Romeo maneuvered me so that my hands were in front of me instead of behind. I didn’t make a move to get out of his grip. I’d take this and I’d live with the consequences. If I made it out alive, I’d get away from the apartment. I’d start over on my own. This was the wake up call I needed.
How had it come down to this?
“Stop,” a new frantic voice said.
I snapped my head up, staring behind Lorenzo as a man walked closer. I was seeing things. I had to be. “Mateo?” I whispered. Was I dreaming? I had to be dreaming.
“Stop,” he repeated, moving closer. He halted next to Lorenzo, his gaze boring into mine. His eyes swirled with so many emotions that I couldn’t keep up, but the one at the forefront was rage.
“What?” Lorenzo asked, turning his head to face Mateo. “Know your place, Mateo,” he ground out. “You may be a captain, but that doesn’t mean you make the decisions here.” His voice was as rough as sandpaper, the warning in his eyes so much louder than the words he’d spoken.
Captain? He was a captain?
“I need to talk to you,” Mateo said, turning his attention to Lorenzo.
Lorenzo raised a brow. “Then talk.”
Mateo’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, his gaze flicking between me and Lorenzo, but it also paused on where Romeo was holding me. “I…” His nostrils flares when his gaze paused on my forehead, probably noticing the blood there, and it took me right back to his apartment the day he’d cleaned up the cut on the other side of my head. And what had happened afterward…
My heart raced for a different reason, and when his eyes met mine, I knew he could see it—sense it.
“She’s…” He pushed his hand through his hair, messing it up, but I kind of preferred it that way. “Fuck.” He stretched his hands out beside him then curled them into fists. “She’s mine.”
My eyes widened, and I blinked rapidly. Did he just…
“Yours?” Lorenzo murmured, the knife still firmly in his grasp and only inches from my arm. The atmosphere in the room plunged to ice-cold levels. I shivered.
“Yeah. Mine.” Mateo took a step closer to me. His eyes locked with mine, everything now shuttered down so I couldn’t see what he was thinking. But he was searching, looking for what, I had no idea, but that didn’t stop him. He didn’t look away, frowning at me, or was that at himself? I couldn’t understand what was happening, all I knew was he was here. And he wouldn’t let them hurt me…would he?
* * *
MATEO
What was I doing? Losing my damn mind, that was what.
I’d stood at the back of the basement, taking everything in, trying to make sense of it. There was only one reason she’d steal drugs: her parents. In that moment, I realized we were so much more alike than I’d known. She was trying to do what was right for them, even if it put her in danger.
I was sure there was more to the story, and I had every intention of getting to the bottom of it. But right then, I had to get her the hell out of here before Lorenzo did something I wouldn’t be able to stop.
I’d claimed her as mine, but that wouldn’t be enough to stop him. Which was why I was searching her eyes for clarification. She’d taken the blame, but now I was her only savior.
“She’s my fiancée,” I finally said, knowing those three words would change the course of both of our lives. There’d be no backing out, not unless we both wanted Lorenzo’s wrath. And it wouldn’t be pretty.
Luna’s mouth popped open, her chest stilling as she held her breath. She was in shock. Good. It’d mean she wouldn’t say anything. All I needed was to get her out of this mansion and alone.
“My office.” Lorenzo flipped his knife closed. “Now.”
He turned on his heel, sauntering over to the stairs and then up them, leaving just the four of us down here. Romeo was still holding onto her arms, his knuckles white with the force. I’d been trying to figure out how the hell I was going to get her out of this situation, and now that my plan was in motion, my sense came back to me.
“If you know what’s good for you,” I growled at Romeo. “You’ll let her go.”
His nostrils flared. “She fuckin’ stole from me!”
“Romeo,” Rafael warned. He read the room; he was good at that. His older brother, not so much.
“You’ve got three seconds.” I scratched my brow, acting like I wasn’t bothered outwardly. “One.” He narrowed his eyes into thin slits. “Two.” He huffed out a breath, his anger vibrating off of him. “Thre—” He let her go with a shove and she bounced into Rafael who righted her. “Stay here,” I told her, then turned to Rafael. “Watch her.”
He nodded, giving me the signal that I could leave the basement. I pushed my hands into my pockets as I made my way up the stairs, feeling Romeo close behind me. On the outside I was calm and collected, but my brain was trying to piece together how to explain this to Lorenzo. I’d never mentioned Luna to him, but as I stepped into his office and stood on the other side of his desk, I realized Aida had met her. She’d told me she even had coffee with Luna. That could work in my favor.
Romeo clicked the secret door closed and stood a few feet away from me, facing Lorenzo who was sitting behind his desk, flipping his knife open and closed.
“You know,” he started, his voice rough. “I’ve never let a single person get away with stealing from me.” His eyes focused on the knife. “What makes you think I will this time?” He glanced up at me, his brow raised.
“I—”
“You think because she’s yours that it will make a difference?” he interrupted, dropping the knife to his desk with a clang. I winced at the impact of it, second guessing what I’d said. Maybe I’d been wrong. Maybe he’d still do what he always did.
But he’d stopped. He’d closed his knife and walked away. That had to mean something, right?
“I understand if you still have to punish her,” I told him, cracking my neck from side-to-side.
He stared at me, not looking away for even a millisecond. It was what he’d wanted to hear, and even though I didn’t want Luna to get hurt—especially when I knew she hadn’t stolen for herself—it didn’t mean I wouldn’t understand. The repercussions could be vast.
“How long?” he asked.
“A few months.” It was a lie. I hadn’t known her that long. I did the math in my head, trying to figure out how long it had been, but I knew it hadn’t been longer than two months. “Luna goes to the same college as Aida.” At the sound of his wife’s name, he sat upright. He was listening intently now. “Aida’s met her.”
“This is bullshit!” Romeo shouted. “She fuckin’ stole from me!”
“No.” Lorenzo swiped his arm through the air, standing as he did. “She stole from me.” A muscle in his jaw jumped. “You’re pushing your fuckin’ luck with me, Romeo.”
Romeo reeled back, but his anger was on full display for us all to see. “Dad would never let this fly.” He stormed back toward the secret door. “If you’re not gonna do it, then I will.”
“Take one more step,” I warned him, my voice low and deadly. “And I won’t hesitate to end you, even if it means I’ll take a bullet to the head right after.” I was revealing my hand, but I had no choice. Lorenzo had control, he knew when to stop, he knew when he was most effective. But Romeo was a wild card.
His body froze, his hand latched onto the door handle. It’d take him less than a minute to get down to the basement and shoot Luna between the eyes. I wouldn’t get there in time to save her.
Romeo turned, oh so slowly, his dark eyes fuming as he met my stare. “You threaten to take my life?” He puffed his chest out. “You don’t belong here. Your blood isn’t our blood.” He slapped his hand on his chest, pushing the point home. If he thought his words would affect me, he was wrong. I knew I belonged here. I knew I had a place in this organization—in this family.
“Wrong,” Lorenzo snapped. “He has a place here.” He took two steps toward Romeo. “I warned you earlier, no
w I’m warning you again. And this will be the last time I say this.” He pulled in a breath. “Know your damn place. You don’t run this show. I do. What I say is law. Remember that, because one click of my fingers, and you’re out.” He took one last step. “Understood?”
Romeo’s face turned bright red, his rage leaking out of him like an uncontrollable dam. “Understood,” he gritted out.
Lorenzo waited a beat, and when he was satisfied, he clipped out, “Bring the girl up here.”
Romeo blinked, instantly shuttering his emotions behind his usual brick wall. His movements were slow as he reached for the door handle again, and when he was gone, I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe my plan would work after all.
“Family isn’t always blood,” Lorenzo murmured as we waited. “But that doesn’t mean family are here for a free ride.” I glanced at him. “Get him under control. I won’t step in again.”
I nodded, letting him know I understood what he was saying. It was my job as Romeo’s captain to show him the right way. He’d been a soldier under his father, Antonio, for a year, and it showed. He was too quick to anger, too eager to cause harm. We were a criminal organization, but that didn’t mean we used violence as a first resort. It was always the last thing on our list. The moment we lost sight of the end game, we would become vulnerable.
The door creaked, announcing their arrival. Rafael was first, then Luna, and in the rear was Romeo. My pulse thrummed as her stare met mine, so many questions in her blue eyes. Questions I knew I’d have to answer, but not here, not now. And not without a damn explanation of my own. I’d put everything on the line for her. And now time was ticking. I’d told Lorenzo she was my fiancée. Which meant we had to get married. It wasn’t something I could take back, something I could stretch out. It’d make him doubt who I was if he didn’t see the results soon.
“Looks like it’s your lucky day,” Lorenzo said, his lips quirking on one side. “Mateo here has claimed you.” He glanced at Luna. “You’re to be his wife?”
My heart skipped as I waited for her to answer. He wanted clarification from her end too. It was a trick I’d seen him use time and time again, though never on me.
“I…” Luna’s gaze ping-ponged around the room. “Yes,” she whispered. She’d worked out what was going on here, knowing this was her only way out. And it made me wonder how many times she’d been in situations with people on the wrong side of the law. The neighborhood she’d grown up in wasn’t one you walked alone in, yet she’d survived it with only one arrest.
“Good.” Lorenzo grinned. “You may go.” She snapped her head around to me, her eyes so wide I was sure they’d pop out of her head at any second. “Oh, and Luna?” Lorenzo tapped his finger on his desk. “I expect you not to tell my wife how we met.”
“O-of course,” she stammered.
Lorenzo sat down behind his desk, pulled his cell out, effectively ending all conversation. I held my hand out to Luna, but she just stared at it for several seconds. “Luna,” I whispered, my voice causing her to jerk. “Let’s go.”
Her gaze flicked between my face and my hand, but she finally moved closer and put her hand in mine. She gripped it tight but I didn’t acknowledge it as I led her out of the office and through the mansion.
“Mateo,” she whispered.
“Not here,” I ground out, knowing there were eyes and ears who would see and hear anything we did. We had to keep up this front until we were alone.
We walked to my SUV that was parked in front of Romeo’s car. I opened the passenger side door for her then closed it once she’d climbed inside. I felt the burn of eyes on me as I sauntered around to the driver’s side. I didn’t look up though. I didn’t want a distraction, not while Luna was here. I had to get her as far away as possible. We were on borrowed time, and now we had no choice in the next steps we’d have to take.
I started the engine, drove out of the mansion gates, and headed toward the apartment block. I hadn’t been back here since I’d watched her from my SUV. Fuck.
“Who’s his wife?” she asked, her voice raw.
“Aida.” I didn’t give her anything else. The farther we got from the mansion, the more my need to keep her safe made way for my own anger. She’d put herself in a situation that was going to change both of our lives. She’d caused this. She’d tied me down when I’d never wanted more than a one night thing.
At least, that was what I was going to keep telling myself.
The familiar roads of my old neighborhood came into view, and I couldn’t keep it inside any more. I couldn’t keep a lid on it, no matter how much I tried. “Why?” I slammed my hand on the steering wheel. “Why the fuck would you steal from Romeo?”
“I…” I turned, narrowing my eyes on her arms as she wrapped them around herself. “I didn’t know who it was.”
“I didn’t ask that,” I fumed, pulling into the apartment block. I squealed to a stop then reversed in the spot I’d always used. “I asked: why?”
Her head tilted, her eyes narrowing up at her apartment. “It doesn’t matter.”
“The hell it doesn’t.” I turned the engine off, my breaths coming faster. I wasn’t going to get anything out of her. Not here. “Get out.”
She didn’t say a word as she reached for the handle and opened the door. She glanced back but frowned when she saw me getting out too. I clicked the button on my fob to lock the SUV, then walked around to her.
“What are you doing?”
I grasped her hand, not letting it go when she tried to pull away, and walked us up the stairs and to her apartment. She didn’t want to explain to me why she’d done it, so I wouldn’t tell her what I was doing.
“Mateo.”
Not answering her, I pushed open her apartment door, already knowing it would be unlocked. People like her parents had no grasp of safety. “Get your things,” I told her, letting go of her hand as I slammed the door closed.
“My things?” She shook her head, glancing around the empty apartment. “Why?”
“Because I fuckin’ said so, Luna!” I pulled in a breath, my nostrils flaring. I needed to keep control of myself, but it was damn hard. “What did you think?” I advanced on her. “That I would drop you here and forget all about you?”
She scoffed. “You didn’t find it that hard the first time.” She pursed her lips, her own anger mixing with mine.
“That was different,” I told her, backing her up until her body was flush with the wall. I didn’t stop until our chests were pressed together. “You just committed the rest of your goddamn life to me, baby. Now do as I say and get your fuckin’ things so we can leave.”
Her chest heaved, her cleavage spilling out of her top with each breath she took, begging me to touch her. But I wouldn’t. Not now. Not here.
“You…” She growled low in her throat. “I don’t want to lea—” She cut herself off, sadness and pain swirling in her eyes. Had she said that before today, I probably would have believed her, but right then, even she was doubting herself. “Fine,” she relented.
I bent at my knees, bringing our faces level. One last look then I backed away. She was going to be the fuckin’ death of me, but somehow I thought I might just enjoy it.
CHAPTER 11
LUNA
He was bossy.
Infuriating.
Overbearing.
But damn if I couldn’t be grateful for what he’d done.
He’d gotten me out of an impossible situation, and now I was back here, in my apartment. My empty apartment.
I had no idea where my mom and dad were, and if I was being honest, I didn’t care in that moment. I didn’t want to see them, not after everything that had happened. Footsteps echoed from downstairs, and I had no doubt Mateo was taking a look around the apartment, witnessing what I had to live with on a daily basis.
Inhaling a calming breath, I tried to stop the shaking in my hands as I grabbed the few things I owned and threw them into a trash bag. My books were all lined up n
eatly in my backpack, my laptop the only missing thing. They’d stolen from me and I’d stolen for them.
I flopped down on the edge of my bed, staring at the half-filled trash bag and backpack. I was a fool. A tear slid down my cheek. Dammit. I wasn’t this person. I wasn’t the girl who cried at things. I kept my shoulders pushed back and met every challenge head on by myself.
But now Mateo had stepped in. He’d taken up for me. He didn’t have to do that, but he did.
I had so many questions. Questions I wasn’t sure I would get answers to, but I was determined to at least try.
“Luna?”
I shot up off the bed. “Coming.” I put my arm through the strap in my backpack and wound the top of the trash bag around my wrist and palm then walked out of the room that had kept me safe for the last couple of months. Had it really only been that long? How had things taken such a drastic turn in such a short amount of time?
Mateo was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for me. “That everything?” he asked.
“Yep.”
He nodded, took the trash bag from me, then pulled the front door open, not saying another word as we walked down the stairs and to his SUV. We were halfway across the makeshift parking lot, nearly home free and away from the one place I’d dreaded coming back to every day, when someone shouted.
I spun around, nearly losing my balance thanks to the weight of the books in my bag.
“Mateo!” the woman shouted, running over to us. “Hey, don’t ignore me, you bastard!”
I reeled back at her words and turned to look at Mateo. He placed my trash bag of things into the back of the SUV, acting like he hadn’t heard her, then closed the door. “Luna,” he said, his tone calm. “Get in the car.”
“I—”
“Don’t you fuckin’ leave!” the woman shouted, running at him. I winced as she passed by me, taking in her dirty bare feet and greasy hair hanging in thin strands around her face.
“Luna,” he repeated, and at the sound of his voice, I sprung into action, darting to the SUV, but I wasn’t quick enough because she blocked it with her body.
Mateo Caputo: Unseen Underground Page 12