7. Matteo
CHAPTER SEVEN
MATTEO
I was as eager as Pa was to get to New York, our home, and ensure Francesca was alright.
Nikola took my Range Rover to get back to D’Arc, my mom took Francesca and the Morrelli twins back, and Pa had a driver pick us up. He drove like a madman down the highway, following Pa’s instruction to hurry up and get home, not that I could blame him.
I fished my phone out of my pocket and groaned at the message that was time-stamped from an hour ago.
Hannah: Where are you? We’re spending the night at your parents’ place. Tonight is our perfect opportunity for
Hannah’s sister just went through an extremely traumatic experience, yet she still had nothing better to do than feed this fantasy of us she’d conjured in her head when we were kids. I thought she’d eventually outgrow it so long as I ignored her advances, but it would seem I was wrong. She’d become bolder and more confident in herself as time passed. It probably didn’t help that men were falling all over themselves for her.
Of course, I couldn’t care less about Hannah’s feminine wiles because not a fiber in my body desired her. Her charm had never worked on me and it never would. I had far more important things to do.
But I feared I’d have to tell her loud and clear that there never was and never would be anything between us. Despite the close bonds between our families.
There was only one Morrelli family member I was interested in, and she’d probably break my nose again if I tried anything with her.
Shoving my phone back into my pocket, I raised my head and met my father’s eyes. He regarded me with a proud smile on his face.
“What?” I grunted. We’d spent the past three hours going through my statement with the cops, then working with the school’s administration to switch Francesca to Yale’s online program. The safest place for her was at D’Arc. She’d be disappointed at first, but eventually she’d understand.
“You did well today, son,” he stated.
“ Grazie, Papa .” I gave him a tired smile. “Nice to know you think that even though I almost got arrested.”
He waved his hand. “That would never stick. You saw the tapes. Those cops are incompetent, and they’ll sit at their desks for the remainder of their careers.”
“If the cops on the East Coast are anything like that, it’s no wonder our business is booming.”
Dad regarded me briefly, though I caught a hint of doubt on his face before he spoke up.
“Maybe, but we can’t afford their sloppiness. We’ve managed to protect our territory from human traffickers, but our position will be weakened if we lower our defenses.” My father and men like him tolerated a lot, but the trading of human flesh was off-limits. “Do you understand?”
“I do, Pa.”
I’d heard plenty of stories over the years, including one about Mom escaping her grandmother and uncle who intended to auction her off to the highest bidder. It was one thing all my friends and I had in common: we were the descendants of evil, unscrupulous people. We were the legacy of heathens.
But those particular footsteps would never be followed, not by any of us.
“I can’t help but think Nonno would have wanted me to think a bit more before I acted,” I admitted.
Pa laughed. “I’m not so sure. We’re talking about Francesca after all. He might have driven over himself and tried something.”
“I miss him,” I admitted. “He always had good advice.”
Of course it was so much more than that. I missed seeing him, hearing his stories from the good old days, and even just sitting with him in silence.
“I miss him too, son, but I’m sure he’s loving it up there with my ma and sister. He had a good run, and we have to be grateful for all the good times with him.” I nodded in acknowledgment, thinking back on all of Nonno’s wisdom. “I’m glad to see Nikola had your back,” Pa continued, cutting my reminiscence short.
“He always does.”
“Where was Santos?” I’d clicked with Gabriel Santos and Nikola the day we showed up on school grounds and were assigned the same living quarters. It mattered little that we came from different backgrounds; the three of us were inseparable. Gabriel was Raphael Santos’s little brother, who was in turn the head of the Colombian cartel. He, along with my father and their other friends, had been fighting human trafficking since before I was born, and they had managed to eliminate most of it on the East Coast.
I frowned, realizing I hadn’t heard from Gabriel all day.
“Not sure,” I admitted and fished my phone back out. I scanned the group chat and noticed he was silent there too. I typed up a quick message and pressed send.
Me: Has anyone heard from Gabriel?
Nikola was the first to answer.
Nope. That motherfucker left us hanging today. Not that there was a lot of action going on.
I rolled my eyes. Soon Nikola’s cousin, Kostya, son to his uncle Alexei, chimed in.
What happened today?
Me: Nothing.
Nikola: Matteo’s little sister and Ari were cornered by a school shooter. Stay the fuck away from Yale.
Why was he suddenly calling her Ari? Didn’t he know that I was the only one allowed to use that nickname for her? The fucker liked to needle me.
Kostya: Why in the fuck wasn’t I invited to take down that shooter?
Nikola: Because you’re the baby of the Nikolaev family, cousin. And Uncle Alexei would have my balls. I like my balls, thank you very much.
Kostya:
Apparently one middle finger emoji wasn’t enough.
Kostya: You don’t have to worry about my dad castrating you. I’m perfectly capable.
Nikola’s cousin wasn’t boasting either. It was a statement of fact. He was a bit… worrisome. It ran in the Nikolaev family.
Dominico was next to join in the chat stream.
Can you guys stop your yapping and answer his question?
Nikola: Why are the twins always the most annoying ones in this group chat?
There was no way I’d comment on that. It would explode the damned group, although I had to admit that something had to be in the water two decades ago. There were indeed many twins in our generation, courtesy of our parents.
Cassius: Why is it that the Nikolaevs are always the most annoying ones?
His twin couldn’t resist egging everyone on.
Dominico: You guys are worse than women. BTW, Matteo, we’re all here waiting for you guys. Arianna is baking.
Nikola: Fuck, I should have gone to visit the Vitales. Ari makes the best cookies.
Dominico: You know what that means, right?
I did know what it meant. Ari only baked when she was stressed or out-of-this-world happy.
Cassius: Our moms are pacing around like caged animals. Dad is examining the campus security again, now that Sis will be back to D’Arc. Hannah is being weird. The only normal ones are Gianna and Francesca. For the moment anyway. And that says a lot.
Dominico’s message came next.
Should we get back to the point?
Nikola chimed in.
Shut it, Italian. This is too entertaining.
Kostya: Gabriel mentioned some personal business.
Dominico: Finally, a Russian that’s super helpful.
Nikola: Cousin, let’s kick some Italian ass. Hint, Dominico’s ass.
Kostya: I wouldn’t if I were you, asshole cousin. Because a certain Italian girl will get wind of it, if you catch my drift. She might think you have something against Italians.
Cassius: He’s talking about Skye.
I rolled my eyes. This was the reason I avoided group chats, but it was the best way to get intel too. Ignoring everyone’s jabs, I focused on the message that started it all.
Me: Kostya, did Gabriel mention what personal business?
Kostya: Nope. Just something about Satan’s twins.
“Fuck,” I muttered. Jet and Elira were sort of stepsiblings to Amara Brennan, and although Gabriel could hold his own, those two were a breed of their own.
I typed a quick message directly to Gabriel.
Me: Message me if you need help.
“All good?” my father asked.
“Yes.”
Once Mom got peace of mind at seeing me unharmed, I’d check on my sister and Ari. Then, if Gabriel needed me, I could go back to campus.
Before Dad could say anything else, the driver pulled up in front of the steel gates of our family mansion. The place that had been my home since I was three.
“Don’t tell your mother about the footage,” Dad warned as the driver punched in the code for the gate. “It will upset her to see how close Francesca was to the shooter.”
I gave him a look. “She might already know.”
He shook his head. “Francesca will downplay it because she wants to stay at Yale.”
“But Nico has surely already seen the tape.”
“He has, and he’s keeping it hidden from his wife as well. Try to learn what the shooter said to Morrelli’s daughter.”
The tapes we watched were clear, but unfortunately, without audio and due to the angle, it was impossible to work out what was exchanged.
“Sounds like he plans to pull her from Yale,” I said.
My father chuckled. “Nico switched her to online courses the second he caught wind of the incident. It’s as if she never stepped foot on Yale. I’m sure his daughter won’t be surprised.”
The day was definitely looking up.