Page 52 of Third Crime's A Charm
“What?” Matteo turned in stunned horror. “Did you mean for him to—?” he whispered, earning an offended snort.
“Why would I go to all this trouble if I was going to have him killed? It looks like the cigars finally caught up with Marty and he had a heart attack. I gave him CPR until the medics arrived but there was nothing they could do.”
“Mein Gott, Truman! I’m so sorry,” Matteo said and gave his thigh a comforting pat.
“Eh.” Truman shrugged. “I wanted him to die in prison but this is for the best.”
Matteo didn’t know what to make of that. He picked up the paper bag and unrolled it, then looked inside. His eyes dried as he stared at the star. “What about…?” he croaked and blinked at Truman.
“Peter Lonsdale?” He waved dismissively. “He’s gonna be just fine.”
“Who the hell is Peter Lonsdale?” Matteo asked, shocked that Truman was finally telling him.
“Peter is Marty’s nephew. He’s a good man so I never understood why Martyhatedhim. Marty was going to hang as much as he could on Peter but I couldn’t let him spend the rest of his life in jail.”
“That’s why you wanted this.” Matteo refolded the bag and held it out to Truman but he shook his head.
“Peter doesn’t need it now and it isn’t really my taste.”
“Oh. Now what?” Matteo asked, his voice shaking.
The hand on the back on the bench curled around Matteo’s neck and caressed it tenderly. “Want to go to Austria? I can have a jet ready in an hour.”
“You’re giving this to me? You could keep it in case you need to make a deal later,” Matteo said and Truman nodded.
“So could you. Do whatever you want. Consider it a…pre-engagement gift?” he asked with a hopeful lift of his brows. “I know it’s way too soon and I need to smooth things over with Leo, first. But I was a goner the moment you stepped into my townhouse. Not because you were a glamorous prince or the greatest thief the world has never known. I couldn’t take my eyes off ofyouand I had to make you mine. I just had that other matter to take care of before I could do it properly.”
“That’s why you want to go to Austria?” Matteo asked, biting his lip as he considered. “Not that I don’t like the rest of it!” he said quickly. “I think I’d like being…pre-engaged and this needs to go back to Austria immediately. But I’m not sure if we need to worry about Leo just yet. Maybe once we’re…post-engaged.”
“No, Matteo. This isn’t a job or a business deal, it’s the rest of our lives. I don’t want to spend it in conflict with your brothers so I have to do it right.”
“Right,” Matteo agreed weakly, too overcome and overjoyed to say more.
“Let’s not start off on the wrong foot with your family,” Truman continued carefully. “Your brother isn’t just smart, he’s shrewd and he understands how the world works. So does Theo and Max and I think I can fix things with them too if they see that I’m serious. Sneaking around doesn’t look serious.”
“No, it doesn’t. But going to Leo for his approval is so…official.”
“You’re not ready to be official?” Truman guessed, then frowned. “You don’t think we’ll last that long.”
“That’s not what I’m saying.” Matteo slid closer and took Truman’s hand in his. “I was going to move to Paris before you sat down. I’d never get over you if I stayed.”
“Like I’d let that happen.”
“Stop it,” Matteo laughed as he rolled his eyes, then gasped when he was pulled into Truman’s arms and kissed thoroughly. They were both breathless when they raised their heads. “What I meant was thatthispart is fast,” Matteo continued. “Ten minutes ago, I was saying goodbye to the city and my life here, now we’re pre-engaged.”
“That’s a yes, then?” Truman said, making Matteo laugh.
“I think so! You’ve shareda lotand I do understand everything and Idobelieve we belong together, I just need a little time to process all of this. And some privacy so we can talk more freely,” he added, making Truman swear as he looked around.
“Good thinking. Come back to the townhouse. It’s too quiet without you.”
“Alright, but we’ll have to stop by Muriel’s first. I should pack the rest of my things and make arrangements for a plant sitter if the place is going to be vacant for a few months.”
“I’ll take care of that. Let’s go home,” Truman said as he raised Matteo’s hand and kissed it. “I want to celebrate and we have a trip to plan.”
Matteo had changed his mind by the time Truman swept him through the townhouse’s front door. Knowingwhyand the danger to Peter Lonsdale if his uncle had found out made it a lot easier to forgive Truman for so many things. With all that Matteo had learned about Martin Lonsdale, it was safe to assume he would have killed Peter if he had found out.
The reality of how far Truman had gone to save an innocent man and to save Lonsdale at the end touched Matteo deeply. Truman wasn’t an angel, but he wasn’t as evil as he wanted the world to believe. He was good and kind at his core and protected the people he cared about. His methods could be a little heavy handed at times, but Matteo was proud of Truman and couldn’t wait for his family to see what he was really like.
