saved her?” Elio wants me to be a hero, but I’m not.

“I brought her home knowing that once I did, I was fucked.”

“But she wanted to stay, right?”

I blow out a breath. “She was torn, I believe. I had to show her I wouldn’t hurt her or use her like her father does.”

He shakes his head, and I know he’s seeing through what I’m not saying. “But she does now. Jesus, Matteo, she was dressed?—”

I hold up a hand. “She says she loves me.”

To my surprise, I see the corner of Elio's mouth twitch in amusement.

Encouraged, I continue, "She's got this adventurous streak that just… I don't know, it makes me want to show her the world. And at the same time, it makes me want to protect her from all the darkness in it."

“I see.”

“Last night, fucking hell, I nearly had a heart attack. She left, Elio. Left to protect me. Me!” I sit back, still stunned by her guts and her gall.

“She’s with you now?”

“She’s at my place, yes.”

Elio's expression is unreadable, and I tense. I've known this man my entire life, but at this moment, I can't predict how he'll react. Am I swaying him? Or am I about to be booted out of the family?

Elio leans back in his chair, his expression softening slightly. "Women have a way of fucking with your mind.”

And your heart.

“Do you know how hard it was to not kill Piper’s ex with my bare hands?”

“I do. I was there.” No one would have blamed him since the man had a knife to little Elysse’s throat. But it had been important to Elio that the cops handle Gabriel for Piper and Elysse’s sake.

“I’d do fucking anything for her and Elysse. Including going against my family.”

“Which you did,” I remind him. Piper was why Elio broke off his engagement to Ava.

"I understand why you did what you did, Matteo. And I'll back you on this. The D'Amato family will extend its protection to Ava."

I let out a breath. Knowing that Ava will have the full protection of the D'Amatos is more than I could have hoped for.

Elio’s eyes harden slightly as he continues, "However, you need to understand something. You can't go rogue like this again. You've broken trust with the family."

I swallow hard, nodding. "I know. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"It had better not," he says firmly. "We're family, Matteo. We need to be able to trust each other implicitly. Your actions have put us all at risk."

I’ve always prided myself on my loyalty to the D’Amatos, and knowing that I've damaged that trust is painful.

"I understand. I'll do whatever it takes to regain your trust, Elio. You have my word."

He stands and comes around the desk. I rise to meet him. His stare is intense, and then he pulls me in for a hug. “I’m sorry I insinuated that she was just a fleeting interest.”

I shrug. “I know my reputation, but it’s not hers. I was offended for her.”

He nods. “I’m sorry for that. But based on what I saw last night, she’s no longer a virgin. I won’t ask your intentions, but you have to know that she’s not the type of woman you discard when you get tired of her.”

I bristle at his words. “I don’t intend to discard her at all.”

His smile is wide. “Well, that will make things with Rinella a lot easier.”

I doubt it, but I nod.

“Sir,” Janey, one of the house servants, appears at the door. “Vincenzo Rinella is here to see you.”

“Fuck,” I groan.

“I’ll handle this. You keep your mouth shut.”

I nod, knowing it's best to follow his lead.

The door swings open, and Rinella strides in, and he’s pissed. His eyes lock onto me immediately, and I can see the accusation in them. Does he know? Has he somehow found out about Ava?

I force myself to maintain a neutral expression.

"You," he snarls, jabbing a finger in my direction. "I know you're involved in my daughter's disappearance. Don't try to deny it!"

“You can talk to me, Vincenzo.” Elio steps in front of him, demanding his respect.

“A woman who matches my daughter’s description was seen being taken by a man who matches Matteo’s description. He fucking threw her in the trunk. Are you behind this?”

“Did it occur to you that we might have found her like you asked us to?”

My gaze swings to Elio in shock. Is he about to betray me? Is this my punishment? He’s going to hand Ava back to her father.

“Did you?”

Elio sniffs like he’s already bored with the conversation. “No. But your constant accusations are growing old.”

“Like you didn’t accuse me of fucking with you.”

“And I apologized. I’ve bent over backward to make restitution. You, on the other hand, continue to ask for more and more, you greedy bastard.”

I bite my lower lip to keep from saying something snarky to add to Elio’s assessment.

I’m not sure how Rinella doesn’t stroke out, his face turns so red. “I know you have her.”

"Vincenzo, these are serious accusations. Do you have any proof aside from some informant looking for a few bucks for his next hit?"

"Proof? I don't need proof.” He lunges at me, grabbing my shirt collar. "Where is she?" he demands, spittle flying from his lips. "What have you done with my daughter?"

It takes every ounce of self-control not to pull my gun and shoot him between the eyes. I push him back and straighten my shirt.

"That's enough," Elio says, his voice low and dangerous. "We understand your frustration, but turning on your allies won't bring your daughter back."

“Your father would be so fucking pissed at how you treat me.”

“You think so? Or would he be pissed at how you disrespect his son? Especially after all I’ve done for you.” Elio leans closer to him. “My men have had to help your sorry ass so many times, they wonder why I don’t just take your business. You and I both know my father would have done it already. Still wish I were more like my father?”

Rinella’s hands fist at his sides, and for a moment I wonder if he’s going to take a swing at Elio. Could I kill him then? In defense of my boss? I hope he does, and I can kill him because if Rinella is this unhinged in front of us, what would he do if he ever got his hands on Ava again?

Rinella steps closer, his face inches from mine. "If I find out you've taken my daughter, Moretti, there won't be a place on this earth where you can hide from me. I'll hunt you down and make you wish you'd never been born."

I don’t respond, following Elio’s orders.

After a tense moment, he steps back, his lips curled in disgust. "This isn't over," he spits before turning on his heel and storming out of the office.

As the door slams behind him, my mind immediately races to Ava. What if Rinella's suspicions lead him to her at my place?

I turn to Elio, who's watching me with a mix of concern and contemplation. "Should we have told him? About the D'Amatos protecting Ava?"

Elio shakes his head slowly. "Not yet. We need to play this carefully. Rinella's unstable, and we don't know how he'll react. For now, it's best to keep Ava's location and our involvement under wraps.”

I nod, understanding the logic. "What's our next move, then?"

"We meet with Lana and Lazaro while you keep Ava safe until we can figure out a more permanent solution. And Matteo," he adds, his eyes locking with mine, "we do this together. No more lone wolf acts, understood?"

I nod, but in my heart, I can’t promise him that I won’t do something stupid if it means protecting Ava.