Page 66 of The Chameleon

Matteo shook his head. “You’re an idiot. The poor kid is desperate. He needs a safe place to stay. In the morning, I'll make a few calls and see what help I can get him.”

Ares followed Matteo back into the kitchen. “What do you know about this kid? Does he live around here? Is his father out looking for him? Is he going to rob and murder us in the middle of the night?”

Spinning around, fire blazed in Matteo’s eyes. “Stop it. You always see the worst in people. That’s why no one likes you. You never trust anyone or give them the benefit of the doubt.” Matteo shoved past Ares, then spun around in one final display of dramatic defiance. “And, so what? So what if you end upbeing right, and the kid robs us in the middle of the night, then disappears while we’re sleeping? At least I will have helped someone struggling on the streets, even if he decided to take advantage of my kindness in the end. I’m happy with choosing to see the good in people. I like being able to help those in need. So, fuck off and enjoy sleeping on the couch tonight.”

Matteo spun around, then froze.

Standing in the hallway, in Matteo’s baggy joggers and dripping wet hair, was Jorge. The boy looked sheepish and uncomfortable.

Ares let out a sigh. Fuck his life.

“Sorry, kid. I have trust issues,” Ares mumbled, feeling like the world’s biggest asshole.

The kid just stood there staring at his feet.

“Come on. I’ll show you to your room.” Matteo led Jorge to the spare room and helped the kid settle in.

An hour later, the cabin was silent, save for the sound of snoring coming from Matteo’s bedroom.

Sleep like a kitten, my ass,Ares thought to himself.

He picked up his phone and pulled up the surveillance feed from the hidden cameras he had installed in the cabin a few years ago. Matteo had no idea of their existence. Ares liked to check in every once in a while just to make sure that Matteo was safe. This was also how Ares knew that Matteo had retreated to the cabin a few days ago.

Scrolling through the video footage, he landed on a frame that captured the image of their special guest. Taking a screenshot, he texted the photo to Elijah, hoping that he could do a background check on the kid. He knew it was a long shot, but perhaps he could track his movements around town on security feeds or something.

Security feeds? Who was he kidding? In a small town like this, they didn’t really keep up with modern technologies.

Still, Elijah had worked miracles in the past.

It was worth a shot all the same.

Slipping his phone back in his jeans, he lay down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. He wasn’t even dating the guy, yet somehow, he had been banished to the “bad husband” couch for the night.

Guess morning sex was out of the question.

22

MATTEO

Staring at the figure currently dancing across the screen of his tablet, Matteo wondered how he got stuck with such an odd cast of characters. Currently, Levi was reenacting the mayhem that unfolded at the club two nights ago involving Isaac and a wardrobe malfunction he had on stage.

Accidental or intentional, Matteo still wasn’t convinced.

“And then his sac just fell out!” Levi shouted, bending over in front of the camera and simulating balls dropping.

“That’s not how it happened!” Isaac’s voice was heard before his face filled the screen, blocking out Levi, who was laughing on the floor. “Don’t listen to him, M. The guy exaggerates and makes up stories.”

Isaac’s bright green eyes and his nose filled the screen as he moved the tablet around so that Matteo could only see his face.

Matteo chuckled.

“Sounds like everything’s going great at the club.” Seeing his boys playing around and having such a good time without him made his heart ache. It had only been about a week since he left, but he was already missing his band of crazy men.

The shaky image finally stilled as Isaac’s face filled the screen once more.

“And what about you? How are things going on your journey of self-discovery? Did you realize that you’re a narcissist yet?” Isaac asked before Levi appeared next to him once again.

“Yeah, M. Everything okay? When you comin’ back?” Levi asked, giving the camera a little pout.

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