Chapter 5 Matteo
MATTEO
“You have to be shitting me,” Valerio mutters as he settles into the booth. “Why did it suddenly decide to ice over?”
I roll my eyes. “You’re acting like you haven’t lived in this city your whole life. Welcome to New York fall.”
“I hate the cold, you know this.” He glares at the window like it’s personally offended him. “You’d think we were in the Arctic with how cold it is.”
I’ve seen this man take on four armed men with nothing but a knife and his fists, never once flinching. But drop him in the middle of a New York fall, and he’s ready to pack it all up.
It’s been almost two weeks since I finalized my deal with the Irish mobs. I managed to do what my father couldn’t his entire reign. Now that we’ve secured peace with the Irish, we can expand our territory even further.
“Did you hear Giacomo’s making a debut with his bride-to-be at the upcoming gala?” Valerio says. “Honestly, I’m excited to see who she is. The curiosity is killing me.”
The streets are buzzing with rumors and theories.
If Giacomo’s end goal was to make noise with his new relationship, he’s succeeded.
Months ago, no one cared what Giacomo did. He was nothing more than a roach crawling through the crevices of the mafia world.
But now? He’s all anyone can talk about.
And whenever Giacomo is involved, nothing good follows.
His new operations aren’t guns or gambling anymore; he’s expanded far beyond that. And now he’s crossed lines the rest of us wouldn’t even consider approaching.
Human trafficking.
The brotherhood tolerates a lot—violence, power plays, territory wars. It’s practically in our DNA.
But what he’s doing? Hunting the vulnerable. That’s a different breed of filth.
“What happened with the meeting?” Valerio asks.
I sigh. “No one wants to start anything with him. They say he promised to back off targeting people who can’t defend themselves. But you and I both know the profits are too tempting. If he can’t find vulnerable souls here, he’ll bring them in from somewhere else.”
“Your father should’ve put a bullet in the middle of his head when he had the chance.”
I’d sat with several heads of family to discuss putting an end to Giacomo’s operation. Apparently, he claimed he would stop, and there was “no need to interfere any further.”
“Our history with Giacomo is a volatile one. He slandered my father’s name only days after he was assassinated.” The memory still makes my blood boil. “He’ll answer for that in time. But for now, we can’t dwell on it. What’s the status report on the recent bust downtown?”
“Chang Han’s crew was spotted in Hell’s Kitchen again,” Valerio says. “Two cars. No plates. But unlike last time, they didn’t shoot up the place. They did gun down one of the busboys, though. As of right now, we don’t know why.”
Chang Han is part of the Chinese syndicate. I’d place him in the same category as Giacomo—except at least Chang has some level of integrity.
“He knows that area is ours, right?” I ask, scanning the people drifting through the café. Through the window, gray clouds gather—a storm creeping in.
“He should know, but my guess is he doesn’t give a shit.” Valerio finishes his hot chocolate. “He was in and out in minutes. I’ll have one of the guys dig deeper.”
My jaw tightens. “And Giacomo?”
Valerio’s lip curls. “From what we know, he hasn’t made any big moves since the shipment of girls was discovered. But we’re watching. The rumor is Chang and Giacomo are working on something, and it’s big.”
The look on his face tells me everything I need to know.
The two devils are teaming up.
If Giacomo is aligning with Chang Han, we won’t just have a territorial pissing match; we’ll have a full-scale war. And we don’t have the muscle for a war right now.
“We can’t afford a war. We’re only now getting back on our feet.” I sigh. “My father ruled with an iron fist and went from war to war trying to keep his head above water. I want to be different.”
Valerio hums in agreement. “And you will be, boss. You just need to keep your head and not get distracted by what may come. For now, we put out one fire at a time. Giacomo isn’t a direct threat yet, but we need to watch what he does next.”
I nod.
I lean into the leather booth and tip my head back.
“I saw you leave with someone after the club last week,” Valerio teases. “Finally gotten over your little obsession?”
I don’t look his way. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Come now, boss. You know I’m never one to judge your choices in life. I’m just glad you finally decided to move past this other girl.”
I don’t answer. I know where his concern comes from.
My father was one of those men who let a woman nearly cripple him. Valerio doesn’t want me walking the same path.
“I still don’t get it,” Valerio says, tossing his hands up.
“You and Marcello were world-class womanizers, and now you’re both whipped in record time.
It’s embarrassing.” He shakes his head like we’ve betrayed him personally.
“When the hell did the tables turn? Not that I’m looking for a woman.
I’m perfectly happy enjoying my freedom. ”
“You just haven’t met the woman you’d actually soften for.”
Not that I plan on softening for the rooftop woman. I don’t even know her. And I’m not some lovesick fool who loses his grip over a pretty face.
Valerio snorts. “Soften? In our world, that’ll get you killed. My grandfather used to say the deadliest poison a man can drink is a woman’s love.”
“Your grandfather was a cynic.”
“But he never told a lie.” Valerio lifts his mug to me like a toast. “I live by those words to this day.”
I drag a hand down my face and reach for the menu. Anything to distract myself while the rain pounds against the windows like it’s coming for us.
Valerio goes still.
“Holy… shit.” His voice drops to a stunned whisper. “Matteo.”
I don’t look.
This man reacts like this every time a woman breathes near him.
“No,” I mutter. “I’m not being your wingman again. Last time you had me sprinting across a bar like your personal chauffeur.”
A napkin smacks the side of my head. I snap my glare at him.
He jerks his chin toward my right. Still, I don’t turn. I don’t care.
“Forget it,” I say. “Finish up. We’re leaving.”
Valerio’s eyes are wide with something I’ve never seen on his expression—
“Who the fuck is that woman?” he breathes, awe flattening every trace of his usual charm. “Matteo… I’m not joking. I think you need to see this.”
There’s something in his voice I can’t place. But it hits me like a shot of adrenaline.
I turn, slow as a loaded gun—
—and my lungs seize. She’s here.
Standing there with the same wild, terrified, beautiful eyes I saw on the edge of that rooftop.
And the only thing that leaves my mouth is a raw, hoarse whisper—
“It’s… her.”
Valerio’s head whips toward me. His voice cracks in disbelief.
“Her—her? The rooftop girl?”
I don’t hear him.
My eyes are locked on the woman who has haunted me for weeks. She was only a figment of my imagination before—an echo, a memory—but now she’s here, in the flesh, standing only a few feet away.
She steps into the café like the world outside is chasing her. Her coat is cinched tight; her eyes scan the room as if she’s bracing for impact. Every inch of her is on edge—from the stiff line of her shoulders to the slight tremble in her fingers as she brushes hair from her face.
She’s as stunning as I remember. I should look away, but I don’t.
“What are the odds she’d walk into this exact coffee shop while we’re here? Talk about fate or whatever people call it.” Valerio’s words barely reach me.
She looks paler than before. Thinner. Her makeup is subtle, designed to hide the exhaustion in her eyes—unsuccessfully. I notice every tiny detail about her.
Of course I do.
She’s unraveling beneath the surface, and no one in this room knows it but me.
She steps up to the counter, voice barely above a whisper as she orders. I watch her every move, and Valerio shoots me knowing glances and smug smiles.
I ignore him.
No one is going to ruin this moment for me. Not Valerio. Not the ghosts of everything waiting on my desk. Not even myself.
Valerio taps the table, trying to pull me back. “You know it’s rude to stare, boss.”
I don’t answer. I know he’s teasing.
“Go talk to her.”
“No.” The word comes out low. The last thing I should be doing is involving myself with her again. “It’s fine. She’ll order her coffee and she’ll leave.”
I force myself to tear my gaze from her. I look to my second, who watches me with those sharp, analytical eyes.
“Not distracted, my ass,” Valerio chuckles when he sees the pained expression on my face as I fight myself.
“She isn’t distracting me,” I say absently, though we both know it’s a lie. “I’m just… intrigued by her.”
He turns slightly. “Looks like she’s caught some guy’s attention.”
I whip my head in that direction so fast my neck clicks.
She’s not talking to some guy—she’s just ordering her drink.
I snap my glare back to Valerio, who shakes his head with a smug smile.
“You’re not funny.”
He shrugs. “I happen to think I’m hilarious.”
I return my eyes to her—again—and this time she catches my gaze. She lets out a soft, inaudible gasp.
The world stops, just like it did on that rooftop.
I should turn away. I should let her go about her day and fade into something smaller than a memory.
I should do all those things.
But I don’t.
Instead, I stand.
And I walk toward her, ignoring the voice screaming inside my skull to sit down.
With each step, it feels like I’m slicing through whatever restraint I managed to build against this woman.
Step by step, that inner voice gets louder.
Stay away from her.
But I never listen. Not when it comes to her.
I close the distance. She stands frozen, staring at me like a deer in headlights—wide eyes, parted lips, and a war raging inside those leaf-colored eyes.
Stay or go. Stay or go…
She’s fighting herself too. But before she decides, I’m already in front of her, my presence swallowing the space between us.
Her scent—lavender—hits me. I hold my breath, refusing to inhale it fully.
“On solid ground again, bella?” I tilt my head. “Didn’t expect fate to hand you back to me this fast.”
Her throat works on a swallow. Her answer is a single, broken word. “Fuck,” she whispers.