Page 116 of Runaway in the Mafia
“Fuck off,cugino.”
A beat passed. An awkward cough filtered through, followed by an unfamiliar voice. “Good morning, Mr Di Matteo.”
Who the fuck is this?I pulled the phone away and glanced at my screen. Plus ninety-one. Suddenly, I was on high alert. “Sorry,” I muttered. Why was I fucking apologising?
“Don’t be. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m Vad Adhya.”
I was bursting with questions. I forced myself to stay silent.
“Ahana’s father.”
How is she? Is she sleeping? Eating? Having a headache? Does she miss me?
But nothing was worth enough to ask him without knowing what she’d told him. Why was he even calling me?
The man on the other end chuckled at my silence. “I’d like to meet you.”
Because?
“My health is poor. The doctors won’t allow me to travel.” He sighed as if that fact annoyed him more than his health being poor. “Do you mind dropping by?”
Either the man didn’t know how fucking far Italy was, or he knew how much I cared for his daughter. “I’ll be there in fourteen hours.” I paused, annoyed. “Make it fifteen.” I had to fuel the damn jet on the way.
Sergio would kill me for going alone without protection. For all I knew, the man was going to get me arrested the moment I set foot on his side of the world.
Whatever.
If that was the way to get to her, I’d take it.
I didn’t knowwhat Antonio loved about India because the sweat pooling down my back the moment I stepped out of my jet wasn’t even funny. The tarmac insisted on melting the souls of my leather shoes, leaving me no option but to stride fast to the cooled Mercedes waiting for me. It brought me to a glass-clad, modern building. Inside, the aircon blasted, freezing the place to sixteen degrees. Celsius. They had a weird way of cooling off,Ahana’s people. A man with dark skin and even darker hair, holding a board with ‘Mr Di Matteo’ on it, met me.
He looked behind me for my luggage and gave me a disappointed glance when he didn’t find any. “I will take you to your hotel, sir.”
“No.” I shook my head. “You can take me to Mr Adhya. Now.” He hesitated, and then a grin split his face, like he was delighted with my demand. I didn’t know what that was about and couldn’t care less about it. I followed him, slowing down to not rush past him, and walked outside the building. It was pitch dark outside.Fuck.Why hadn’t I noticed this? I glanced at my watch. It was three thirty in the morning. I really should have thought this through. Told her father twenty-four hours. That would have given me enough time to check into a hotel, freshen up, and try to get a couple of hours’ sleep. Lack of sleep for almost three days had me agitated. More than my usual self and, according to Lia, I wasn’t pleasant company on a good day, let alone one like this. Pulling my sick father-in-law out of his bed was only going to piss him off. I could see myself collecting points with Ahana with this one. If she even wanted me.
Delhi flew past my window. My wife’s hometown. An ache in my chest reminded me of her absence. For the millionth time, I wondered what she was doing.Is she sleeping? Or is she awake.Forty-five minutes later, we entered a high-rise building through an underground parking lot. A lone security guard who looked too lean to protect anything, empty hallways, and a silent ride up were all that greeted me. My composure rattled. Nerves jingled. The real reason why my body was falling apart was a revolution. This was the only time I wanted the approval of someone. Needed it. Fucking badly. Vaguely, I wondered if I should have brought myconsigliere. Made him negotiate a deal for me. My everything for his eldest daughter.
I shook my head. Tried to clear my thoughts. Tension coiled in my stomach walls. It did nothing to ease the pressure on my chest. The doors dinged open. A pair of brown eyes met me. Same as my wife’s. But not quite. Older. Shrewd. Less warm, with a grip on my lifeline.
I stepped out and towered effortlessly over him. But he wasn’t intimidated, and shook my hand in a firm grip.
“Nice of you to pass by, Mr Di Matteo.”
Pass by. Sure.“You can call me Vitale.”
He gave a thoughtful nod. “Of course. It would be odd to call my son-in-law by his surname.”
With that, he led the way, leaving me to follow behind him.
Fuck.She told him.
I was struggling.I was the fucking don, but I didn’t know how to behave with this man. The made man in me wanted to threaten him, put a gun to his head and demand that he send his daughter my way. Fuck tradition. Fuck everything. She was fucking mine.
But the man who wanted his wife to choose him held back. He was important to her. That in itself meant he was going to be the king in my chess game.
“Coffee?”
I nodded.I’d rather have a whiskey.
