“I…” I swallowed. “I don’t know what to say.” The prospect of my dad getting clean and staying clean was a wish I wasn’t sure I should hope for, but it was there nonetheless. I wanted my dad in my life. I wanted him to be part of what Mateo and I had. “Wait.” I pulled my hand out of Mateo’s hold. “So he wasn’t there with my mom?”
“No. It was all her,” he clipped out.
I stared down at my fingers, recalling what she’d said to me. She’d thought Mateo had taken Dad. And technically he had. But he was helping him.
“What about my mom?” I asked, my voice small. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know where she was or what she was doing. What she’d done was the final straw for me. We couldn’t go back, not after the way she’d treated me. Not after…
My gaze drifted to my arm, hating the mark left behind from the needle. I’d never touched a drug or any substance in my life, and part of me wondered whether I would be an addict like my parents now. But the thought of taking anything made me feel physically sick.
“She’s dead.”
I choked on a lungful of air. “What?”
“Romeo shot her.”
He was being matter of fact, telling me the truth and not leaving anything out. I appreciated it more than he’d ever know.
“Romeo?” I looked over his shoulder, hearing murmurs coming from downstairs. “Where are Cardo and Chiara?”
“School.” He turned to look in the same direction as me. “Aida and Lorenzo are here to see how you are.” He paused, his head turning back around to face me. “And Romeo.”
“He’s downstairs?” My breaths turned choppy, my head spinning. “I need to go down there.” I lifted off the bed, my legs feeling wobbly, but I was determined. I had to see. I had to look him in the eyes.
“Luna,” Mateo warned. “You need to stay in bed. The doctor said you could have a broken rib. And your—”
“Mateo,” I rushed out, standing in front of him. “I’m going downstairs.” I raised my brows. “You either help me or get out of my way.”
He grinned, his stupid lips spreading wider and wider. “There she is.” He winked, wrapped his arm around me, and helped me out of our bedroom. “I was wondering when your bossy side was gonna turn up.”
“My bossy side is always there, bubbling under the surface, ready to tell you to pick up the socks you leave lying all around the house.”
He chuckled. “You know I do it on purpose now, right?”
I grunted, knowing full well he did. I’d finally snapped at him a couple of weeks ago about his stupid socks, and now he did it even more. That was okay though, because as soon as I found out what I did that annoyed him, I’d being doing it every chance I had.
Wincing, I halted halfway down the stairs. “Maybe we should have asked him to come up to me instead.”
“Probably would have been a good idea.” Mateo’s gaze drifted over me. “I can just carry you down?”
“No.” I moved down another step. “I’ve got it. Ow. I think…”
“Stubborn,” he whispered.
“And don’t you forget it.”
He winked. “Never.”
We made it to the last step and I blew out a breath of relief. I had no idea how I was going to make it back up there, but now that we were downstairs, the voices were silent.
It was now or never.
I shuffled down the hallway and halted in the doorway to the living room. Aida gasped, standing from the sofa with her hand over her mouth. Lorenzo stayed seated in the seat next to her. But it wasn’t either of them I was looking for.
My head turned, searching for the man in question. And when I set eyes on him, my breathing picked up. Romeo leaned against the wall, but as our gazes met, he pushed up off it.
“Romeo,” I murmured.
His eyes shuttered down, locking himself away. But not before I saw his nerves clearly displayed.
My footsteps were slow as I crossed the room and stopped a foot away from him.
“Luna,” his tone was even, not giving anything away. I didn’t expect any different from him.
I raised my hand, placing it against his cheek, not able to find the right words for him. I swayed to the side, my pain taking me over, and he grabbed my elbow, keeping me upright.
“Thank you,” I whispered. It was the only two words that could explain how I felt. “Thank you for what you did.”
“What did I do?” he asked, not moving his eyes off of me.
The atmosphere built. Everyone in this room knew what he did, but maybe he needed me to confirm it.
“You killed her.” I whooshed out a breath. “You ended my pain. Pain I’ve spent a lifetime trying to fight against.” A tear slipped from my eye, but I didn’t move to swipe it away. “So…thank you.”
He stared at me, his brows furrowing. He may have been a hard ass, broody man, but there was part of him deep down inside that cared. It was buried so no one knew it was there. But I did now. I knew that he wasn’t just what he tried to portray. There was more to him, and I had every intention of dragging it out.
“You’re welcome,” he grunted. “You didn’t deserve what she did to you.”
I nodded, agreeing. But now it was over.
Truly over.
EPILOGUE
MATEO
I leaned against the door to the kitchen, watching as Aida and Luna made pasta with Lorenzo’s mom. They’d been in here for hours, cooking up a storm, getting ready for the traditional family dinner that happened on the first Friday of every month.
It was a tradition Aida had made after they’d gotten married, and even though Lorenzo didn’t want his house full of people, he didn’t have a choice. We may have ruled the organization, but it was the women who ruled us.
Luna’s head snapped up, her gaze meeting mine. The soft smile on her face told me that she was enjoying being in the kitchen with them, but it was also bittersweet. She’d never had a family like this, and I understood that it took time to get used to it. But she’d get there. It had taken me a while to understand that not everyone was against you. To accept the love offered freely and without conditions.
I winked at her, pushing up off the door. I’d only come up to check on them, needing a break from the basement. But now it was time to end this. We’d kept Tanner down there for three weeks, enough time to break him and to let Luna heal. I wasn’t sure she’d ever truly be the same, but she was adjusting, taking the good with the bad, and letting the people who loved her help.
She had no idea he was down there though. And she’d never find out. As far as she knew, Tanner was dead, just like her mom.
She blew me a kiss, her cheeks blushing as I caught it and placed it on my cheek. Her face had completely healed apart from a couple of scars that would fade with time. That was the thing with scars, the ones people could see were never as bad as the ones they couldn’t.
We knew that better than most.
Letting out a breath, I took one last look at her. I’d taken my fill, but now it was time to armor up and fix the final thing standing in the way.
I crossed the large hallway and entered Lorenzo’s office. It was silent, the soundproofing working a charm, but as soon as I opened the secret door, his screams blasted through. I darted through the opening, slamming the door behind me so that no one would hear.
My footsteps banged on the stairs, and when I got to the bottom, I sighed. He was still alive. Still not talking. At least, not in riddles anyway.
“Last chance,” Lorenzo warned, slicing at his stomach. He’d got at least a thousand cuts over his body, all in varying degrees of healing. Lorenzo was careful not to go too deep to make sure he stayed alive. He was no use dead, not until he’d told us who his boss was.
Tanner laughed, blood flowing out the side of his mouth. “What do you want to know?”
He was baiting us, just like he had for the last twenty-one days.
“You know what we want to know!” Lorenzo roared, his patience wearin
g thin.
I sauntered across the basement, my hand itching to reach for my gun. But I kept my cool, knowing that it would only be a matter of time.
Lorenzo sliced at his thigh, dangerously close to his balls. “Okay, okay!” He lifted his head, glancing at each of us in turn, but he eventually settled on Christian. “I’ll tell you what I know.” He licked his lips and swallowed, probably trying to wet his dry throat, but he’d been without water for days now. If the bullet I was going to put in his head wouldn’t kill him, then the starvation and cuts would. Either way, he wasn’t leaving this basement unless it was in a body bag. “I know that you have a little sister.” He wasn’t looking away from Christian. Fuck. “Sofia. That’s her name, right?”
“Motherfucker,” Christian gritted out.
“How’s it feel being deep inside her pussy?” he asked Christian. “I bet it’s as tight as her ass, huh?”
Lorenzo whipped his head between Christian and Tanner. “The fuck did you just say?”
“You wanted to know what I know.” He shrugged, but it was hard considering he was taped to a broken chair. It teetered on three legs, effectively keeping him awake most of the time. “And what I know, is that your second-in-command is fucking your little sister.”
I froze to the spot, not daring to look at Christian who was as still as a marble statue next to me.
“Mateo,” Lorenzo barked out. “Take your revenge.”
I didn’t waste a single second. My hand snapped to my waistband, my palm curling over the butt of my gun. My pointer finger rested on the trigger. I lined up my shot and emptied the clip inside him, leaving the last bullet for his forehead.
He fell to the ground, the chair smashing to pieces, but it stayed attached to his corpse.
“Leave,” he told me, his one word warning me not to disobey him.
I knew what was coming. So did Christian.
He’d made the one mistake I wasn’t sure Lorenzo would ever forgive.
The third book in the
Unseen Underground Series
is coming soon!
You can pre-order Christian’s book here!
Acknowledgments
My first huge thank you needs to go to Paige. I can’t tell you how much you saved my tooth with this book! You’re the most awesomest Alpha Reader, PA, and editor/proofreader. Thank you for loving my stories as much as I do, and generally just being you! But most of all, thank you for reading these on a time constraint. I’m not sure what I’d do without you!
Thank you to my husband and two awesome daughters who never fail to make me smile and continue to support the crazy road that is being an author. I love you all lots and lots like jelly tots!
Linda. I swear I’d be lost without you! Thank you soooo much for everything you do. You’re always there no matter what, and I’m not sure what I’d do without you! You push me when I need to be pushed, and tell me to slow down when I need to stop. You save my ass more times than I can count, and I love you!
My proofreader, Judy. Thank you for putting up with me! Thank you for switching dates with me constantly. I swear, one of these days I’ll be on time. Never leave me, because I’d be lost without you!
I’d liked to say a huge thank you to my BETAs readers: Nikki & Yvonne. You ladies are amazeballs and I couldn’t do this without your continued support.
To my ARC team. You ladies are simply amazing and I love for each and every one of your messages! Thank you for taking the time to ready my stories, I appreciate so much.
To the bloggers who help share EVERYTHING. I love you so much, and I can’t put into words how grateful I am! You are a special bunch of people who continue to put a smile on my face.
To all the authors in the community. You continue to support me and I can’t thank you enough for that. I love our little slice of heaven, and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!
Lastly, I want to say thank you, to you. Thank you for taking a chance on this book. Thank you for reading. And thank you for being awesome!
Also by Abigail Davies
UNSEEN UNDERGROUND (Mafia Series)
Lorenzo Beretta (Arranged Marriage)
MAC SECURITY SERIES (Alpha Security/Military)
Book 1: Fractured Lies
Book 2: Exposed
Book 2.5: Flying Free (Standalone Spin-off)
Book 3: The Distance Between Us
Book 4: ReBoot
Book 5: Catching Teardrops
Six Book Boxset
* * *
THE EASTON FAMILY SAGA
Fallen Duet (Forbidden Angst)
Book 1: Free Fall
Book 2: Down Fall
Fated Duet (Student/Teacher Angst)
Book 1: Defy Fate
Book 2: Obey Fate
Bonded Duet (Age gap/Forbidden Angst)
Book 1: Torn Bond
Book 2: Tied Bond
Burned Duet (Age Gap/Emotional Angst
Book 1: Fast Burn
Book 2: Deep Burn
* * *
CONFESSIONS SERIES (Romantic Comedies)
Book 1: Confessions Of A Klutz
Book 2: Confessions Of A Chatterbox
Book 3: Confessions Of A Fratgirl
* * *
BROKEN TRACKS SERIES,
(co-authored with Danielle Dickson)
Book 1: Etching Our Way
Book 2: Fighting Our Way
* * *
A. A. DAVIES (Darker, alter ego)
Inferno World Novella
Verboten (Extreme Taboo.)
Carnaval Series
Coquette (Carnaval des Ténèbres: book 7)
Sinner (Carnaval de la Mort: Book 1)
* * *
About the Author
Abigail is the author of over twenty novels; her favorite to write being anything full of angst and drama. Her writing space is her safe haven where she can get lost—and tortured—in the world of her characters.
When not writing, Abi is mother to two beautiful daughters, a black cat, and a chocolate labrador.
Follow Abi on Facebook and Instagram to see all of her latest updates, and consider signing up to her newsletter to get a free novella!
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www.abigaildaviesauthor.com
Mateo Caputo: Unseen Underground Page 21