Chapter 19
Lorenzo
“I have one question,” Matteo says when I walk into his hospital room after dropping Vanessa off at the condo.
Kane and Bri insisted that they would stay with her and Leo until I got back so I knew they were safe—despite two of Matteo’s men guarding the door.
“Where the hell was all that rage when you were getting the shit beat out of you in prison last year?”
He smirks like the fucker he is, and my shoulders sag in relief that he’s okay enough to crack jokes.
“You’re a dick.” I grab a chair and slide it over to the side of his bed. “And how the fuck did you see me kill that guy?”
“Russo …” Matteo laughs. “You didn’t just kill him.
You pummeled his ass into the ground and then shot him.
” He lifts his fist to bump mine, and I glare at him.
“Eddy got the footage to wipe it so there’s no proof of you killing him, and my men handling the cleanup said you surprised the hell out of them.
They were prepared to step in, but they didn’t have to. ”
“Thanks.” I brought the gun just in case, but I wasn’t expecting to use it. Thankfully, Matteo’s forced me to go to the range with him several times a year to practice, just in case. “I don’t know what came over me,” I admit. “I saw him with his hands on Vanessa and lost my shit.”
“Because you care about her.”
“Yeah, I do. And I’m done fighting it. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know I want her in my and my son’s life.”
He nods in understanding. “It’s how I feel every day of my life. How I justify killing the people who threaten my family’s lives, especially my wife.”
The last thing I wanted was my sister being caught up in this shit, but I can’t deny that Matteo loves my sister harder than anyone ever could. And he would die trying to protect her.
“How are you?”
Aside from a gash on his forehead, he looks okay.
“They’re making me get an MRI done to make sure there’s no injury to my brain.” He shrugs. “When the asshole T-boned me, I wasn’t wearing my seat belt. My forehead hit the front window, and one of my men drove me here since I was passed out.”
“Fuck, Matteo.”
“I’m fine,” he insists. “But that fucking bitch got away. She knew exactly what we were doing and was two steps ahead.” He clenches his jaw. “She’s just fucking with us at this point. She knows we’re not going anywhere, and instead of trying to take us out, she’s playing games.”
“Her guy delivered a message before I killed him. He said Vanessa is hers.”
“I’m stepping up security. I already told Dominick that the women can hang out at each other’s places, but they’re not going anywhere else in public until this bitch is caught.”
My thoughts go to Vanessa working at the casino. I want so badly to convince her to quit, but she’s too independent, and she’ll never let me pay for her shit.
“Can I pay for extra security to be put on Vanessa at the casino?”
Matteo’s brows shoot up to his forehead. “You’re gonna let her continue to work there?”
“She’s too fucking stubborn. She’s determined to make her own way, and she needs the money to pay for school.”
“I’ll make sure she’s untouchable,” Matteo says. “But maybe work on persuading her to quit. It’d make shit easier since she seems to be Leysa’s prime target.”
His phone vibrates, and he groans.
“I need you to do me a favor.”
“Anything,” I say.
“Dani’s about to have a heart attack with me stuck here.
She’s threatening to tear my balls from my body because the guards won’t let her come to me.
Can you go over there and assure her I’m okay?
Stress isn’t good for her or the baby. As soon as I get this fucking MRI, I’m leaving, but I promised her I’d get it. ”
He rolls his eyes, and I chuckle because Matteo would do anything for my sister.
“You got it, man.” I stand and extend my arm to bump his fist. “Thank you for having my back tonight.”
“Always,” he says. “I’m sorry it came down to you having to protect her. We lost two more men tonight because of that bitch, and when I get my hands on her, I’m going to torture her for every single person she’s fucked with.”
“Oh, thank God you’re okay!” Dani throws her arms around me and hugs me tightly. “When Matteo told me what happened, I swear I died a thousand deaths.”
“Dramatic much?” I mutter, walking into their condo and looking for my niece. “Where’s Alba?”
“Sleeping, thankfully. She’s so sensitive to my moods, so she would’ve known how stressed I was about Matteo. And the asshole won’t let me out of this freaking place.”
“He’s making sure you and that baby you’re carrying are safe.”
Her cheeks flush at my words. “He told you, huh?”
“Of course,” I scoff. “He might be your husband, but he’s still my best friend.”
She rolls her eyes. “Whatever.”
“So, two babies in two years.” I whistle lowly. “You ready for that? You were just talking about coming back to work soon.”
Dani shrugs. “With Matteo by my side, I’m ready for anything.” She sniffles. “Now, he just needs to stay alive.”
Her eyes fill with tears, and I pull her into my arms.
“Hey, he’s not going anywhere. I saw him at the hospital, and he was talking shit and cracking jokes. He’s good.”
“This time,” she cries. “But what about next time?”
“That’s life, sis. We can cross the road and get hit by a car. It’s short and fragile, and all we can do is live each day like it’s our last. Matteo loves you so damn much, and he’d do anything to protect you. And that includes making sure he stays alive.”
She nods in agreement and sniffles. “Matteo said you were on a date with Vanessa …”
“Didn’t even attempt a subtle transition.” I chuckle.
“Is that a yes?”
“Yeah, I was on a date with her … one that nearly ended with her getting abducted.”
I run my fingers through my hair and yank on the ends, so damn frustrated. She came so close to being taken tonight. Too close.
“But you saved her,” Dani points out.
“She deserves better than this.”
“You said the same thing about me. But, Lo …” She locks eyes with me. “That’s not how love works.”
“Love?” I scoff. “It was one date.”
“And you going on that date tells me she means something to you. And before you try to act like it was part of a plan to coax Leysa out of hiding, Matteo said you planned the date before he mentioned his idea.”
“She’s fifteen years younger than me.”
Dani snorts out a mirthless laugh. “Who cares? I’m twelve years younger than Matteo.”
“She’s still in school.”
“Again, who cares? How does she make you feel?”
My thoughts go to our date tonight before she was almost taken …
the touching, the talking, the banter. She’s so beautiful and damn sexy, but it’s more than the physical attraction that has me wanting more with her.
She’s fun to hang out with. I feel like when we talk, she listens and hears me.
And then there’s the fact that she genuinely cares about my son.
I have no doubt she’d do anything to keep him safe.
“Like … she might be the fucking one.”
Dani grins. “That’s what I thought.”
When I get back to the condo, I thank Bri and Kane for hanging out, and then I head straight to the kitchen, setting the groceries I bought on the way home on the counter.
“Whatcha got there?” Vanessa asks, hopping onto the counter.
She changed out of her dress and into her pajamas—an oversize T-shirt and tiny cotton shorts, which I only know she’s wearing because the shirt lifts, exposing a sliver of them.
“You never got your milkshake.” I pull the ice cream, milk, and Oreos out of the bag, along with the whipped cream, and set them on the counter.
I grab the blender and add all the ingredients into it, then turn it on. Once it’s blended, I pour it into a large mason jar and squirt some whipped cream on top before pushing a glass straw—which Vanessa keeps on hand for her iced coffees—into the jar.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she says, taking a sip of the shake. “Oh God,” she moans. “That’s so good.”
“Keep that shit up, and I’ll give you something else to moan about,” I mutter.
She smirks. “Here, try a sip.”
She opens her legs and moves the straw in front of my mouth, inviting me closer. Once I’m situated between her thighs, I take a sip. I’m not usually one for sweets, but it is good.
“Delicious, right?”
“It’s delicious.”
“Thank you for tonight.”
“For almost getting you kidnapped?” I laugh mirthlessly.
“No, for dinner and for saving me and for this milkshake.” She sets the drink aside and snakes her arms around my neck. “You’re not the cause of all this,” she says. “But you’re the reason I’m safe.”
She wraps her legs around my waist, drawing me in closer, and then her lips are on mine. I let her take control, and the kiss is slow and gentle. Soft, just like her. And then, like the little minx she is, she moans into my mouth, and it takes everything in me not to attack her right here.
“We’d better get some sleep,” I murmur against her mouth even though that’s the last thing I want to do. But it’s late, and she’s been through a lot tonight, and I don’t want to take advantage of that.
“Yeah,” she whispers.
She drinks a bit more of her shake while I put the ingredients away, and then she puts a lid on it, saying she’s going to save the rest for tomorrow.
After I turn on the alarm and turn off the lights, we check on Leo, who’s sleeping soundly, and then I walk her to her room.
She stops in the doorway, glancing back momentarily, and then looks at me. “Do you, um … do you think maybe you could lie with me for a little while? Tonight was—”
“Shh.” I press my finger to her lips. “I know, and, yes, I can lie with you.”
We use the bathroom, and then she slides into the bed. I follow after her, pulling her into my arms so her back is flush against my front.
And as her breathing evens out, I know that I’m already in over my head with this woman. And I don’t know how, when all of this is over, I’m going to let her go.
But as my lids close, my last thought is that I’m going to take my own advice—one day at a time. We’ll figure it out, but it doesn’t have to be right now.