Page 43 of Shield

“For what?” I snatch my hand away and put the watchband back in my bag.

I feel sick, and I don’t know if it’s the hangover or Matti’s close proximity, the way he’s looking at me, the heat emanating off his body.

“Is it your fault that Aurelio hates my family? That he killed my father? You didn’t know me when Aurelio ordered you to kill Mikey and Emily. And I still have my mother and my brother. My mother is an emotionless tyrant, and my brother is a fucking moron, but I still have people, so. I’m lucky? Right?”

What started out as a sarcastic rant morphs into a desperate plea. I don’t know what to believe about Matti’s involvement in Emily’s death, but whether he knew me then or not, whether it was an order from Aurelio or his decision, he’s a part of the Demonio family and his connection to the people who took my sister from me is something I can’t forgive.

Just being here suddenly feels like a betrayal to Emily’s memory, my father’s memory. I’m overwhelmed by the hope that I do throw up all over his thick, beautiful carpets.

Matti’s voice is hoarse when he speaks. “Youdohate me for what happened to your sister.”

I bite the inside of my lip to keep from vomiting and force a bright fake smile on my face as I look up at him. “No. No more than Liana blames you for what you did to her, I’m sure.”

“What the fuck did you just say?” His voice is low, and his jaw tics as he hulks toward me. I scramble back into the cushions of the couch until he’s towering over me, everything about him seething with menace. I can see the monster inside of Matti, barely restrained.

Terror seeps into my skin, immediately followed by regret.

“You heard me.” I can barely hear my own voice, but I put as much force behind it as I can. “Just another truth bomb dropped on me, courtesy of Aurelio.”

“What did he say?” Matti’s lips curl over his teeth, like a wolf ready to attack. He practically pins me to the couch with one hand planted on either side of my head on the back cushions.

My resolve begins to crumble, and my voice croaks. “He told me to ask you about her.”

Matti just stares down at me, and I remain frozen, motionless, trapped in his gaze. He drags a fingertip along my jawline down to the hollow of my throat and pauses where my pulseis going haywire beneath the skin.

Pressing the palm of his hand to that spot, he visibly relaxes, his shoulders lowering and his eyes closing briefly. When he opens them, the animalistic rage is replaced by a cold, blank expression. I stare at him, torn between grounding myself in his arms as he just did with me and running away.

He slams the heel of his hand into a button on the wall, and I flinch.

“Yes, sir?” Eleanor’s voice comes through the speaker.

“Did Valentina leave the building?” Matti asks.

“No, sir. She’s in the lobby, sitting on one of the couches.” Eleanor clears her throat. “In front of your private elevator, sir.”

“Good. Send someone up to get the package in front of my door and bring it to her. Take her to an empty suite and make sure she doesn’t leave until she has downloaded every file, every photo, every text, every Google search off of it. If she needs anything to complete that task, make sure she has it.”

“Yes, sir.”

My eyes widen as I realize what he’s saying. “Matti, no!”

Ignoring me, he walks over to a desk on the other side of the dining room table, retrieving a manila envelope, then stalks back to me. He holds out his hand without saying a word.

My whole body starts to shake, and I jump up from the couch. “Matti, I’m sorry. Please don’t do this.”

“Isn’t that what you came here for? To get Valentina’s help?” His voice is cold, but the fire in his eyes burns hotly as he stares at me.

“I don’t trust her to just take it. What if there’s something that incriminates Emily or Mikey? What if she shares that information with the wrong people? What if thereissomething that leads back to you?” I flush when I see interest flicker across his face, noticing my slip, the implication that I might care what happens to him. I hastily add, “Or one of your friends?”

As much as I want justice for my sister, the idea of someone vindictive, like Valentina getting hold of information that could hurt Matti, feels like a different kind of betrayal.

He narrows his eyes at me. “If she finds anything like that and shares it with anyone, she’s signing her own death warrant. She knows that better than anyone.”

I blink at that, confused, and stiffen. “Why does she know that better than anyone?”

Matti impatiently lifts his hand higher. “Don’t make me take it from you, Siena. You think this phone holds the informationyou need to prove my role in your sister’s death? Let’s find out. Unless you don’t really want to know.”

Without dropping eye contact, I reach into my bag and pull out her phone, only glancing down to double check that I picked up hers and not mine as I hand it to him.

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