Page 162 of Matteo
“Trust me.” I narrowed my eyes and he flicked me a dark look. “You do trust me, right?”
“I do, but I need to know what happened. Did they get Hannah? Why are we taking a detour? I want to?—”
“She’s safe.”
My heart came to a halt before it resumed its beat while a relief unlike any other washed over me.
“She is?” I rasped while tears stung my eyes. “For real?”
He nodded. “Now, no more questions, and when we arrive at our destination, I’ll explain.”
We drove for a while, the vaguely familiar landscape a blur as Matteo sped down the highway. Various landmarks came into view. The church. A big open field. A large colonial home with its white columns and wraparound porch.
“The private clinic?” I asked, furrowing my brows.
My dad had funded this place for victims of human trafficking. Matteo drove another mile, pulling over in front of the entrance before he turned my way with a serious look.
He stared at me for a bit, and unease slowly crept up my stomach until it was an agonizing pain in my chest.
“What is it?” I breathed. “It must be bad.”
“Hannah is here,” he finally said, his tone cautious. My instincts flared, dread pooling in my stomach. My hand was already on the handle, opening the door, when Matteo’s fingers wrapped around my other hand, pulling me back.
“She’s recovering,” he added.
One heartbeat passed before I found my voice. “From… what?”
He went rigid, his presence darkening, and his gaze locked on me. “From surgery and an overdose.”
“Surgery,” I repeated. “And an overdose?” My mouth went slack, my head shaking. “N-no… that can’t be. What surgery? What overdose?”
“They’ve taken her kidney,” he said slowly. “She’ll be okay. Thankfully our parents got to Benito King’s old mansion right on time. One kidney was gone, but the other?—”
“Oh my God,” I breathed.
Hannah was going through hell and I was on a fucking honeymoon. As if he could read my thoughts, Matteo took my face between his big palms. “None of us could have known.”
“I went to Ireland to look for her, but she was here all along,” I croaked, releasing a pained gasp.
“None of us knew,” he repeated. “Your dad is one of the best and even he couldn’t find her.”
I shook my head.
“No, I should have known, Matteo.” I tapped my chest over and over again. “I should have known.”
“Baby, Hannah has had some problems that none of us knew about. She’s gotten good at hiding things.”
“Maybe… they drugged her. Hannah would never use. Not willingly.”
I didn’t like the look in Matteo’s eyes. I saw things I didn’t want to see. Things I’d overlooked but shouldn’t have.
“Her organs… They don’t lie, and she’s been using cocaine for a while.”
“A while,” I repeated in disbelief.
“Yes, for a while. It was a shock,” he offered. I blinked, trying desperately to calm the thoughts that were whirling in my mind. “To all of us.”
“I don’t understand,” I murmured, although it was fairly clear.
