52. Matteo
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
MATTEO
I didn’t know how long I held Arianna before I placed her on the unmade bed.
Her wig slid sideways and I reached out, removing it completely before tossing it in the nearest trash bin. She looked like the personification of innocence laid out on the bed, her blonde hair splayed around her head like a halo.
Now that she was asleep—okay, tranquilized—I couldn’t help but feel a smidge guilty.
But she’d given me no choice.
I caught up to her four days ago. I had planned to snatch her up and take her home, but my pa’s words kept repeating in my mind. How he forced my mom to marry him, forced her to return to the States from Italy.
Those words wouldn’t let me rest.
So while I kept busy in the background, lurking in the darkness, I arranged it all.
Color me curious, but I also wanted to know what she’d been up to over the past few weeks while on the run and figure out why she came to fucking Ireland. Of all places, she came here , and I couldn’t help but shake off the feeling that I was missing something.
She mostly kept to herself, asking around about Hannah or the Callahans, before moving on to the next place along the coastline.
Fishing out a phone, I sent a message to the pastor whom I’d paid handsomely to be available at my beck and call.
Me: Prepare everything.
Then I dialed my father.
“Has your game of cat and mouse come to an end?” was his greeting.
“Yes, Pa.”
“Excellent.” I could hear pride in his voice. “When are you coming home?”
“I’m not,” I answered. “Not yet.”
Silence followed. “Do you need money?”
“No.”
I loved my parents, and over the last few weeks, they’d shown support for my choice. I only hoped what I was about to tell them wouldn’t change that.
But if I took Arianna back to the States right now, we’d be back at square one, stuck in an endless loop driven by the wedge Hannah had started.
“Then what is it, Matteo?”
“Ari and I might have to lie low for a bit.” My gaze locked on her peaceful form on the bed. “We’re about to be married.”
“Son, I’m not sure if that’s wise. From what you’ve told me, she loves you. Bring her back, let her work things out with her family and her sister. Stay persistent… Break her walls and she’ll come around. Then you propose.”
I slid my hand through my hair. “It might be too late for that.”
“Is she pregnant?”
“No, Pa.”
“Then what the fuck is the rush?”
I stared at the woman on the bed for a silent beat. “I aimed a gun in her general direction and am about to kidnap her.”
“What. The. Fuck?” Pa roared so loudly that even Arianna stirred.
“Well, you can’t blame me for trying,” I deadpanned. “After all, you did it too.”
“You got this out of the story I shared with you?” he bellowed. “The point of my story was to not repeat my mistakes, Matteo.”
“Ari and I have some things to work through,” I continued as if he wasn’t losing his shit on the other end. “Before the Morrellis get wind of it.”
I had no doubt that they would. The man and his sons could find out what cereal people ate for breakfast.
“I’d fucking say so.” He took a deep breath, then released it. “Son, I’ll always have your back, no matter what, but I swear to God, you’re going to be the death of me.”
Pa had always been larger than life in my eyes. I’d always viewed him as a hero. But this moment was the first time I’d seen him so vulnerable, and it strengthened my love for him.
I smiled. “Just wait until Francesca starts dating.”
“I’m sending her to a convent,” he muttered. Then he cleared his throat and said in a serious tone, “Listen, Matteo. Nico and I have been friends for a very long time. He isn’t the giving-up type.”
“I expected nothing less,” I remarked wryly. “Although, I’m surprised he didn’t find her before me.”
“I heard from Cassio that someone’s been following the girls and erasing their tracks. That’s the reason it’s taking Nico longer than usual to find them.”
“It could be Agent Lloyd,” I stated pensively, more to myself than to my father.
“Huh?”
“Nikola and Gabriel learned there is an undercover agent connected to these belles agreements. I wonder if Agent Lloyd has something to do with it. He seems to be everywhere lately.”
In fact, I even caught him in my own building, talking to Arianna. At first, I thought he was sniffing around to get shit on my family. It was an everyday occurrence when you were in our line of business. But that didn’t really make sense. Not with him showing up on the campus. As a rule of thumb, our business was never conducted on any college campus.
“I’ll see what I can dig up on him. Aurora Nikolaev still has contacts in the FBI,” Pa stated matter-of-factly.
“Agreed.”
“Now back to your plan?—”
“I’m doing this,” I cut him off before he could waste his time. “Still no trace of Hannah?”
I was still furious with her, but that didn’t mean I wanted harm to come to her.
“No, which is the reason I’m going to let Nico know you found Arianna.”
“So much for being on my side.”
“I am on your side and I’ll have your back. But if someone kidnapped Francesca, I’d tear this world apart. Nico is no different, and he has an advantage with his unlimited access to facial recognition and databases all over the fucking world. But more importantly, the Morrellis are going through hell, so I can’t withhold from them that Arianna is safe and sound… with you.”
“It’s a good thing I haven’t told you the next step of my plan,” I said dryly, begrudgingly seeing his point.
“Yes, it is, son, because my guess is that Nico will probably get his hands on this conversation.”
I admired Nico Morrelli like I did my own father, but there was no fucking way I’d let him—or anyone for that matter—take Arianna from me. I’d given them plenty of chances to do the right thing. They didn’t, so I had to take matters into my own hands.
“So, you’re telling me he’ll probably find out that I pointed a gun at his daughter?”
“Probably.” Well, I guess a peaceful relationship with my in-laws was out of the question. “He’s been targeting one of my assets each day, so you have about three hundred and eighty days to convince your woman to agree to your proposal.”
“Don’t worry, Pa. I’ll get them all back for you.” I wasn’t without my resources, and Nico knew the Vitales wouldn’t take it lying down. “Also, when Morrelli hears this, take note that the gun was devoid of bullets.”
“Like father, like son.” Pa released a humorless laugh. “Nonno, wherever he is, must be laughing at me right now.”
“Nah, he’s probably fixing it all for us from up there,” I joked.
“Listen,” Pa said seriously. “Nico will come after you with all he’s got. You better have that girl head over heels in love with you by the time he finds you or there’s no telling what’ll happen.”
“Don’t worry. I got this.”
“Sending Francesca to a convent sounds like a mighty smart idea right about now,” Pa muttered, releasing a deep sigh. “I know of a remote one, where there isn’t a man in sight for miles on end.”
I chuckled. “You have my support, but now… I have to go get married.”