Hunted By The Mafia Prince

Chapter 6: Dramatic Revelations

Emma’s POV:

Milena and Gianna, who are hovering in the doorway, watching the disaster unfold, start to retreat slowly.

I stare at them with wide eyes.

Don’t leave me!

They turn and bolt out the door, the heartless wenches.

Liliana is drawn out of her hiding place by the sound of Matteo’s voice. She peers up at him curiously, one hand holding the remote, the other clutching the fabric of his black suit pants. He glances down at her, purposefully softening his expression.

“Hello,” he smiles. “What’s your name?”

“Liliana,” she tells him, a haughty little tilt to her chin. “Who are you?”

“I’m your—“

“He’s my friend,” I interrupt quickly. I’m worried he’ll pull a Darth Vader on us and be like, Liliana, I am your father.

Matteo looks away from her long enough to shoot me a dark look full of darker promises. I glare right back at him, though. What the hell is he trying to do? You can’t just go up to a kid and announce that you’re their parent.

Alex, who’d been standing in shocked silence for the past few minutes, starts tugging on my arm. He obviously wants to take me aside to understand what the f**k is going on, but I can’t bring myself to leave my kid alone with Matteo.

I don’t even want to take my eyes off of them. I have this nervous fluttering in my gut that has me fighting the urge to yank Liliana as far away from him as possible.

Call it paranoia, if you must. I prefer to think of it as a mother’s intuition.

Liliana remains oblivious to the tension around her. “Were you at a party?” She asks Matteo. “Is that why you are wearing that?” She gestures towards his suit.

“Yeah, I was at a wedding.”

Her eyes light up. She gestures for him to come closer, and he obliges, lowering himself to a crouch to get on her level. She brings her mouth to his ear and cups a hand over it, then loudly exclaims, “I love weddings!”

Amused, Matteo inquires, “Is that so?”

She nods enthusiastically. “There’s free food,” she says, still ‘whispering’ with an intensity that suggests she’s giving him government secrets. “And you get to kick old people in the legs and pretend it’s an accident.”

“Liliana,” I admonish. “I told you that’s a mean thing to do.”

She stares at me in shock. “Are you dropping your eaves on me?”

“It’s eavesdropping,” I correct for the millionth time. “And no, I’m not, you’re just being really loud.”

She huffs and turns back to Matteo, like she can’t even look at me right now. I roll my eyes at my dramatic six-year-old.

“I’ll tell you what,” Matteo says. “Wedding’s not over yet. We can go back there and have some fun. There’s a lot of food left. And cake. I’ll let you kick all the old people you want. What do you say?”

Liliana looks like Christmas just came early.

“Yes!” She cries, at the same time as Alex and I say, “No way.”

She turns to us with pleading eyes and whines, “Why not?”

I blurt out the first excuse that comes to mind. “It’s past your bedtime.”

“What?” She splutters. “No, it’s not—“

“Yes, it is,” Alex says firmly.

She stomps her foot in frustration.

I feel bad because it really isn’t past her bedtime, and I know how much she does enjoy weddings, but there’s no way in hell that I am letting her go anywhere with Matteo.

“Miles!” She screeches, storming over to the living room.

That’s always her strategy. When both Alex and I say no to her about something, she goes and gets Miles for backup, so we’re more evenly matched that way.

Matteo rises back to his full, towering height. Without sparing us a glance, he follows Liliana into our living room as if he owns the place. I let out a breath, and Alex whips around to face me, his green eyes so wide they’re taking up his whole face.

“What the f**k?” He hisses.

“That’s a dollar for the swear jar!” Liliana shouts from the living room.

I rub my forehead. I’ll never understand this girl. She can hear someone curse all the way from Neptune’s hairy asshole, but she can’t hear me tell her it’s time for school when I’m standing right beside her.

Anyways.

“I’ll explain the details later,” I whisper to Alex. “All you need to know is, Matteo’s here, Matteo knows where his sperm went, and Matteo may or may not be about to kill us.” I pat his arm with a wide smile. “Good talk, babe.”

“Emma.”

“What? I thought that was a pretty good summary.”

He makes a frustrated sound. “This isn’t a joke, Emma. Why is he here? How did he find us?”

“He didn’t find us. Fate just kinda threw us together,” I say vaguely.

Alex is predictably unimpressed by my half-assed explanation.

I sigh. “Look, he might be Miles’s last chance, okay? I’m desperate here. If something happens to my son because I was too selfish to tell Matteo the truth, I would never forgive myself.”

Softening, Alex draws me into a hug and kisses the top of my head. “Nothing’s gonna happen to Miles,” he says. “And just for the record, you are the literal opposite of selfish. All you’ve ever wanted is to protect your kids, and that’s exactly what you’ve done for the past six years.”

“Well, you haven’t been completely useless,” I tease. “And I know how much you love them too.”

He feigns confusion. “Love who? The only reason I stick around is for your chocolate chip cookies.”

“Those aren’t actually mine,” I confess. “I have Milena bake them whenever you and the kids are out, then I throw some flour on my face before you get back, and tada!”

“Today is just your day for dramatic revelations, isn’t it?”

I smile innocently and pull back. We head into the living room to make sure the big bad wolf hasn’t eaten my children, and thankfully, he hasn’t.

The twins are showing Matteo some of Miles’s sketches. I hover in the back with Alex, half-hidden behind the wall, and we watch the twins holding up a drawing of our family.

Miles identifies the various stick figures on the paper. “See, this is Lili, and this is Mommy, and this is Dad, and that’s me.”

“It’s a great drawing,” Matteo remarks. “But how come you’re all alone back there?”

“Because I’m sick,” Miles tells him.

“You are?”

“Uh huh,” Lilliana confirms. “He goes to the doctor a lot. They give him tons of shots, see?” She reaches over and pulls up Miles’s sleeve to show his needle-marked arm.

Matteo’s brows snap together as his eyes trace over Miles’s skin. I pick that moment to step out from around the wall.

I clap my hands together to get the twins’ attention. “Alright, show and tell’s over. Time for bed.”

“It’s early!” Miles protests.

Liliana points to him like, ‘See? I was right.’

“Uh…” I scramble to find a convincing lie. “School’s starting up soon. You need to get in the habit of sleeping earlier, so your bedtime has moved up.”

“No fair!”

“Yes, well, that’s life. I’m preparing you guys for the real world. You’re welcome. Now, say goodnight to Matteo.”

“Goodnight, Matteo,” they say reluctantly.

“‘Night,” he murmurs back.

They start to pass him to go meet Alex by the stairs, and Matteo reaches out to ruffle Miles’s hair. Miles gives him a shy grin and scrambles away. Alex takes him by the arm as soon as he’s within his reach, and he picks him up, holding him to his chest.

The three start to head upstairs, and Liliana goes, “It’s my turn to pick the story tonight, Dad.”

“Leave him alone,” I chide lightly. “You can’t make him read a story every night.”

“He likes it,” Miles assures me.

Liliana levels a threatening look at Alex. “Don’t you, Dad?”

Alex looks mildly terrified.

I’m wondering if having Matteo in the same house is already affecting their behavior. Right now, all Lili needs is a cigar, a fedora, and a gun, and she’ll be a scary ass gangster. Curse those mafia genes. I should’ve found a way to extract them from their DNA before they were born.

“I don’t want to hear any chatter coming out of your room, alright?” I warn. “And no sneaking out to eat pop tarts in the middle of the night.”

“I only did it once,” Liliana defends.

“That’s one too many times,” I inform her. “Now, goodnight you two. I love you.”

“Love you,” they chorus back.

They smile at me, and it’s the single most beautiful sight in the world. I find myself considerably more grateful for the genes I’d cursed just a moment ago. They may predispose them to anger issues and violent tendencies, but they also make two hella cute kids.

In the words of the wise Hannah Montana, no one’s perfect.

Alex shoots me one last look, right before they all disappear down the hall. I turn away from the stairs and face the devil himself, only to find him already watching me. His eyes are unreadable, but that’s nothing new.

Once he sees he has my attention, he says, casually, “You’re coming to my house.”

I’m startled, but I try to hide it. Of all the things I’d expected him to say, I have to admit that wasn’t one of them.

“Why?” I ask. “So you can shoot me without the kids around? That’s so considerate of you.”

“Isn’t it? Now start walking.”

I sigh. “Let me guess. If I say no, you’ll threaten me, probably at gunpoint, or you’ll knock me out and carry me through the door. You must have men waiting outside, ready to burst in at any given moment and help you out. So, in simple terms, I’m screwed.”

He smiles. “See, this is why it’s so much fun to f**k with smart girls. They catch on right away.”

I don’t know what to do, what to say. My brain’s working quickly, trying to come up with a solution, but I’m worried the situation has gotten out of my hands. The only choice I have is to decide whether I’ll be taken out of the house by force or not.

I knew it was a risk telling him about Miles and Lili, an even bigger risk bringing him here, but I didn’t expect this. I don’t understand how he’s so calm right now, so casual, when mere moments ago there had been a fierce rage etched into his features.

I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised, though. Matteo’s emotions have always been a lot like a light bulb. Flip the switch on, and there’s brightness, flip it again, it’s dark. The way he’s looking at me right now tells me that, for the moment, the switch is on, and he’s decided to play nice for some reason. I don’t want to give him a reason to get mean.

With a heavy heart, I say, “Fine. I’ll come with you. But promise me you won’t send your men inside the house while I’m gone.”

He draws an ‘x’ over the left side of his chest. “Cross my heart.”

“That would be more reassuring if you actually had one.”

Apparently done talking, he grabs my arm and steers me towards the door. I trip over the hem of my dress, and his grip is the only thing that keeps me from falling flat on my face. I start to seriously regret wearing this gown to attend the wedding. Jeans would’ve been a much more practical alternative.

Outside, it’s dark and chilly, a far cry from the stiflingly warm August weather it had been during the day. Now that the sun is gone, and the sky is a blanket of darkness, there’s nothing to protect my bare arms from the cold bite of the wind. It makes me shiver.

Two black cars are waiting in my driveway, as expected. When we approach them, the driver’s door to the first car opens, and a familiar figure steps out of it. It takes me a moment to identify him, and by the time I do, he’s standing right in front of us.

Ciro Rossi.

He’s what Matteo called ‘an enforcer,’ which basically means he’s the one who carries out the important hits that are ordered by the Famiglia. He was also our temporary bodyguard when Matteo and I went on vacation. From what I observed of their interactions, it always seemed that the two men respected each other, and that Matteo trusted him.

The sight of him jars me, though. It sends me on a walk down memory lane, to a different time, a different place. A world untouched by betrayal and rejection, where Matteo and I were still together. I’m forced to remember the surprise trip to Mexico, eating grilled chicken from a roadside vendor, swimming in warm waters at the beach, laughing in bed together with his arms wrapped around me.

I’m disappointed in myself for the stab of wistfulness I feel. I haven’t let myself relive any memories of us for years, and I sure as hell shouldn’t start now.

I shake my head slightly to clear it, refocusing on Ciro again. He’s got his full attention on Matteo, like I’m not even there. I guess that’s to be expected, though. The dude’s always been really detached and cold. It used to make me nervous, not so much anymore.

“Any updates?” Matteo asks.

Ciro shakes his head.

“Alright. Ride in the other car. I’ll take this one and meet you at home.” With that, Matteo drags me over to the car Ciro had just climbed out of.

He opens the passenger door and nudges me into the seat. Then he drops into a crouch in front of me and starts to undo the tie around his neck. I’m confused until he gestures for me to hold my hands out.

I scowl. “Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack. Hold out your hands.”

I do, but only because I’ve decided to pick my battles with him. If I keep fighting him at every turn, I’ll just be too exhausted to fight when it really matters.

Nonetheless, I can’t help grumbling as he ties my wrists together. “This is ridiculous. I already agreed to come along willingly. Besides, what’s the worst that I could do while stuck in a car with you? Turn the radio onto Kidz Bop?”

“Keep talking and I’ll have to do something about your mouth, too.”

I roll my eyes at him.

He finishes tying me up and tugs at the knot experimentally. Seemingly satisfied with it, he nods to himself and rises back to his feet. Now he shuts my door.

As he rounds the car to get in the driver’s seat, I test out the constraints on my wrists. It’s not tight enough to cut off circulation, and the only time it gets uncomfortable is if I try to tug against them.

When Matteo gets in, I drop my hands into my lap and lean back in my seat, trying to relax my overwrought nerves. The leather is cold against my skin, though, so I only succeed in making myself shiver again.

As the car’s engine roars to life, I catch a movement from the corner of my eye that makes me glance sideways at Matteo. Without looking in my direction, he reaches for a dial on the console that causes a blast of warm air to hit me.

My heart squeezes.

He starts to drive off, and I throw a longing look at my house. I stare at the window that belongs to the twins’ bedroom, and I imagine them in bed as Alex reads them a story, safe and content.

And I know, just as surely as I know my own name— I’ll do anything to keep them that way.