Chapter 7 Anson
SEVEN
ANSON
“What’s going on?” I demanded, stepping into my father’s office. The last two weeks had been a fucking nightmare. I’d sat around drinking myself stupid after Rosalie told me we weren’t ever going to happen.
Based on the look in her eyes, I was inclined to believe her. If that didn’t convince me, her running to Fox and begging to leave did.
I stopped dead in my tracks as Bianca sat in the chair across from Matteo, Klaus behind him, and Alessio lurking on the edge of the room.
“Why is Bianca here?” I asked, moving cautiously, my heart banging hard. I’d been so out of the loop lately that I wasn’t even sure this was happening.
“I acquired her in a trade with the kings,” Matteo said. “I’d like to think I got the better end of the bargain.”
I looked from Bianca, who was very pregnant with her head down, to Matteo.
I blinked in confusion. How the fuck hadn’t I heard about this?
Did Enzo even know? Why hadn’t the kings said anything?
No one thought to reach out to me and at least see if I knew this shit had happened? It didn’t make sense.
“I don’t understand. Where’s Dom? What’s fucking going on? Where the fuck is Drake?” I knew Matteo had been unhappy with Levin’s work and had released him. Now it was beginning to make sense.
“I would expect Dominic to be planning my downfall. Drake is working as usual. He has a fantastic work ethic. ”
“Explain,” I said, taking a seat next to Bianca’s chair. She didn’t move at all. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think she were a doll.
“Your grandfather is coming for a visit in a few weeks,” Matteo said. “Carmine.”
I raised my brows. I’d never met the man, but from what I’d heard, he was a prick squared.
A complete fucking ruthless asshole. Worse than Matteo’s reputation, and that was saying something.
From what I’d learned, he’d been shot in the back during an assassination attempt and had to step back because his health had declined.
Based on the fact that he hated my mother, I’d say I wouldn’t be welcomed in with open arms. In fact, if the old prick wasn’t plotting my death, I’d be surprised.
“Seems bad,” I murmured.
Matteo chuckled. “Perhaps. Things have changed now. I’m in charge.”
“Are you?” I raised my brows at him.
He gave me a knowing smirk before looking to Bianca. “Bianca is going to be staying with us for the foreseeable future. Alessio, take her back to her room.”
Alessio swept forward and helped Bianca to her feet.
She went without a word or protest. I narrowed my eyes at that.
I knew Bianca a little. She was a fucking hellcat on a good day.
I’d say Matteo was wrong. Dominic wasn’t plotting his death.
She’d already done that, and Dominic was waiting for her signal.
“You do realize she’s going to try to kill you, right?” I asked.
“I know.” Matteo sat back in his seat and smiled. “I look forward to it.”
“She’s pregnant with your… nephews.”
“I’m aware.” He lifted his cigar to his lips and smoked. He blew out a ring and took a sip of his scotch.
“Why are you doing this, Father? Why are you tormenting Dominic so much?”
“Because Dominic has tormented me since his fucking birth,” Matteo snarled softly.
“Carmine didn’t just take my family from me.
He also took Annabella and fucked her, as is our tradition, and made a fucking fool of me.
He forced me to raise a child that wasn’t mine while driving my own away.
Dominic is a reminder of all the hell I’ve endured. ”
I was quiet for a moment. “Did you ever love Annabella?”
Klaus shifted behind Matteo.
“I did. Not like Delilah, but enough. I could have made it work, but looking at her after Carmine knocked her up put a bit of a damper on those feelings. I tried. I tried hard to be a good man, but I guess it’s just not in me when it comes to betrayal.”
“Dominic never betrayed you. You’re the only father he ever knew--”
“He is nothing to me.” Matteo’s voice was a deadly whisper as he smoked more.
“Where is Annabella now?” I asked gently. I had no idea where Matteo’s wife went. Some say she was dead. Others say she ran and left Dominic behind. No one knew the real story.
“She was let go. In a way, that makes her dead.” Matteo stubbed out his cigar and took another drink.
“She’s alive? Does Dom know?”
“Yes. And no, he doesn’t. It was part of the deal Carmine cut with her. Always letting my women go. She’s my ex-wife. My always fucking never.” He shook his head in disgust.
“Well, what will happen to Bianca?”
“I’m hoping Dominic is stupid and comes for her. Then I’ll have reason to kill them all.” He rose to his feet. “I have a job for you.”
“What is it?” I asked wearily, knowing this fight wasn’t going to go anywhere.
“Find Drake. I need you two to do some digging for me. I’m looking for Bianca’s father. Nathanial Walker. Anatoly. Jonathan Lawrence. The snake goes by many names. See what you can dig up. Bring it to me when you have something.”
“Consider it done.” I got to my feet. I wasn’t doing fuck-all anyway with Rosalie being distant.
“How is bel fiore?” Matteo’s voice changed to gentle.
“Good,” I said, turning back to him. “I assume.”
“It didn’t go to plan?”
I shook my head. “No. I-I guess she doesn’t want to… can’t. I don’t know. Doesn’t matter. I’m moving on.”
Matteo raised his brows at that. “Are you?”
“It doesn’t make sense to keep punishing myself. She told me I deserve to be happy. To love and be loved. I believe that, so I guess… I guess I’ll move on and will hopefully be able to have that someday.”
Sadness swept over Matteo’s face before he nodded. “I understand. It is difficult to love what you can never have.”
I nodded, my throat tight. “Just, the Fox thing… You promise he won’t die?”
“I promise you that the decision is Fox’s to make. Should he push the button, that’s on him. I only answer prayers, and if that is his, so be it.”
I clenched my jaw but nodded, praying Fox wouldn’t push the damn button.
Drake was in a piss poor mood. If I didn’t catch on after he’d shouted at the barista who’d given him the wrong coffee earlier, then I knew it now as he put a bullet into one of Ivanov’s men’s skulls before taking his dick out and pissing on the body.
We’d been out here for a week trying to shake down any fuck who might be connected to Bianca’s old man.
The last time I’d worked with him, Levin had been with us.
We’d stormed the underground on Matteo’s orders, getting information on who Everett had housed as prisoners there.
Drake had lost it and had started shooting.
Typical Drake behavior, though, it seemed.
It was right before Levin was released back to Dom.
“You seem mad,” I commented as he tucked his cock away.
“Catch that, did you?” Drake proceeded to land a few kicks into the corpse’s ribs before coming to me and lighting up a sugar stick.
He took a deep inhale while Matteo’s men set to cleaning up the mess we’d made when we’d played twenty questions with the guy before Drake got sick of it and just shot him.
“You’re one to talk,” Drake continued, handing the stick over to me. I took a couple of drags off it and puffed out the smoke.
“I’m not mad. Just… fucked, I guess.”
“Same thing.” Drake took the sugar back. “Having my girl as a prisoner isn’t doing good things for me. She thinks I betrayed the kings. She fought me when I tried to tell her. She fucking hates me now.”
I nodded. “It’ll work out.”
He scoffed. “Yeah, right. I’m surprised Dom hasn’t sent men to kill my treacherous ass yet. I have to sleep with a gun under my pillow and in my pajamas.”
As much as I wanted to tell Dominic that Drake was being Drake, I couldn’t.
There was no way in hell I’d betray Matteo.
I was close to being out of this shit hole city.
At this point in the game, I was ready to bounce.
I could work on finding Mom and Tia’s killer from somewhere new.
It wasn’t like I was getting anywhere here anyway.
I’d been looking at places in L.A.. Perhaps I needed to focus solely on my career.
Alex also offered me a contract. Told me to think about it.
I really was.
I didn’t want to be onstage. I loved it, but I loved being Rosalie’s person more. That’s what I wanted. To be the one to guide her.
Fuck.
I hated this.
I took the sugar from Drake and sucked in a deep hit, letting the high blanket me before blowing out the smoke.
“Come on,” I muttered, finishing the sugar and walking back to my car. Drake followed, grumbling that I’d smoked his last one.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get us more.” And I would because I rather liked the high E made. It kept me from losing my fucking mind. I needed that right now.
“Hey, man. Long time, no see,” E said as he answered the door to the house later that night. “I’ll get Rosalie—”
“I’m not here for her. I’m here for you,” I said.
E raised his brows at me. “Oh?”
I cleared my throat. “Yeah, I need to buy some sugar.”
“You do?” He frowned. “I didn’t know you smoked enough to buy.”
“I do when I’m stressed,” I muttered. “I don’t have any. I could get some weed from Dom, but considering my old man is holding Bianca captive, I’d say I’m probably not a welcome guest at his door.”
Ethan sighed and gestured for me to follow him.
“Yeah, that’s fucked up, man. What’s going on with it? Why is Matteo doing this shit?”
I followed him through the house and to the basement, noting everything was quiet. Rosalie must be upstairs.
“I honestly don’t know. Some fucked up way to punish Dom for shit he didn’t do,” I said, walking into his sugar room with him. “He doesn’t share the inner workings with me.”
“Understandable,” E said, opening a drawer loaded with sugar sticks. “Do you have a preference for which kind you want?”
“Whatever makes me forget and feel good,” I muttered.
E closed the drawer and pulled open another. “How many? One, two, three sticks?”