Chapter 24 Matteo
MATTEO
Klaus came into my office later that day, his face emotionless.
“Are you OK?” I asked, watching as he went to the bar and poured himself a drink.
“I’m fine,” he muttered. “I am happy he is alive. He is a good man.”
“Do you know why Sylar didn’t want us to tell you?” Alessio asked.
Klaus shrugged. “I have no idea, honestly. Perhaps we will learn about it later. All I know is that I am happy, and he seems to be doing OK. That is good. What is the plan?” He looked over at me.
“He’s been getting tattooed because he hates his body now. His scars. His trauma. He is transforming all of it. At least that’s how it seems. I have hired the best artists to come in and work on him. He seems to enjoy that.”
“Drake is a good artist,” Alessio said.
“Drake cannot know,” I said. “Or shouldn’t know, given he’s had ties to the horsemen before.”
Alessio grunted before he grabbed the alcohol from Klaus and poured himself a drink.
“You are sad. Both of you. What’s going on?” I settled in my chair by the fireplace, and they sauntered over to me, drinks in hand.
“Women,” Alessio muttered.
I raised my brows at that. “You both have women now?”
“I have no woman. I made the mistake of fucking a woman who had feelings for me. It’s put a bit of a damper on my Saturday nights now because I have to find a new woman to fuck,” Alessio said before taking a drink.
“You’re a liar. You feel for her,” I said knowingly.
He sighed and scrubbed his hand down his face. “I don’t know what I feel. I’m confused.”
“Who is she?” I asked.
He blew out a breath. “I would rather pull a Klaus and not say.”
I sighed and looked to Klaus. “Same thing? Confused about your feelings?”
He muttered to go fuck myself, which meant yes.
“OK. Since we are on the subject of women who are ruining our day, Bianca kissed me,” I said.
Both Alessio and Klaus gaped at me.
“Brother,” Klaus started.
I held up my hand to stop his upcoming lecture. “I know she’s playing a game with me. And you know I play right back. It means nothing.”
“Then perhaps tell Alessandro.” Alessio trained his dark eyes on me. “If it doesn’t mean anything or matter, perhaps Alessandro would like to know what his future wife is up to.”
I scowled at him. “I am not telling him. He has enough on his plate. He doesn’t need to deal with her scheming.”
“You’re perceptive, Teo. You always have been,” Klaus said. “I think it’s helped you succeed in life, much how Sylar has been able to get to his position in life. But you must admit to yourself that you care about the girl.”
“I will when you admit you care about yours,” I countered.
He sighed. “I do not know what I feel, so it’s different. You do, or you wouldn’t be visiting her at night when Alessandro is gone. You need to be honest with your son. You just got him. Do you want to lose him over a scheming woman? One who would rather gut you than really fuck you?”
I swallowed hard at his words. They weren’t wrong, but something inside me wished they were. Both my brothers had seemingly found love, and there I was, alone. Like always.
That in itself brought confusion because I didn’t even know if I wanted someone.
Well, I did. I wanted my Del back. I wanted her so badly that it was killing me.
I shook the thoughts away.
“It’s too early in the day for such deep conversation.” I reached forward and poured myself a drink from the bottle Klaus had brought over. “Let’s drink to the current calm.”
“Because where there’s calm, there’s always a storm brewing,” Alessio said.
I nodded. He wasn’t wrong. I just hoped we were ready when it hit.
I stood outside Bianca’s door again that night. I’d drank too much after Alessio and Klaus left me. I thought they might sleep at the estate, but they both seemed like they had a lot on their minds and wanted to be alone.
I exhaled and rubbed my eyes. The kiss I’d shared with Bianca kept popping into my head at random times. I tried to push it away, but it kept returning.
Klaus was right. She was a scheming woman, but there was a reason Sylar told me to bring her here. While he hadn’t told me what that reason was yet, I held out hope it would make sense soon. Everything I’d done lately was because Sylar willed it so.
I closed my eyes and took another deep breath. I wanted one night where I wasn’t Matteo De Santis. Where I could be free from this life. All I could find as an escape was death, and no one had been good enough to accomplish it yet.
Deciding to just see where the night took me, I opened Bianca’s door and went inside to find her at the window seat again, staring out at the dark night.
“You should be sleeping,” I said softly as the door clicked closed behind me.
“Hello, Pot,” she muttered, not bothering to look at me.
“Kettle,” I replied, going to her and following her gaze. She’d been here for a long time. She’d been alone for most of it, too, except for my random visits or Alessandro coming to see her.
Drake tried, but she always kicked him out. Drake was a good guy. Strong. Intelligent. He had the ability to really run things if he’d focus on which pot he wanted to stick his hands in. I was considering forcing the pair together since I knew he loved her, and she was pissed at him.
Maybe things could work out for them. That would free Alessandro from it all so he could take Rosalie away.
“Decided to come torture me some more?” she muttered.
“No,” I said. “I only wanted to talk.”
She scoffed. “You’re drunk.”
“I am, but I still want to talk.”
“Why? Friends all leave you?”
“You’re being a brat,” I said, raking my fingers through my hair.
She finally looked at me, her blue eyes piercing. “You’re being a dick.”
“How? I have not done one thing to you—”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. You’re ninety-nine percent of all my problems in this world currently.”
I was quiet as her words tumbled through my head.
I sighed. “Let’s talk. I-I want to tell you some things. If we don’t do it now, I may sober up and not be in this position again. So please.” I held my hand out to her.
She stared down at it for a moment before letting me help her to her feet and lead her to the couch in her sitting area. I took the chair next to her after draping a soft throw blanket over her. She frowned at the gesture but didn’t question it further.
“I know you think I’m a monster,” I started. “I wasn’t always such.”
She grunted but didn’t say anything, so I continued.
“I had an arranged marriage, as you know. You know it was a duty, not love, and that I lost the love of my life because of it.”
She nodded, still wordless.
“You know that Dominic was a product of rape. My father, Carmine, raped my wife to create him. I was forced into raising him as my own. It broke me. Then Del was found and murdered. My daughter Giana was murdered with her. I spent years trying to find my family. Even though I knew it was wrong of me to look because it endangered them, I did it anyway. And my Del was killed with our daughter because of it.” I breathed out.
“I have not healed properly, if at all. I was—am—angry and trying to navigate through my world the best I can. As you can see, I am not doing a very good job at it.”
I paused and licked my lips.
“My father is a madman. My mother is worse. Carmine and Francesca are a different kind of monster when compared to me. They’re… like Everett Church.”
She blinked at the information. “Like… they torture people and-and eat them?”
“They do all of those things and more. In fact, one of the reasons why my father hates me so much is that I did not comply and bring Everett into the empire I was building. I left him on the outside and vowed to kill him if I ever got him. I meant that then, and I mean it now. Monsters like him and my parents do not deserve to live.”
She visibly swallowed. “Does Dominic know?”
“He is aware they are bad people. Perhaps he does not know the extent of it. I assume he doesn’t.”
“Then you should tell him,” she said. “He would do something about it.”
I scoffed at that. “If I cannot reach them, then Dominic certainly can’t. Besides, do you really think Dominic is capable of killing his own father?”
“He plans on killing you.” She said the words with ease, not blinking.
I nodded thoughtfully. “And it’s why he sent you. He thought you could get to me in ways he could not.”
She stood and came to me. I watched as she straddled my lap. I did not touch her as I stared into her pretty face.
“He does not,” I said softly. “He plans on you killing me.”
If she was surprised at my words, she hid it well as she reached out and cradled my face.
“And I will,” she whispered.
“I know,” I said without hesitation, my voice low.
She leaned in, her lips trailing along my jaw before she got to my ear.
“Why do I want to keep you then?”
I moved my hands and tightened them on her hips.
“You’re a bad, bad girl, Bianca,” I whispered as she kissed my jaw again. I closed my eyes. “You’re engaged to my son. You are pregnant with my brother’s child.”
I reached out and wrapped my hand around her throat and squeezed lightly. She tensed as I sat forward, one hand around her neck and one on her waist.
“I would fucking ruin you,” I whispered against her lips. “What did I tell you?”
“That you don’t play games.”
“What else?” I demanded softly, as I squeezed her throat lightly again.
“T-That you’d fuck me into oblivion.”
“Don’t be a fool,” I said, not knowing if the words were for me or for her.
She whimpered as I exhaled and released her. It took everything I had to set her on her feet and back away.
“You don’t want to talk to me anymore?” she asked in a tiny voice.
“You belong to my son. I do not want the madness you’re proposing.”
“You wanted me when you thought Dominic was your son,” she called out as I walked to the door. “Do you remember? When you put a gun to my head and made Natalia suck Dominic’s cock?”
I stopped, my jaw clenched at her words.
“You were going to fuck me then. What’s wrong? Scared now? Can’t get it up? Is the situation not violent enough for you?”
I closed my eyes for a moment, calming myself.
“I made a mistake that I deeply regret. I am not asking for forgiveness. If I were you, I’d save that vial of poison you clutch for your real enemy.
I am not the one you hunt.” I didn’t turn back.
I left her room, letting the door click locked behind me and standing in the hallway, my heart in my throat.
She wasn’t as smart as she thought she was. I could read her like a book. But Dominic was smart. He’d really sent the devil to tango with me.
I smiled at that.
Game on.