Chapter 27
Francesca
As soon as Jamie and Liam got back, I returned to the hotel, leaving Matt sound asleep on their couch. I handed them a piece of paper with an address written on it so they could give it to Matt in case he still wanted to talk to me once the clarity of the day and a sound mind kicked in.
Between waves of nausea and the millions of thoughts rushing through my mind, the whole night was a restless mess of tossing and turning in bed.
I was going back to Detroit at the end of the day tomorrow, and I needed to clear the air with Matt.
I needed to tell him my most recent discoveries, and I didn’t know how to get around to it. We had so many things to resolve first.
My head and heart were still in dissonance about what Alison had revealed. Still, her words were true. I let it all go too easily. I let him go too easily.
Maybe if I had fought back, Matt would have told me all about his plan, and we would have found a better way to do this. At least one that didn’t destroy both of our lives, hearts, and minds. This didn’t mean I was to blame, and I knew that.
“How am I going to fix this with your dad?” I asked into the darkness of the bedroom, my hand resting on my stomach.
A crushing wave of peace and easiness filled my chest, and a small smile of happiness slowly formed on my lips as my new reality began to sink in.
“I’m going to make things right, amore mio . My love . For your sake and ours, too. No hesitation. No self-doubt. I can’t wait for things to fix themselves. I need to tell your dad the truth. We can’t control his reaction, but we can control what happens afterwards, and we will be just fine, no matter what.”
My mind was set on my next move. I was determined to lay out my truth, came hell or high water.
I was still too early into the pregnancy to shout it out to the four corners of the world, but I needed to tell Matt. And before telling him about the miracle growing inside me, I needed to tell him about me.
No more power games. No more secrets.
Even at the risk of rejection, I had to tell him what I truly felt.
In the blink of an eye, I’d send everything to hell if he promised not to pull this kind of shit again. I knew deep down inside of me that he would do the same.
He needed to learn to trust me, though. To trust himself and to believe he could be the best thing that ever happened to someone. He had to trust that he deserved to be loved the same way he loved his family, his siblings. The same way he loved… me.
The first rays of sun finally lulled me into a much-needed sleep, even though it was just for a couple of hours. As soon as my alarm went off, I jumped out of bed, convicted and convinced that I finally knew my path and I had to fight for it.
I got ready in a rush, making my way down for breakfast.
I found my uncle sitting in his usual spot, reading his newspaper and sipping on his black coffee.
“Good morning, Dear. You look fresh and vibrant today. Had a good night yesterday, I see.” He teased as I gave him a good morning kiss and took my seat in front of him.
“Well, not the greatest. But the most revealing, in a way,” I replied.
“So, then, why do you have the biggest smile I’ve seen on your face since you were a little girl and got a gun and holster for Christmas?”
“Because I can maybe see a light at the end of this dark tunnel I’ve been going through. And it’s blindingly bright, Zio .” I smiled, thinking my code was safe, but this man knew me all too well.
“Then go get him, Poppet. He’s been miserable without you, and I am sure you already know just how much he loves you. You two belong together. Don’t shy away from happiness, Dear. The rest will fall right into place. You can’t sit around and wait for the world to change for you. If being in the Mafia has ever taught me anything, it’s that, when you want something you have to go take it, cost as it might.”
“Aren’t we inspired today?” I mocked him, but I fully understood what he was saying and was most surely taking his advice. “I’m going to do just that. I hope he feels the same and actually shows up.”
“I’m sure he will. I’ve never seen such a strong man so fragile.” I couldn’t help but smile at that. “Should I cancel the flight back home?”
“No, no. Not yet. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Deciding to fight doesn’t mean I will win the war. One step at a time.” I knew what I felt, what I wanted, but I could never anticipate what Matt would say to it all. I inhaled a sharp breath, preparing myself for the task to come: winning my man back and probably shocking the shit out of him by telling him that I’m pregnant with his baby. “Besides, I still don’t know if he will show up.”
Those words sent chills down my spine. The mere thought of leaving without talking to him first had those waves of nausea rising like an angry tide.
“He will,” my uncle simply said, his nose still buried in that damn newspaper.
“I hope you’re right. I’ll see you later then.” I got up, again stealing his apple and placing another kiss on his forehead before heading to the front desk.
“Good morning. I’m in room 1905, and I should be checking out today, but I’ll need a late check-out if that’s okay. Maybe just book another day so I don’t have to worry about what time I leave,” I said to the tall blonde receptionist.
“Good morning, Mrs. Battaglia.” If I had flinched yesterday hearing him call me that, somehow it breathed pride into my lungs today. “There’s no problem. That room is booked for the foreseeable. Mr. Battaglia already has it paid for. You can stay as long as you need to.” He replied with a wide smile.
“Mr. Battaglia has it paid for?” I asked, trying to understand the situation.
“Yes, your husband has already paid in advance, so you don’t have to worry about settling the bill.”
“I see. Just remind me again when that bill started? Just so I can keep track of our finances.” As if we had to. I was pulling on that loose string he threw at me, trying to figure out what this was about.
“Let me check.” He tapped on the computer while I tapped on the counter, waiting. “About a month and a half ago, give or take.”
A month and a half? Matt had been staying here since I left, and that penthouse was his. That’s why I felt him everywhere. Smelled him everywhere.
What are you playing at, Mr. Battaglia?
“Oh, that’s right. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Anything else I can do to assist you, Mrs. Battaglia?”
“No, thank you. Have a good day.”
“You, too, Mrs. Battaglia.”
Free upgrade, my ass.
I stepped into the car, with Enrico driving and Guido in the passenger seat. They had been trailing me everywhere I went since the plane landed, even if from a distance, and I was sure that now that I had become a Donna, my life was in much more danger than before.
That bullseye just got bigger by the second, and once the news about the little Battaglia heir came out, I knew that assembling a small army wasn’t an exaggeration.
We weren’t going all that far from the hotel, yet Enrico thought it would be wise to at least drive around for a while, trying to shake any eyes we could have on us before stopping at the place I’d scribbled on the paper I gave Liam.
It was a little clearing off to the side of Central Park. Maybe it would be easier to handle everything out in the fresh air, hopefully getting through our whole conversation without the urge to throw up.
“Do you have your piece, Miss Amato?” Enrico asked as he stopped the car right in front of a café for me to get out while Guido was already holding the door open for me.
“I have two.”
“Good. Guido will stay on the sidewalk, and I’ll go check out the perimeter where your meeting will be held.” He wasn’t pleased at all that we’d be out in the open, but now there was no use in dueling on it.
“Okay, sounds good. I’ll go grab a coffee and be right here waiting.”
Getting out of the car, I headed straight towards the café, knowing that Matt would most definitely need a strong black coffee to help get over the hangover he was bound to have this morning. Probably a direct IV line of it would be better, but since that’s not possible, a cup of Starbucks would have to do.
I waited in line for a while for my turn, giving the girl my order and the names for the cups. Decaf for me from now on, and a big strong coffee for Mr. Battaglia. I fiddled in my bag for my wallet, only to find it wasn’t there. It must have fallen in the car, or maybe I left it at Liam’s house yesterday.
Fuck. How embarrassing.
I exhaled in frustration, trying to signal the girl to cancel my order.
“Miss, I’m so sorry, my wallet must have fallen in the car. Can you please cancel my order?”
“No need, I’ll take care of it,” I heard a deep voice say from behind me as a tall, muscled man with an incredibly white smile handed her a bill to pay for my coffees.
“There’s really no need. I’ll just come back later,” I tried to object.
“Don’t worry, I’m like a knight in shining armor, looking for damsels in distress to save. You can repay me later.” He replied as I studied his strong stance and dangerous vibe.
His English was as perfect as if it were native, but there were slight slips on those “Rs” that I was too trained not to recognize.
Russian .
I had never seen this man before in my life. I would have noticed if I had.
There was a tip of a tattoo peeking from the inside of his buttoned-up collar, wrapping around his neck but not covering the entirety of his skin. He was taller than Matt but built just as strong. Dark hair and the clearest pair of blue eyes I had ever seen.
I couldn’t deny he was handsome, but everything about him had my brain waving red flags in warning.
“I’m Nikolai,” he said, snapping me out of my observant glare as he extended his right hand for me to shake.
“The Wolf?” I asked, catching him by surprise as his face changed into a quizzical frown.
“To some. How do you know?” I could sense the new tension rolling off of him at my remark as he held my hand a little tighter.
“It’s written on your knuckles,” I replied, turning his hand up and revealing the Cyrillic tattoo he had on his fingers, spelling the word Волк, Volk , meaning Wolf.
“Very observant, Miss…” He replied, waiting for my answer to complete his sentence.
“Mrs., actually,” I answered, purposely leaving out my name. “So, Nikolai, where can I find you to repay my debt?”
“I’ll find you, don’t worry. You can always count on the reaper to claim death, just as you can count on me to collect my debts.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Battaglia,” the girl behind the counter practically sang, stealing my attention away from this strange man, handing me the cups of coffee.
Once I turned back around, Nikolai was gone. Vanished into thin air, leaving me perplexed and utterly confused about the whole exchange we had just shared.
I shook my head, making my way out of the shop, heading straight to where I hoped Matt would already be waiting for me. And he was.
I stood on the sidewalk of the busy road, waiting for the lights to turn so I could cross.
Matt stood on the other side, looking back at me. Waiting.
He had a huge, heartwarming smile on his face. One that grew wider as soon as his eyes found mine.
I couldn’t help but smile, too. Instantly knowing that we would finally get the chance to make this right. The hope in his eyes told me that much.
Matt waved at me, and my stomach released a million butterflies, making me feel like a teenager on her first date with her long-lost crush.
I bit my bottom lip and looked down, stifling the laughter that grew inside me. Lovestruck didn’t even begin to describe what I was feeling. The way he looked at me gave me the certainty that my life was about to be put together.
I waved back at him with the two coffee cups in my hands and a stupid smile plastered on my face.
Suddenly, I heard the same deep voice I had heard in the café, whispering straight into my ear as I felt the hard steel of a gun barrel pressing into my back.
“Just do exactly as I say, Little Red Riding Hood, and the wolf will not harm a hair on that pretty head of yours. We have snipers with a clear shot to your husband over there. Look,” he said, as little red dots appeared on Matt’s black t-shirt, right above his heart.
“Please, don’t,” I managed to whisper, loud enough for him to hear me above the sound of a racing car and its squealing wheels that stopped right in front of us.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Guido slowly approaching, and I extended my hand to make him stop. The last thing I wanted right now was to leave my unborn baby without a father. I could not live through the heartbreak.
“Then get in the car,” Nikolai demanded, nudging the gun against me and making me move forward and into the car.
“Why are you doing this? Where are you taking me?” I asked as I got into the car, my voice sharp and demanding, as if I still had the upper hand, when in reality, every damn odd was against me.
Nikolai got in the back seat right along with me, slamming his door shut before glancing through the back window, making sure Matt and Guido were left behind.
“Loyal men you have there,” Nikolai cooed, ignoring my questions. “Wouldn’t even risk their lives to save yours.”
“They do what I tell them to. Now, I’m gonna ask you again. Where are you taking me?”
“Calm down, Princess. No need to exert yourself. I’m taking you someplace nice. There’s someone anxiously waiting to see you.”