38. Siena
Siena
O NE MONTH LATER
Curled up on Matti’s couch, I’m dozing when Matti wakes me by brushing my hair back from my face.
“Kitten, you should have some tea,” he says softly. “You need to stay hydrated.”
I was sick again this morning—morning sickness is the fucking worst—and Matti is crouching down by the couch, his hand protectively on my belly while he watches me with concern.
“Thank you,” I say, knowing he’s right. As I sit up, he hands me the steaming cup from the table.
There’s a hard knock at the door, and Matti stands, frowning. “What the fuck…”
Since we pulled the Luminous job last month, security has been airtight, with guards at the private elevator, another stationed outside our door.
Matti has refused to let me leave the penthouse and he’s also refused to leave my side, which means he’s been taking care of me 24/7. And no one should be knocking.
The door swings open before Matti can reach it. Vin strides in with a black duffel bag slung over his shoulder, a disheveled Tommy trailing behind him.
Matti’s brow furrows as he eyes Tommy. “The fuck is wrong with you?”
Tommy looks wrecked. His hair is sticking up, one shirt tail is untucked, and his suit is rumpled like he’s been wearing it for days. Normally, he’s the most put-together of the guys, so seeing him like this is jarring.
Vin shakes his head, a subtle warning for Matti to drop it. “He’s been busy. But so have I.”
Grinning, Vin sets down the bag he’s carrying on the couch beside me.
Matti’s eyes light up. “That what I think it is?”
“Yep, but even better.” Vin unzips the bag and upends it, spilling stacks of hundred-dollar bills onto the couch. I gasp.
“What is this?” I ask, setting my tea down and picking up one of the cash bundles, holding it up to Vin quizzically.
Vin smirks, plucking the cash from my hand and tossing it at Matti’s chest. “That, princess, is what you get when you fence jewelry.”
Matti catches the cash and grins. “Nice. This will help.”
Vin’s smile fades. “It’s a good start, but it’s not enough. We need more to turn our plans into a reality.”
Vin shoots a look over at Tommy, who sits in one of the chairs at the dining room table, his legs crossed, one ankle propped on his opposite knee, resting his chin on his hand. The corners of his mouth are turned up slightly in a smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes as he nods in agreement.
“The plans that are on hold indefinitely until I get what I need,” Tommy says, his voice flat, edged with iron.
I shoot Matti a questioning look, but Matti raises his eyebrows and looks away. I’m not sure what’s going on with Tommy and his girl, Giovanna, but whatever it is, it’s clearly not going well.
Matti settles beside me on the couch, a protective arm around my shoulder. “Any progress?”
Tommy’s expression is grim, his eyes empty. “If I need you, I’ll let you know.”
Matti nods. “I’ll be there. I know I haven’t been around as much lately, but—”
Vin smirks. “It’s a lot of work taking care of a princess.”
I roll my eyes. Princess . Hate it.
As if he’s reading my mind, Matti squeezes my thigh and stage whispers, “He calls all women that. Probably because it’s too hard for him to remember their names.”
“Because he’s not very bright?” I ask, loudly.
“Never met a woman whose name I needed to remember,” Vin retorts.
“Wow, thanks,” I say, sarcastically. Vin is not my favorite of Matti’s brothers.
“Aw, princess, don’t be mad. You’re not ‘a woman.’ You’re Matti’s woman, and if you ever get off your high horse and take his name, then I won’t have a problem remembering it, Mrs . Dragovari.”
“If this is how you talk to all women, it’s no wonder you’re still single,” I gripe, nestling into Matti’s side as his arm tightens around me.
“ Mrs. Dragovari. I like the sound of that,” Matti whispers, his eyes twinkling as he presses a kiss to my forehead.
“Well, no one has asked me, so…” I shrug, cupping my ha nds over my belly.
Vin and Tommy don’t know I’m pregnant. Only Matti and Dr. Rossi do, and Matti wants to keep it that way for now.
Even though I want to tell my cousin, Sophie, I’m respecting Matti’s wishes.
Since the Luminous job, Aurelio has been fixated on torturing his sons and Matti—and if he knew I was pregnant, I’d be on the top of his list.
Tommy is slouched on the couch, his knees spread wide.
Normally, he’s a sweetheart under a polished, icy exterior, but he doesn’t look well.
His shirt is stained, his jacket pocket ripped.
He has deep dark circles under his eyes, and he looks like he’s lost 20 pounds since I saw him a few weeks ago.
“Tommy, can I get you something to eat? Some pastine, maybe? Something simple.” I speak softly, but he doesn’t move or respond and I look at Matti, worried.
“Hey, Tommy,” Matti says, loudly.
Tommy blinks like he’s waking from a deep sleep, trying to figure out where he is. “Yeah.”
“My wife is talking to you,” Matti says.
I smack Matti’s thigh as I get up from the couch. I hate that he’s still calling me that when he hasn’t even proposed, but there’s no way I’m going to argue in front of Vin.
“I’ll heat you up some pastine, Tommy,” I say, stepping over Matti’s legs and making my way to the kitchen.
“I could eat,” Vin calls after me, grinning.
“Good for you,” I snort, hip-checking him as I pass.
“Assault! You saw it!” Vin points at Matti. “Matti, keep your woman in check! She’s violent!”
“She is violent. You better watch your ass,” Matti deadpans.
“What if I’d rather watch her ass,” Vin says, a huge grin on his face as he waits for Matti’s reaction .
Matti lifts his gaze from his phone, glaring at Vin, and hurls a throw pillow at him. Vin catches it, laughing.
I roll my eyes, watching them from the kitchen as I stir the pastina on the stove.
My cousin, Sophie, calls the soup “Italian penicillin” and taught me and Emily how to make our Nonna’s recipe years ago. I’ve made it a practice to always keep some on hand, just in case.
If anyone could use a little nutritional healing, it’s Tommy. When the soup is ready, I set it up on a tray with a spoon and napkin and head back toward Tommy as his phone buzzes.
Tommy jerks to attention, his eyes wide, as he reads the incoming text.
“Fuck yeah,” he mutters under his breath, furiously typing back a response. He stands abruptly and barrels toward the door.
He runs right into me, and I step back, trying to hold the tray steady as the soup sloshes over the bowl.
“Sorry, Siena.” Tommy glances down at the tray and seems to process that I’m bringing it to him. “Shit, thank you for going to the trouble, but I really have to—”
“It’s okay,” I say, nodding. “You’re fine. Be safe.”
Tommy drops a quick kiss on the top of my head and rushes toward the door.
“Jesus, no goodbye? Tommy?” Vin edges over to me and grabs the spoon, swiping a mouthful of soup before I can stop him. His eyes half close, and he groans. “Holy shit. So good.”
“Tommy, you good?” Matti calls out.
“I’ll let you know,” Tommy yells back, the door shutting behind him.
I glare at Vin and head back to the kitchen, leaving him holding the spoon.
“I don’t mind stepping in for my brother, if you’re just going to put that back, princess. That is fucking amazing.”
“I’d rather throw it out,” I say sweetly, striding to the sink.
“Rude!” Vin shakes his head as he flops into Tommy’s seat on the couch.
I narrow my eyes at him from the sink, and he scowls back. Maintaining eye contact, I hold up the bowl of pastine, then tip it, letting the soup pour slowly into the sink and down the drain.
“What the fuck!” Vin throws up his hands and turns to Matti. “I liked it better when you were single.”
“I liked it better when you were at your own damn house,” Matti replies, not looking up from his phone.
Vin scowls. “So I bring over hundreds of thousands of dollars, and this is the thanks I get.”
“Speaking of, where’s the rest?” Matti asks, smiling at me as he takes my hand and helps me settle on the couch next to him.
He lifts his chin toward my tea, still steaming on the coffee table. I make a face but pick it up and sip.
Vin grins. “I wondered when you were going to ask me that.”
“And?”
“It’s invested.” Vin smirks, leaning forward and resting his forearms on his spread knees. His eyes sparkle as he baits Matti, and I sigh.
Matti looks over at him. “Really.”
“Yep.” Vin’s tone turns serious, his expression hard. “Men, buildings, guns.”
“I hope you’re moving slowly. Big moves get attention, and if Aurelio catches wind of anything—”
Vin raises his hand to stop Matti. “I’m being smart. Going slow. Different distributors, different realtors, different recruiters. All small purchases, all easily justifiable if asked.”
Matti nods. “Good.” He wraps his arm around me and pulls me tightly to him when I settle back on the couch. Tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear thoughtfully, he says, “I’m glad this is happening.”
He’s talking about the baby as much as he’s supporting Vin, and I smile up at him. Fuck, I love this man. I still haven’t said those words out loud to him yet. Something I’ll have to remedy soon.
Vin clears his throat, and we turn our attention back to him. His eyes are steely, his voice cold. “I’m glad this is happening, too. It’s been a long time coming. And I’m fucking ready. As soon as Tommy gets what he needs from Aurelio, we are going to burn this mother fucker to the ground.”