Page 107 of The Chameleon

The man was fucking gorgeous, even when he was angry and impatient.

“We are,” Ares responded, not bothering to explain any further.

A frustrated groan escaped Matteo’s lips as he stared at Ares with a confused look on his face.

“So, what are we doing in a ceramic factory?”

“Checking on business,” Ares repeated, knowing that he was getting on Matteo’s last nerve. It was so fun to annoy him sometimes.

“You’re insane.”

Ares chuckled.

“Here.” Ares picked up a ceramic figure of a chubby woman carrying a jug on her head. It was your typical souvenir, one that you might pick up at a local shop or a vendor in a market.

“It’s not really my taste,” Matteo noted, eyeing the offensive object in Ares’s hand.

“Snob,” Ares joked before tossing the ceramic figure onto the concrete floor.

The figure split open, revealing padding and a box inside. Ares knelt down and picked up the box.

“What the…” Matteo began, intrigued by the hidden item.

Ares opened the top, revealing a box of ammunition.

“Bullets?” Matteo asked, looking over at Ares.

“Yup. The dolls contain bullets. We’ve stashed pieces of the guns hidden in the packaging of boxes and crates. I find it best to hide items in different locations so that if the shipment gets checked, hopefully, the authorities won’t discover all the items being smuggled.”

“That’s actually pretty smart.”

Ares smiled. Hearing that sort of praise coming from Matteo warmed his heart. While he might not be the brightest bulb in the batch, Ares liked to think of himself as pretty clever. He was operating a multi-million-dollar business after all.

It only took two months after her husband’s death for Mrs. Zitti to agree to sign over his business dealings—for a hefty sum of cash. Ares didn’t mind. He knew that he would recoup the losses within the next two years. Having access to the Italian market and gun-packaging facilities such as this ceramic factory provided Ares with a new option for smuggling guns. The key to success was to diversify. He liked to use different methods and channels to distribute his products. This way, he was less predictable and not so easy to track.

Ares placed the box of ammunition down on the conveyor belt, nodding for one of the workers to take care of the mess he’d created. That was what he paid them for, wasn’t it?

Turning his attention back to the Italian hunk standing next to him, he couldn’t help but smile.

Over the last few months, Matteo had been making more of an effort to join Ares on business trips, using the excuse that heneeded to get away from all the chaos at the château. But Ares knew the truth. Matteo didn’t like being away from Ares for too long. It was sweet really. Ares would never tell Matteo, but he secretly hated being away from him as well. That was just too… sappy for them.

“Ready for dinner?” Ares asked, taking Matteo’s hand in his. This was another new development.

Ares no longer cared who knew about his relationship with Matteo. Yes, there was still an element of danger with people knowing the truth, but it was no different than the risks that his hetero counterparts faced in the same situation. Ares just made sure that they had added security and that they were always vigilant.

“Yes. I’m starving. Where are we going for dinner?”

Smirking, Ares began walking with Matteo toward the door. “Venice,” he finally answered, opening the car door for Matteo.

An hour and a half later, they touched down in Venice—yes, they took Matteo’s private jet.

They stopped briefly at a luxurious hotel to quickly change into suits… because Ares was taking them to some fancy-ass dinner where formal evening wear was required. That was just how Ares rolled when he was treating his man to a special evening.

“Here, put this on,” Ares said, passing Matteo a Venetian mask. The mask had been handcrafted by one of Ares’s contacts specifically for this occasion.

“Jesus, this is gorgeous,” Matteo gasped, turning the mask over in his hands, admiring the fine details and colors only a master craftsman could achieve.

“I had it specially made for you. What do you think of mine?” Ares lifted his mask to his face and waited for Matteo’s reaction.

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