Chapter Ten
Mateo had never felt fear before in his life. He had no reason to feel fear because he was used to taking anything that was thrown his way. He won every fight. He wasn’t afraid of dying, because that was part of life.
He’d killed a lot of people in his time, and yet driving back home, knowing there was a chance Lewis was there, ready to kill his woman, he couldn’t handle it. These feelings were not something he was used to.
He’d left Ella and Terry alone with these people because he was convinced they were good people, loyal to him.
He was never going to make that mistake again.
Mateo tried to press down harder on the gas, but there was no room for him to move.
He was down as far as he could possibly go.
Gritting his teeth, he felt an anger, a rage he had never felt before.
It was then that he had no choice but to acknowledge what was driving him, and it was a fear of never having the chance to see Ella again.
From the moment her free spirit had walked into his bar, he’d been smitten.
She was the reason he had stayed at that freaking bar, refusing to leave.
She was every reason he didn’t want to leave for a single second. She was everything.
Mateo didn’t know how it had happened, but he had fallen in love with Ella, and now there was no turning back. There was no way he could live without her.
Arriving at his home gates, he was tempted to crash through them, however, there was no way anyone was getting through.
He typed in his code and drove as close to the house as he could get.
Parking the car, he turned off the ignition and grabbed his extra gun from the glove compartment.
Sticking to the darkness, he got as close as he could and saw his front door was open. Why the fuck was his front door open?
Stepping inside, he glanced across his room, and that was when he heard the commotion upstairs, but at the same time, he saw Lewis. He would recognize that guy anywhere, because he was the only one who wore multicolored stripey pants, and they were coming out of the main sitting room.
He got to the man and saw in his back was a knife. Pressing his fingers against the man’s neck, Mateo realized he was barely alive. Mateo didn’t know who he was about to face. He’d gotten Luca’s information wrong. Lewis hadn’t been about to kill them.
Rushing upstairs, taking two at a time, he followed the noise, going past Terry’s bedroom, far down the hall. Ella let out a scream, and he heard the sound of flesh hitting flesh.
Mateo stepped into the doorway, and that was when he saw Steven, raising his fist as if to hit his wife again, and Mateo lost it. He charged inside, grabbing Steven and throwing him away from Ella.
He didn’t stop as he saw red, and bringing his fist back, he hit Steven in the face.
Lifting him up, he slammed him into the wall, and then realizing that Ella was still in the room, and he imagined Terry was going to be somewhere as well, he grabbed Steven out.
He held him by the throat and began to pull him down the hall, and that was when he lost all sense of self, and the monster that had come over him many years ago returned.
Steven was going to take his wife and his kid away from him. Terry now belonged to him and Ella. They were a family, and no one messed with his family.
Drawing his fist back, he hit him again and again, and again, not letting up, just slamming his fist against his face until there was nothing left.
Steven didn’t fight back. Mateo pulled out his gun, looked down the barrel, and shot Steven right between the eyes.
There was no fucking chance of him ever coming back.
Getting to his feet, he felt a little strange, and then he rushed into the bedroom. Ella’s eye was already going black, and her lip was split. Tears fell down her eyes.
“It wasn’t Lewis,” she said.
He went to her, sinking to his knees. “Forgive me.”
“What? Why?”
“I didn’t know it was Steven. I had no idea.”
He cupped her face and was so gentle with her as he moved her face left and right.
“It’s fine. This was not your fault. He was promised something at the mafia table, and he thought he was going to live to actually get it. I told him you wouldn’t allow that to happen. That you would hunt him down and never let him rest.”
Mateo looked into her smiling face that then stopped on a wince.
“I want to go and fucking kill him again. No one harms you and no one harms Terry and gets away with it.”
“Crap, Terry!” She went to get to her feet, but Mateo stopped her.
“She in the bathroom?”
Ella nodded. “We’ll get her together, but there is something I need to say to you.”
“What is it?” she asked.
He looked into her brown eyes, so beautiful and big, bold, and kind. Even now, she was still so freaking kind. He didn’t know how he had gotten so lucky, but he had.
“I love you,” he said.
Ella’s eyes went wide, and at first, she didn’t do or say anything. Mateo knew there was a chance she didn’t love him. He was not going to be an easy man to love.
Then she cupped his face, and laughed. “And I love you.”
She pulled him in close and kissed him. “I love you so much.”
And she surprised him by going in for a kiss first. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.
“I love you,” he said. “And I am going to cherish you. I love Terry as well. I want to raise her as our daughter.”
Ella laughed. “I love her too.” She took his hand and placed it on her stomach. “I also think I’m pregnant.”
“I’ve got the tests in the car. That was why I was running late. I wanted to get you the tests.”
“I love you,” she said.
And he pulled her into his arms, and then together, they went to the bathroom. He didn’t know what he expected to find, but Terry was in the bathtub, and the little girl looked up at them both and simply asked if it was over.