Chapter 30 Matteo
MATTEO
One week.
We looked everywhere for Rosalie.
Nothing.
But if I had to guess, it really was something to do with the Church family. Sylar had been out of reach for the most part. We did, however, keep our ears to the ground because if I got my hands on Everett Church, I’d kill him.
I didn’t push it with Sylar. If he wasn’t willing to tell us, then I assumed she wasn’t in terrible danger.
At least I prayed she wasn’t. The last thing I wanted to do was punish Sylar for fucking things up. He’d spent his entire life being punished, and I wanted to give him a break.
But so help me God…
I stared out my window in my office to the night. Klaus and Alessio were out looking for Rosalie and taking down Bratva wherever they could. It was a messy business.
Klaus insisted on doing his portion alone, which concerned me, but I also knew that he could handle himself. I also knew he hadn’t slept in nearly the entire week because he wouldn’t stop looking.
I was concerned for his mental well-being. I’d never seen him so devoted to something in the entire time I’d known him.
It was getting late, and I needed to sleep.
I went upstairs and walked past Bianca’s room.
I hesitated for only a moment before forcing myself to walk away.
She was being punished. Alessandro had been gone all week, looking for Rosalie.
If he truly cared for Bianca over Rosalie, he’d have been here instead of out on the streets.
I needed to rest. Tomorrow, I’d head back out and look more, and then I’d see Bianca. She would likely try to claw out my eyes.
Tired, I went to my room, showered, and pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms before crawling into bed. It wasn’t long before I was asleep.
It didn’t last long because I had the odd sensation that I was being watched.
This is it. Someone smart and brave enough finally got through the guards and was going to kill me.
“Just kill me,” I called out softly, my voice strong.
A soft chuckle met my ears, and I froze.
I knew that laugh.
“Come, brother, why would I kill you?” Santino asked softly.
The Carpenter.
My brother, who ran away to escape this life. The true heir.
Evan’s father.
Kurt Evans.
I opened my eyes and stared at my brother sitting on the edge of my bed in the moonlight streaming into my window.
“Santino,” I whispered.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to sneak up on you. You’re getting rusty in your old age.”
I sat up, my heart beating hard.
Santino was a nightmare. One of the deadliest assassins to ever walk this earth.
And he’d made it unseen into my estate.
That spoke of his level of skill, even after all these years.
“If I’m so rusty, put your hammer through my skull and end it. I promise I will not fight,” I said, sitting up.
He smirked at me and got to his feet.
And he was definitely holding his hammer.
I pulled my gun from beneath my pillow and aimed it at him. He paused, his back to me, before he spoke.
“Matt, you know I can kill you before you even pull the trigger,” he said softly. “I don’t want to have to do that.”
“If you came to reclaim your empire, you can have it,” I snarled at him.
He walked to my door. “I will see you downstairs in your study, brother.”
He left, closing the door behind him. I sat on my bed and lowered my gun, my pulse thundering in my ears. It took me all of a moment to quickly pull on a t-shirt and rush from the room.
I stopped outside Bianca’s door and opened it carefully before peering in to make sure she was safe.
She slumbered peacefully in her bed, snoring softly.
I closed the door and breathed out before going to my office, texting Klaus and Alessio along the way to let them know The Carpenter had returned.
I stepped into my study to find Santino helping himself to a glass of my best whiskey.
He poured me one and offered it.
I went and took it, eyeing him.
I hadn’t seen him in years. He’d been my hero when I was a kid. My best friend, really, and then he’d left me to this fucking hell.
“Why are you here?” I asked as he walked past me and took a seat in front of the fireplace.
I followed and sat in my chair, watching him.
He was still the handsome devil he always was. Evan bore a striking resemblance to him, but he also had the softness his mother, Amy, had.
“My son,” he replied, staring me down.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” I said. “I, too, lost a child. My daughter. Gianna.”
He said nothing, opting to drink, his blue eyes fixed on me. In the history of forever, he was the only man who unnerved me.
I shifted in my seat and looked at my drink.
“You are an excellent liar,” he finally said softly.
“You have gotten better over the years. It’s impressive, but…
” He tapped the side of his head. “It’s still not good enough.
I came for my son. Either you let me have him, or I will show you how I can rearrange your guts ten different ways with my hammer while jerking my cock at the same time. I’m really quite an artist these days.”
I swallowed. “Santino—”
“Tell me why,” he said. “You did it. I want to know your reasoning.”
We were both quiet for a moment before I spoke. There was no escape, so I answered him.
“To save him.”
Santino nodded and sipped his drink again before settling back in his seat. “I am going to assume he is hidden.”
I nodded. “He is.”
He said nothing as he stared into the fire. I watched him drink more.
“I am sorry for the loss of your daughter.” He looked over at me with his piercing blue eyes. “It is an awful pain to lose what you love.”
“I suppose we’re both masters of pain then,” I murmured before drinking.
He let out a soft, sad chuckle. “Yes. I suppose we are.”
“For what it’s worth, I am sorry about Amelia. That was not me. I would not do that to you.”
He nodded. “And I am sorry about Delilah and Gianna. I have heard your boys have returned.”
“They have.”
“I have spoken to Alessandro. He looks like you. Reminds me of you.”
“And I look like you, so I suppose we’re all a lot alike.”
Santino smirked at me and tapped his head. “Too true, brother.”
We were quiet again as we drank. My phone buzzed. I knew it was Alessio or Klaus, calling to check on me as they rushed to get here. It wouldn’t matter. If Santino decided it was time for me to die, then I would have no choice. He was as fast as he was efficient in his work.
“Will tonight be the night you finally end my pain?” I asked, breaking the silence.
Santino dragged his gaze from the fire back to me.
“Do you want to die?”
“I am not living, so it’s like I’m already dead,” I said. “I just need someone to stop my heart.”
“I understand those feelings better than anyone.” He finished his drink and got up. I watched him grab the bottle and bring it back. He poured himself another glass.
Had he stayed in this world and been in my position, there was no doubt in my mind that he’d have been hell on earth.
“I am not here for any reason other than Constantino,” he said. “The empire you’ve built is safe. I have no intention of reclaiming it if that is your fear.”
“How tragic,” I muttered. “I am in need of a vacation.”
He stared me down again. “Then take one.”
“Like you? I only got my children back. You know as well as I do that Carmine and Francesca will kill them just to punish me.”
“Then kill our parents,” he countered.
I let out a huff of air. “Do you think I don’t want to? I have been dreaming about it since I was six years old and our father made me…forced me…” I couldn’t get the words out. “He is untouchable. And she is worse.”
“Then don’t touch them. You don’t always need to touch to kill, little brother.”
“Help me.” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. “Santino. Please. I didn’t want this. You know I never wanted it. You ran because of how little you wanted it. You left me in this nightmare. What would you have me do, brother? I need you.”
“It pained me to walk away from you, Matt. You have to know it did, but you were more built for this world than I was.”
I scoffed at that. “I was forced into a role I never wanted.”
“You hate me.” It wasn’t a question.
“I do not like you,” I answered.
“I understand. I did you wrong, and for that, I am sorry. Had I stayed, Amy would have survived because I would not have been in her life. My son wouldn’t be holed up somewhere in hiding.
A lot of the problems in this world are because of me, but I am not the root.
I am merely a branch on a tree that needed to be cut down long ago. ”
“Then help me to destroy the roots,” I snarled, sitting forward.
“You owe me, Santino. I took your burden as my own. I lost my wife and daughter. My sons!” My voice rose.
“Because of you! You ran. You hid. You had a whole new life, and me? I was left behind in your fucking selfishness! And my family paid the ultimate price!”
“Matt, they would have never accepted your relationship with Delilah. You know this. It’s easy to blame me for all of that, but even if I’d stayed, she’d have died. It was their will.” He paused as I breathed heavily. He was right. I knew he was.
“If I help you, what are your plans for… after?” He didn’t seem concerned with my outburst, but then again, Santino was always calm until he wasn’t.
“I-I will marry the girl,” I said thickly, Bianca’s pretty face popping into my head. “I will make her a queen, and I will give it all up to Domenico.”
“Your son,” Santino murmured.
“Our brother,” I corrected him.
Santino chuckled softly. “Oh, my sweet, naive little brother.”
I watched as he pulled an envelope from his jacket and handed it to me.
I took it, frowning, and opened it.
I stared at the contents, my guts twisted painfully as I read the words on the medical report.
Based on the DNA analysis, the alleged father, Matteo De Santis, is confirmed as the biological father of Domenico De Santis.
Combine Paternity Index (CPI): 2,450,000
Probability of Paternity: 99.999%
My hands shook as I stared down in horror at the words in front of me.
“It’s amazing what a little bit of pressure can do to people when you want something,” Santino murmured, twirling his hammer in his hand. “You kill their scheming husband, and suddenly, the world they protected for a mere fifty thousand dollars can be yours. Money talks, but violence screams.”
The paper fluttered to the floor as I looked at the hammer he held.
Blood. So much old blood on it.
They didn’t call him The Carpenter for nothing.
“I-I…” I couldn’t even form words.
“He lied to you, Matteo. He has been lying to you. You blindly accepted it because he broke you. He’s a fucking monster, but in the end, it was she who did it all.
Francesca. It was all her idea. She thought it would make you both stronger.
They knew you. They knew every-fucking-thing that made you tick.
You always wore your emotions on your sleeve.
A dangerous thing in this world. Did I teach you nothing before I left? ”
I said nothing, the nausea burning my throat.
“They wanted Domenico angry. They wanted him to hate you because if he did, he would step up and run things the way they wanted. You grew stronger than they thought you would. You brought them fear. They knew you were a hydra they wouldn’t be able to contain, so they used Anna and Domenico against you.
They killed Delilah and Gianna to tilt your world sideways.
It spiraled you right into their plans. You would blame Domenico.
You would hurt him. And look? You did exactly as they planned. ”
I got up and rushed to my bathroom before I fell to my knees, vomiting into the toilet.
They’d tricked me. I prided myself on knowing things. On reading people. But they’d tricked me. I’d let my anger and pain blind me.
My son…
Domenico was my boy.
I-I’d hurt my boy.
I vomited again, clutching at the toilet, my stomach so sick I thought I’d die.
Or perhaps it was my heart that was sick.
It took me a few minutes to gather myself, but I did. I washed out my mouth and returned to find Santino right where I’d left him.
I didn’t hate him.
I should, but I could never.
I went to him and fell to my knees. He shifted as I lay my head in his lap.
“Please,” I rasped. “Brother.”
He raked his fingers gently through my hair.
“We will kill them,” he murmured. “They took my Amelia from me. I have found the connection. They hired Everett Church to kill Delilah and Gianna. And he hired a man named Daniel Hall. That man is dead, but he was deeply connected with many monsters. I learned about it far too late. My grief kept me blind for many years.”
I looked up at him and swallowed hard.
“Tell me what to do, and I will do it. Anything.”
“Marry the girl,” he said softly. “The one you keep. She will kill you. It’s what Domenico sent her for. And when you’re dead, I will bring you an angel as long as you have given me back my son.”
I had no idea what angel he could give me, but I assumed I really would die for this and get to see my Del and Gianna again.
It was a release I craved.
“Yes,” I choked out. “I will.”
Santino leaned in and pressed his lips to my forehead like he used to do when we were boys. He’d read me bedtime stories while we listened to the screams of those being tortured around us. Sometimes I’d listen to his screams. Sometimes he’d listen to mine.
Bonded in a darkness so deep and unfathomable that I was surprised we came out as good as we had.
“I am sorry for leaving you, Matt,” he murmured, cradling my face. “But I was never far. I did what I could when I could.”
I said nothing and hugged him against me.
And he hugged me back, kissing the top of my head fiercely.
“What do you say we raise some hell, little brother?”
“Yes,” I said, my voice strong. “Let’s.”
Santino let out a soft, dangerous chuckle that made even me shiver as he released me from his hold.
“Do you know how to use a drill?”
I frowned at his question.
His blue eyes sparkled. “Take me to see my son, and I will teach you. Then, we can get to work.” He stood, and I followed.
Who was I to tell The Carpenter no?