I watched him answer his cell as he walked toward the window.
“What?” he barked, and I flinched.
It was instinct. An old habit that was hard to break.
Matteo lowered his voice to the point where I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but whatever it was, it didn’t look good. His eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched tight as he listened to whoever was on the other end of the line.
“Yeah, okay.” He hung up and came back over to me.
“Is everything okay?”
“I need to go,” he said, barely meeting my gaze as he loomed over me. A wave of dejection crashed over me.
“Oh, okay.”
“You’ll be okay? Luis is right down the hall. Maybe he can come finish off the puzzle with you.”
“Yeah… I’ll be fine.” Disappointment welled inside me. “I’ll see you out.” I went to get up, but Matteo shook his head.
“Don’t worry about it, I can see myself out.”
By the time I got to my feet he was already at the door. “Matteo,” I called, panic rising inside me. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”
“Yeah, it’s nothing you need to worry about.”
My heart sank at the invisible line he was drawing between us.
It wasn’t supposed to hurt because I was supposed to keep him at arm’s length. But he’d clawed his way inside… and more surprisingly, I’d liked it.
I liked how he made me feel.
Except right now. Now our time together felt tainted, wrong somehow.
It felt like a mistake.
“I’ll see you, Caitlin.”
Not Cait.
Not Tink.
Caitlin.
As if he hadn’t been kissing me only minutes ago.
“Matteo,” I blurted out, but he was already gone, the door slamming closed behind him.
I stood there long after the rumble of his car had faded, wondering what had happened to make him leave in such a hurry.
Without even looking at me.
“Caitlin?” Luis rapped on my door. “I’ve made some minestrone, if you want to join me?”
“Just a second.” I swallowed back the tears burning my eyes and slipped into the bathroom.
It had been hours since Matteo had left, and I’d heard nothing. Not a single text.
It shouldn’t have bothered me half as much as it did. After all, I’d been the one who had acted so coolly with him in the beginning.
But something had changed last night when he came for me. At least, I thought it had.
He’d cracked the fortress around my heart and found a way in. And it hadn’t panicked me or paralyzed me with fear. Instead, I’d wanted it.
I’d wanted him.
I’d kissed him for God’s sake and then he’d gotten that call and left in such a hurry he hadn’t even said goodbye, not properly.
I joined Luis at the breakfast counter, smiling weakly when he pushed a bowl of minestrone toward me. “Eat,” he said. “And then you can tell me what has you moping around like someone kicked your puppy.”
“I am not…” I bit my lip. He was right. I was moping, but with good reason.
“Wouldn’t have to do with the way Matteo hauled ass out of here earlier, would it?”
“You saw him leave?”
“Heard him more like.” Luis shrugged. “You know, he’s a good man, Cait. One of the best people I know. If he left suddenly, he had good reason.”
“I wouldn’t know, he didn’t tell me.” My minestrone became mightily interesting as I avoided Luis's questioning gaze.
“This is good,” I added.
“It is, but I don’t think you’ll find any answers at the bottom of the dish.”
I peeked up at him. “You’re awfully chatty today… and nosey.”
“It’s my job to know what’s going on with my marks.” His lips curved with amusement.
“Somehow I find that hard to believe.” I smiled back. “Thank you, for the meal.”
“You’re not alone, Cait. I know it can’t be easy, being stuck here with me, but Arianne and Nicco mean well—”
“Oh no, I don’t think that at all. What they’ve done for me…” I swallowed over the lump in my throat. It was more than anyone else had ever done for me. But it didn’t change the fact that I couldn’t hide out here forever. Eventually, I would have to go back to my life. Wherever that may be.
“They won’t let you fight your battles alone. Of that you can be sure.”
How could I ask that of them though?
Zander DiMarco was one of their business partners; he wouldn’t go quietly. I didn’t expect—or want—them to go to war with him.
Only I couldn’t see a way out.
Not unless I left…
And never looked back.
Chapter 12
Matteo
“Fuck.” I stared down at the dead body, the face barely recognizable. “It’s definitely him?”
“Shaun Demetri. Twenty-six years old. Cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.”
“Thanks, Doc,” Enzo said, nudging me forward. He waited until we were in the hall to say, “You thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Zander got fed up with chasing her and decided to try and torture it out of him.” Acid washed in my stomach.
When Enzo had called me with the news, I’d been so overcome with fear and anger, I had to get out of the cabin before I did something stupid. Looking back, I probably didn’t handle it the best way, but I couldn’t tell Caitlin, not yet. Not until we confirmed what we already suspected.
DiMarco wasn’t going to let her go—he was going to exhaust every possible option available to him to find her. And eventually, he’d hit the jackpot, and someone would give him the vital piece of information he needed.
That we had her.
“We need to deal with him, and soon,” I muttered, jamming my fingers into my hair and tugging the ends.
“I know, but it’s not that straightforward.”
“What do you mean, it’s not that straightforward? He’s a woman-beating piece of shit. We don’t need to be associated with—”
“Word on the street is he made a deal with Lombardi.”
“What?” I balked. “Lombardi? But they’re not in Rhode Island.”
The Lombardi were a crime family operating out of New Haven, Connecticut. Their boss, Massimo Lombardi, was a real nasty piece of work.
“I don’t know all the details, but Lucino said he got wind of Dominic Cabrioles and Jasper Peshie being at DiMarco’s a few days ago.”
Fuck. Dominic Cabrioles was Massimo Lombardi’s right-hand man. If he was in Providence sniffing around DiMarco’s club, this was bad news.
Bad fucking news.
“When did you find this out?” My teeth ground together.
“Last night.”
“And you didn’t think to call me? Fuck, E, I went there and you—”
“Whoa, cous. Don’t turn this into something it’s not. I didn’t tell you because I knew you were heading there and I thought… no, I knew, you needed time with her without this shitshow hanging over your heads. This is bigger than just Caitlin, Matt. If the Lombardi are involved… it changes everything.”