Rifling through my bag, I decided that I could do two things at once—rush to class and get my book and pad out at the same time so that I could get right to work as soon as I made it to the lecture hall.
“Dammit,” I ground out, searching for the book for this class and not able to find it in my backpack. I was sure I’d put it in there, but my mind was a bleary mess this morning. “Shit, fuck.” I skirted to a dead stop in the middle of the walkway and closed my eyes. This was the cherry on top of my epically bad morning. I couldn’t go to the class if I didn’t even have the book, and I’d forgotten my laptop to boot.
Some days you needed to declare them a mess and give in to the fate the world had captured you in. So I spun around, deciding that today would be the first day I wouldn’t attend my classes. I wasn’t looking where I was going as I cursed my mom and dad in my head. This was their fault. It was a repeat of high school.
My stare was hyper focused on the pathway, determined to get off campus and escape to anywhere but here. So I didn’t see the person walking toward me until we collided. The air was knocked out of me, and I gasped for oxygen to enter my lungs. Had I just run into a brick freakin’ wall? Ouch.
Something wrapped around my biceps, holding me in place, and as I looked up and stared into the beautiful brown eyes, I finally took a breath.
“Sor—” I cut myself off as my gaze focused fully on the face only inches from mine. I’d seen him a week ago, and I wouldn’t forget him if my life depended on it. Those dark eyes and flawless skin were nothing compared to his plump lips which were…in a straight line. Shit.
His eyes narrowed on me as if he recognized me, but I knew he wouldn’t. I was a fleeting moment in the grand scheme of things, but as he opened his mouth, I wished he would have remembered me. For once I wanted to be seen and not forgotten about.
“You okay?” His deep timbre rolled around us. Goose bumps prickled over my skin, warning me of something, but I didn’t listen.
I nodded, so fast I made myself dizzy. “I’m fine.” I cleared my throat but didn’t move a single inch. His palms were burning through my T-shirt and I was sure he’d scorch my skin at any moment.
His fingers tensed, but he didn’t let go. He kept his hold on me, and I wondered if he realized. “It’s Luna, right?”
“I…” I blinked. “Yeah, it is.”
His lips pulled up into a smile. Not the same kind he’d given Cardo and Chiara, but it was still a genuine one. “The kids haven’t stopped talking about you.”
“The kids?” I swallowed and took a step back causing his hands to drop from my arms. It hadn’t even occurred to me that they were his kids. I’d been in a dream world when I met him, and if I was honest, I’d only thought about his face when I felt like I couldn’t get away from the loudness in my apartment. I hadn’t thought about who he was.
He ran his large hand over his jaw, the sound of his short scruff making me bite down on my bottom lip. “Yeah. Cardo and Chiara?” He tilted his head to the side, his brows lowering. “My brother and sister.”
“Oh!” I chuckled, feeling my breath rush out of me. “I wasn’t sure who…” I threw my hands in the air. “I mean…” I glanced away, then back to him. His full attention focused on me was almost too much to handle. “I wasn’t sure what…” I screwed up my nose, realizing that I was making no sense.
“You weren’t sure?” His lips kicked up on one side as he planted his hands on his hips, showcasing those damn forearms again. What was it about those things?
“I erm…” I stuttered a breath and took a step forward. I didn’t know why I moved closer to him. “I thought you might have been their dad.”
His eyes darkened, swirling with something I couldn’t quite place. Secrets. That was what it was. He was holding on to secrets.
“No.” His voice was deeper now. “I may as well be though.” He said it so low I almost didn’t hear him. But I did. His words floated to my ears whether he meant them to or not.
“Right,” I whispered. I was caught in a bubble with this man, one that I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t even know his name, yet I found myself utterly captivated by him. “So erm…you go here?”
His head snapped back, his stare meeting mine once again. “What?”
I bit down on my bottom lip. “I asked if you went here?”
“Me?” He pointed one of his long tan fingers at his chest. “Hell no.” He chuckled, probably trying to sound easy, but I saw through it. He was covering up whatever he was really feeling.
I wanted to know what it was. What was he trying to put a front up about? What was he trying to hide? I was a master at putting on my mask, but it seemed like so was he.
“Oh.” I stood taller, trying not to focus on the fact that I was in a threadbare pair of jeans and an oversized T-shirt. “So you’re here because…” His nostrils flared at my question, his lips down-turning into a straight line. I’d gone too far with the questions, and now the goose bumps on my skin were there for a different reason. “Sorry.” I shook my head and pulled my bag higher on my shoulder. “I tend to ask too many questions.”
“Yeah, you do,” he whipped back. I swallowed, widening my eyes at him. What was I doing? What was I thinking? “Whoa.” He chuckled again, this time sounding totally different. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” He stepped forward, leaving just inches between us. “I was joking, Luna.”
The way he said my name felt like sunshine warming my skin on a hot day. He was so close I could feel the heat from his body.
I wanted to get closer. I wanted his hands on my arms again. I wanted to feel what I did when he’d first touched me: like nothing else mattered. Because right now all I could think about was everything happening in my life. But for those few seconds when his fingers were wrapped around my arms, my brain was blissfully empty. And I needed more of that.
“I…” My chest heaved on a breath and his gaze dipped down at the movement. “I erm…” I’d lost my words. I didn’t know what to say, what to do, how to act.
“Why are you here, Luna?” he whispered, his deep baritone nearly causing me to moan.
“I go here,” I answered, keeping my voice low.
“No.” He glanced at my lips and tracked his tongue over his own in response. “What are you doing here? In this town?”
“I…I don’t know what you mean.” His eyes flashed again and I frowned. “I moved for college.”
“With your parents?”
I blinked rapidly, the spell broken, and stepped back. I hadn’t told him I’d moved here with my parents. All I’d said was that I’d moved here. “I erm…better head to class.” I hooked a thumb over my shoulder. I had no intention of going there, but I had to get away from him. I was flung in every direction with my emotions, not one of them sticking for long. “I’ll…see you around?”
“Maybe.” He winked and I swore I felt it all the way between my legs. Fuck. “Name’s Mateo, by the way.” He smirked, knowing exactly what he was doing, and I thought I liked that even more than the wink. He was confident, the opposite to me. Opposites attracted though, right?
I took several steps back, but he didn’t make a single movement. His feet were planted firmly to the ground as he watched me with hawklike eyes.
“Mateo,” I whispered, loving the way his name sounded coming out of my mouth. I was crushing on him—hard. “See you around, Mateo.” I stared at him for a final few seconds, committing him to my memory, then spun around, walking away from him and feeling the burn of his eyes on my back.
Maybe moving here wasn’t a bad idea after all.
* * *
MATEO
Lorenzo leaned back in his chair at the head of the table, his gaze not focusing on a single person in the room. “The security system is fully updated.” He held a tumbler of whiskey in his hand and swirled it in the crystal glass. “Things are gonna be different from now on.” He stared at each of us in turn. “I’m re-evaluating every person in the…” He pau
sed, trying to find the right word. “Business.”
He left that hanging in the air as we all stayed silent. When Lorenzo took over after his father’s death, he’d made changes, but it was nothing compared to what he was doing now. He was clearing house, getting rid of the dead weight, and creating his own legacy. It was a new era, one that we were all on board with.
Christian—Lorenzo’s best friend and current underboss—stepped forward. “What do you mean you’re re-evaluating?” He ran his hand through his short black hair, his usual stern face in place. I’d worked with Christian for eight years, but I still had trouble reading what he was thinking. It was a good thing as long as you weren’t on his bad side.
Lorenzo leaned forward, dropping his glass on the wooden table with a clink. “I mean…” He narrowed his eyes at Christian. “I’m looking at every member and deciding what their place will be here.” He tilted his head at him, and it was obvious this wasn’t something that they’d discussed. This was clearly the first time Christian had heard any of this. “You’ve been my best friend since before I can remember, Christian,” he ground out. “But don’t question the way I run things.”
Christian took a step back, silently submitting to the boss. “I wasn’t.”
Lorenzo stared at him for way longer than was comfortable, pushing his point home. “Good.” He cleared his throat and grinned over at me. “First order of business: I’m making you a captain.” I opened my mouth to reply, but before I got the chance, he turned to face Romeo. “You’re going to be his first soldier. Learn from Mateo, because you’ll be a captain when you’re ready too.”
Romeo nodded not showing a single emotion on his face. But I wasn’t as calm as he was. It had never been my desire to climb the ranks, even though I knew there were perks to being a captain. Perks that would help not just me, but the kids too.
“Are you sure?” I asked, flinching when I realized I was second-guessing him, but I still couldn’t stop myself. “What about the security and—”
“You’ll still be doing that.” Lorenzo clasped his hands in front of him. “You’ve been loyal from the start, Mateo. I’ve never doubted what you can do, and now you get rewarded for that.” He paused, his eyes flashing with emotion. “Take the promotion and use it to get you and your brother and sister the hell out of that apartment.” He stood, not saying another word, and all I could do was nod.
I’d taken every job he’d given me over the last eight years and not questioned it once. He’d been there for more in more ways than giving me a paycheck at the end of the month. He’d become my family, and now it was time to do what he did. He took care of his, now I needed to take care of mine once and for all.
“Now…” Lorenzo turned to face his uncle Antonio and uncle Alonzo. “As for security, you all have the satellite phones. Use them. If I see a call from your usual cells, I’ll have to question all of your positions. Got it?” The threat was loud and clear, but we all knew it wasn’t only a threat. He would follow through with it. There was no doubt in my mind.
“Got it,” everyone murmured.
“Good.” He rolled his neck from side to side. “Aida has cooked dinner. I told her you’ll all be staying.” Lorenzo picked his glass up without another word and left the room. Christian was the first to follow him out, followed by Antonio and Alonzo, but Romeo stayed back with me.
“What happens now?” he asked me.
“I…” I wasn’t sure what happened now. What did I do as captain? Was I meant to send Romeo on jobs? I was in the midst of the unknown, but as I opened my mouth to tell him that, I stopped myself. I was in a position of authority and one sign of weakness could be the death of me—literally. “Be here at nine tomorrow and I’ll show you all the new security.”
“Heard,” Romeo said with a clip of his head. He waited several seconds, staring me straight in the eye. I had no idea what he was waiting for, but as I took a step toward him, he took one back. I blinked, trying not to think too much into it. Romeo didn’t show much emotion, but he was always there to get his hands dirty when necessary. His father, Antonio, was a master torturer, and I wondered if Romeo had picked any of that up from him.
I lifted my arm, signaling the door. I needed to be the last one in here to input the security code into the keypad to alarm the room. It was full of information no one could get their hands on, and I intended to keep it that way.
“Right,” he murmured, shaking his head as he turned. I didn’t know Romeo well, but then, I didn’t think anyone did. The unknown was more dangerous than anything. He may have had the family blood running through his veins, but that didn’t mean he got the automatic trust. My gut told me to keep a close eye on him, and as he was now my responsibility, anything that he did would come back on me.
I stared at the back of his head, not a single hair out of place, as I followed him out of the room. I waited until he was at the dining room door until I input the code and waited for the bolts from the other side of the door to click into place.
It had almost become a tradition to have dinner here at least once a week, but since Mom had sent the babysitter away last week, everything in me screamed to get home as quick as I could. Lorenzo had demanded we all stay, and there was no way I could rebuff him. Which meant I had no choice but to go into the dining room and wait it out until I could leave.
The table was already full of everyone, only two seats left open. I headed to the seat I normally sat in opposite Christian. His stare met mine, a brow raised. He was still reeling from what Lorenzo had announced, and both he and I knew what was happening right now would change the entire organization.
Maybe that was what it needed though. Things had been done the same way for such a long time. People had changed, technology had advanced. What worked back then wouldn’t work now. We had to move with the times, even if that meant leaving some people behind.
“How was the meeting?” I heard Sofia murmur to Christian. Her hand landed on his arm. My head tilted at the movement, and my gaze immediately veered over to Lorenzo, but he was too occupied talking to Aida and his ma.
“Nothing you need to know about,” Christian answered, but there was a softness to his voice that wasn’t usually there. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as they looked at each other with small smiles on their faces.
They were in their own little bubble, just like I’d been in with Luna the other day. My stomach rolled at the memory of her. There was something about her soulful eyes that called to me, but it was nothing compared to how her lips begged me to touch them.
I’d gotten Mr. Blue to do a background check on her. He’d told me the full check wouldn’t be ready for a few more days, but I’d gotten the basics from him almost right away. She’d moved here for college, and so had her parents. Something didn’t feel right, and not just because of the way she held herself and then me seeing her sitting outside the apartment block in the dark, but because my gut told me.
I’d always listened to my gut, even when it told me things I didn’t want to hear.
“Mateo?” I snapped my head around, my eyes widening. “Did you listen to a thing I just said?” Aida asked, her lips pulled up into a smile, but the dimness in her eyes couldn’t be veiled. She hadn’t been herself since Paolo. She probably never would be.
“Sorry.” I laughed, trying to ease the tension rolling through my body. I couldn’t think straight, not when I had so much rolling around in my mind.
“It’s okay.” She frowned, leaning forward. “I said I’ve got leftovers for you to take home.” I glanced at the middle of the table where her famous pasta was sitting, steaming and inviting. Everyone gathered whenever she decided she was going to cook, and I couldn’t blame them because it was the best damn pasta I’d ever eaten.
“Oh, okay.” I tried to smile, but her words reminded me that while I was surrounded by this family, mine were alone at home, trying to fend for themselves. “I…” I cleared my throat, my gaze veering to Lorenzo. It was already 6
p.m. which meant the kids had been home for several hours now.
He clipped his head in a small nod, answering my unspoken question. My plate was only half empty, but I didn’t care because all I could think about were Cardo and Chiara at home alone—well, technically Mom was there, but she wasn’t really, she hadn’t been there for as long as I could remember.
I pushed my chair back, clearing my throat to gain the attention of everyone around the table. “I’m heading out.” I stepped around my seat and pushed it back in. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Aida stood, rushing out of the room but I didn’t take any notice of her as I headed toward Lorenzo. I halted next to him as he opened his mouth and murmured, “You got Romeo, yeah?”
“Yeah.” I glanced over at him, raising a brow as he shoveled mountains of pasta into his mouth. “I’m gonna show him the security upgrades tomorrow.”
“Good.” Lorenzo leaned back in his seat, rubbing his chin. “He needs to come out from under his father.” His eyes flashed. He understood what it was like having to live in your father’s shadow. It was something I’d never understand because I’d never even met mine.
“Yeah.” I pushed my shoulders back, waiting to see if he said anything else, but when he didn’t, I said, “See you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow,” he echoed, and I took my leave, pushing through the door and into the main entryway.
Aida stood waiting patiently with a container full of food clutched to her chest. She smiled, her eyes lighting up. “Here.” She handed it to me. “Don’t forget you promised I could meet your brother and sister.”
I chuckled, pushing the container under one arm. “I know.” I paused, trying to find the right words. Right now wasn’t the time, not after everything that had happened over the last couple of months.
“You don’t have to say it,” she whispered. “Not right now.” She huffed out a breath, her shoulders slumping. “I hate living like this.”
“It’ll get better,” I told her, trying to keep the hope in my voice, but it was hard because part of me wasn’t sure it ever would get better. There would always be someone trying to take Lorenzo down.
Mateo Caputo: Unseen Underground Page 5