29. Matteo
Matteo
With Serafina crawling over my body, using it like her own personal jungle gym, I couldn’t wipe the goofy grin from my face as I watched the charge notifications pop up on the lock screen of my phone.
Gabi took Summer out this morning with strict instructions to have my black card run through so many machines that the magnetic strip wore out. And that girl was following orders like a champ.
Fuck, I was going to make Summer model every single piece tonight in our bedroom before I destroyed each one, forcing her to buy more so I could repeat the process all over again.
I was just about to pocket my cell when it began to ring with an incoming call.
Chuckling, I answered, ready to congratulate my wife’s best friend on a job well done when her panicked voice came down the line. “Matteo.”
All my muscles locked in unison as I instantly went on alert. “Gabi? What happened?”
Only a strangled squeak sounded in response.
“Gabi. Talk to me.”
“I-I was on the phone with Summer. I forgot one of my bags. Rico started shouting at her to put her seatbelt back on.” My heart dropped to my stomach, fear permeating every cell of my body. “And th-then she started freaking out, saying someone was shooting at them and begging me to call you.”
Hanging up the phone, I jumped to my feet, scooping up Serafina as I rushed out of the penthouse’s makeshift playroom.
“Teresa!” I hollered, nearing the kitchen.
The housekeeper appeared, her forehead lined with creases at my harsh summons.
I shoved the baby into her arms. “Lockdown protocol. No one leaves, and the only ones allowed entry are me, Mrs. Bellini, or Enzo. Understood?”
Having been in my employ long enough, Teresa knew not to ask questions. “Yes, sir.”
Running to the door, I cursed under my breath when precious seconds were wasted with the need to tie my shoes. The second I cleared the threshold, Enzo burst from his apartment, a wild look in his eyes.
“Summer.” The way he said my wife’s name, like he was already mourning her death, set me on edge.
I punched in the code that would limit access to the penthouse, barking, “Elevator. Now!”
My cousin jolted into action, pressing the button that opened the sliding door. Thankfully, we had a lift dedicated only to this floor, so it would be a straight descent to the lobby.
Crawling out of my skin in my desperation to get to Summer, I paced the confines of the tight space.
For some reason, Enzo felt the need to fill the awkward silence. “Rico called it in. I’ve got a location.”
“No.” I shook my head, pulling up the app that linked to the tracker inside her engagement ring. “If there’s an active threat, he’ll have abandoned the car, moved her somewhere safe while waiting for backup.”
“Right. You’re right.” His hands ran over the buzzed hair atop his head. “Fuck.”
A ding preceded the doors opening, and I charged through the lobby as fast as my legs would carry me, not stopping until I pushed through the exit and onto the sidewalk.
“Tino is bringing the car around,” Enzo huffed from beside me.
Checking the flashing dot on the map displayed on my phone, I said, “She’s only five blocks away. It’ll be faster on foot.”
“Matteo—“ he began to protest, but I had already taken off in the direction of my wife, the pavement pounding beneath my feet in time with my racing heart.
Behind me, I could barely hear his muttered grumbling as he tried to keep up. “Great, guess we’re running. I fucking hate cardio.”
He’d never been in love, so he couldn’t possibly understand that, for me, ensuring Summer’s well-being trumped everything else. Even a few minutes’ delay in getting to her would not be tolerated, especially when those minutes could be the difference between life and death.
I gave no thought to the pedestrians I shoved out of my way as I closed the distance between me and my wife, constantly checking my phone to make sure her location hadn’t changed.
That flashing dot remained stationary as it taunted me, a reminder that while I drew nearer, I was still too fucking far away.
Lungs and thighs screaming with the strain as I pushed them to the absolute limit, I turned the final corner, praying that Rico had done his job and Summer remained unharmed.
The first thing I saw was the SUV, blocking half the damn sidewalk and riddled with bullet holes. Then my eyes locked on the body lying a few feet away, and my steps froze.
Enzo came to a wheezing stop beside me, and when he followed my gaze, he cursed under his breath, “Fuck.”
Rico was dead, and Summer was nowhere to be seen.
Fire seared through my left shoulder, and I dropped to my knees, howling in agony.
“Shit, get down.” Enzo covered my body with his as more gunshots rang out. When there was a brief pause for whoever was shooting at us to reload, he hauled me up by the uninjured arm and half dragged me to the far side of the haphazardly parked SUV.
Bolts of lightning radiated through my shoulder and down my bicep when my cousin dumped me unceremoniously on the ground, and I panted through the excruciating pain stealing all my focus. But my head snapped up at the cry of, “Help! Anybody please!” from a familiar voice.
Rage churned hot and bright in my gut, and I shoved to my feet just in time to see that bastard toss Summer to the ground before jumping on top of her, his white-knuckled grip closing in around the delicate column of her throat.
Urgency coursed through my veins, and I reached for my gun, deaf to Enzo’s demand that I take cover. A bullet grazed my forehead, and red filled the vision of one eye, but it wasn’t enough to keep me from taking the shot, nor impact my accuracy as I blew that Russian motherfucker away.
But I stopped fucking breathing when I realized my wife wasn’t moving.
Then, almost as if she were shocked back to life, her chest lifted, and when she caught sight of the dead man beside her, she tried to crawl away but collapsed before she put even a foot of space between them and began to vomit violently.
“Summer!” I gritted my teeth as shock waves rolled through my shoulder with each step as I sprinted to where she lay.
Falling to my knees, I cupped her face, and the scream of pure terror she let out was enough to shatter my heart into a million fucking pieces. Her blue eyes were glazed over, and it was like she was seeing right through me as she attempted to fight me off.
My throat closed up, and I rasped, “You’re safe. Come back to me. Please.”
She blinked up at me, the fog seemingly clearing from her vision. Recognition lit up in her eyes a split-second before they rolled back into her head, and she passed out.
“Matteo.” I peeked over my shoulder to find Enzo on approach. “Are you out of your goddamn mind? You could have gotten yourself killed!” He stopped short when he saw how I cradled Summer’s limp form to my chest. “Oh God. Is she—?”
“She’s alive.” The declaration had my cousin visibly sagging in relief. “Just unconscious. We need to get her out of here. Now.”
Almost like he’d been waiting for that order to be issued, Tino pulled up to the curb, and a team of soldiers poured out of the vehicle, guns drawn, on high alert.
“Stay here with them,” I grunted, lifting Summer off the ground. “Sweep the area for additional assailants.”
“Oh, you mean like the one who shot you?” There was a sarcastic bite to Enzo’s tone.
“Yeah. That would be a good place to start,” I tossed over my shoulder, climbing into the backseat of the armored SUV.
The minute we were sealed inside, Tino began to drive. His eyes flitted to Summer in the rearview mirror. “Hospital or home?”
I pressed a finger to the pulse point beneath her jaw.
Her heart rate was steady and strong. Purple marks bloomed against the pale skin of her neck, and my concern shifted to whether or not she would suffer swelling significant enough to impact her ability to breathe.
It was on the tip of my tongue to direct Tino toward the nearest hospital, but then I remembered the last time we’d found ourselves in an emergency room.
Though the obstacle the staff used to separate us back then had been eliminated, her current injuries would lead them to believe she was a victim of domestic violence, and that would throw up additional roadblocks between me and my wife in a medical setting.
“Home,” I relayed my decision, praying it was the right one. “But have Dr. Corsi meet us at the penthouse.”
“He’s already on his way, sir.”
“And call ahead to Teresa. Tell her to keep the girls out of all living spaces between the front door and the primary suite.” I didn’t want them to see Summer like this—covered in blood, bruised, and practically lifeless.
“On it.” He pressed a button on the car’s touchscreen and began speaking to whom I could only assume was Teresa, her side of the conversation contained within the wireless earpiece he wore.
When we pulled into the underground parking garage beneath the building, I barely waited for the SUV to stop before I hopped out of the backseat. Tino put the car in park and killed the engine before jogging to catch up to me.
With Summer in my arms, each step pulled at my injured shoulder, but I gritted my teeth and pushed through. Leaning against the chrome wall of the elevator, I panted out pained breaths.
Tino reached for my wife, “Sir, you’re hurt. Let me.”
A growl worked its way through my chest. “Do. Not. Fucking. Touch. Her.”
He retracted his hands quickly, dropping his eyes to the ground.
Part of me felt bad about snapping at him when he was only trying to help, but the thought of how Summer would react to waking while being held by a strange man after being attacked had me in full-on guard dog mode. It would be a goddamn miracle if I let the doctor examine her at this rate.
We reached the penthouse floor, and I went through the biometrics to unlock the door to my apartment.
“No one comes inside except the doctor or Enzo,” I told Tino.