Page 79 of Matteo
I thought all these kids should wait until they were forty to get married, but if I said that, Nico might backpedal on this agreement. There was one thing I promised myself when I got my second chance with my wife. I’d always stand by her and my children.
“He’s ready,” I stated with too much confidence and then added a little white lie. “And from what I understand, so is Hannah.”
His sigh was deep and defeated, much like I felt.
“You think those two love each other?” I released a begrudged affirmative noise. Nico nodded and took a drink of his bourbon before adding, “But if Matteo makes her cry, friend or no, I’m going to?—”
“Don’t even think about being a dick,” I cut him off. “And stop being a papa bear.”
Nico shot me a glare. “I’ll fucking remind you of those words when Francesca shows up at your house with a boyfriend.”
He laughed. I tried to join in but couldn’t.
Because the thought of my baby girl having a boyfriend made me literally sick to my fucking stomach.
God, don’t you dare let any fucking boy take my girl.
CHAPTER THIRTY
MATTEO
Ifound my father in the office with his cousin, Massimo—Uncle Massimo as I liked to call him—discussing recent drug distribution routes.
“Have it go through Baltimore,” Pa instructed. “Have we gotten to the bottom of those rumors of flesh being moved through this territory?”
I took a seat in the chair across from his desk and chimed in, “I took care of that.”
They both shot me a surprised look. “You did?”
I brought my leg up, resting my ankle on my knee, and leaned back into the seat. “Yes, I was chasing a lead on the shooter and ran across the trafficked girls.”
“And you didn’t think to mention any of this?” Uncle Massimo asked dryly, rubbing his thigh. It’d become a habit of his since the accident that had bound him to the wheelchair.
“Slipped my mind.” I shrugged when he glared at me in disbelief. “Good to see you full of spirit, Uncle. Your wife sure is doing wonders for your mood. I wonder what activities?—”
“You better wipe any and all thoughts of my wife from your mind, Matteo.”
Pa snickered, probably detecting my evasion tactic, but the truth was, we were all happy for him. The years after Aunt Ella’s fatal accident was rough on everyone, but especially Uncle Massimo, who had scars of his own to deal with. Then his young wife swept in and somehow brought happiness into his life.
“Why were you chasing leads about the shooter?” Pa asked.
“Apparently he mentioned our family name.”
It was nagging at me that I still felt like I was missing a big piece of the puzzle. The girls had all been as much in the dark as us, and after giving them a choice, they all opted to go back to their parents. Hopefully they would be safe this time around.
“And?” Pa had killer instincts; he knew there was more to the story.
“And nothing,” I stated. “I found the girls and a few guards. The girls are back with their families, and the guards are dead.”
“Well, did you question them before killing them?” Uncle demanded.
“Yes, just one, but he didn’t know much.” I didn’t want to alert him about the rumors of the Belles and Mobsters Agreement resurrecting. Not yet at least.
“Why do I feel like you’re not telling me something important, son?”
It didn’t surprise me that Pa could sense it. After all, he taught me everything I knew. I sighed, knowing there was no fooling him, but also not wanting to alarm him. “There was a mention of… belles.”
Tension descended onto the room, thick like fog.
