Matteo (The Syndicates series Book 1)

by Cala Riley

  “The fire pulled me in. I hope it’s okay I started a fire. It was cooler and I’ve always wanted a fireplace.”

  “It’s fine. That’s what fireplaces are for. Anything that makes you happy makes me happy,” he says, running his nose up my neck.

  Tilting my head to the side, I ask, “Did your meeting go well?”

  “It did.” Matteo leans back, stripping off my hoodie.

  “Sure, you can take my clothes off,” I tease, making him chuckle.

  I don’t admit it, but it’s a relief. He hasn’t gone further than a few chaste kisses the past couple of days.

  “Did you have a good evening?”

  “I did.”

  “You know I don’t think I’ve ever used this fireplace,” Matteo muses.

  “That’s a shame.” I sigh, leaning farther into him, letting him play with my body. “I love everything about a good fire. The smell, the heat.”

  “What else do you love?” he rasps, flicking my nipple through my shirt, making me gasp.

  “That,” I say, breathlessly.

  “Yeah? You want more?”

  “Yes, please,” I moan as he rolls my nipple between his fingers.

  He stops only to peel my shirt off, smiling when he sees I didn’t wear a bra.

  “I should yell at you for walking around without a bra. What if Nico saw you? I can’t though. Not with you looking like this.” He moves around me, laying a blanket out in front of the fire. “Lie down.”

  I do as he asks. He leans down, kissing me once before sitting up and pulling my pants and panties down in one go.

  Then he strips down. He kisses the inside of my knee, then my stomach before kissing my lips. As he leans in, my legs open, allowing him to settle between them.

  This time it’s different. Gone is the rough guy who likes to mix my pain with the pleasure. In his place, this gentle giant worshipping my body.

  He pulls back, kissing along my jaw back to my ear. “I missed you today.”

  My heart hammers in my chest. “I missed you too.”

  “Let me show you how much I missed you,” he whispers against my ear before kissing his way back to my lips.

  One of his hands cups my head while the other moves down my body. He leans in for a passionate kiss, his hand finally making it to where he wants. He slowly sticks a finger inside me, his tongue thrusting in time with his fingers.

  I arch my back into him as he curls his fingers up, hitting a spot within that makes my vision dance. I gasp into his mouth, but he doesn’t let up. He keeps pressing until I break, crying out with pleasure.

  “I love hearing the noises you make. I love watching the face you make when you finally let go,” he murmurs against my lips.

  I love you, I think, but stop myself from saying out loud.

  I love him. Holy fuck, I love him.

  He pulls his fingers out, slowly sliding his dick in their place. He pulls back, looking me in the eye as he buries himself to the hilt.

  My eyes water as I see the adoration shining in his. The way he is looking at me makes me feel like he actually cares about me.

  I lean up, pressing my lips softly to his. He continues a slow, languid pace, building the momentum of my orgasm while showing me with kisses.

  This isn’t the rough sex we have normally.

  No, this is different. This is what I imagine it feels like when you are intimate with the one you love.

  The fire crackling behind us only adds to the emotions swirling in the room, adding a romantic flair to the moment.

  When I finally climax, I arch up into him as he whispers sweet words in Italian into my ear. I don’t understand most of the words, but there’s one I do.

  Cara. Sweetheart. His nickname for me.

  He pumps into me a few more times before he finds his own release. Once he pulls out, he lies next to me on the blanket, pulling my back into his front.

  We fall asleep lying there, naked in front of the firelight.

  Matteo and I are curled up on the couch, watching a movie. Just enjoying the quiet time together. His phone vibrates underneath my thigh. I lean up, giving him room to remove his phone from his pocket.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” He pulls me back down onto his chest, making me giggle.

  “Don’t you need to answer that?” I ask, tilting my head.

  “If it’s important they will call back, or Nico will come in here,” he says, nuzzling my neck.

  I hum. “That is true.” I lean in to kiss him only to stop when his phone vibrates again, making him groan.

  As I move to the side, giving him room, the front door opens and closes, Nico coming in.

  “Yeah?” Matteo stands, walking toward the window. He nods as he listens to the person on the other end. “Be there soon.”

  He hangs up, turning toward us.

  “I need to go. Nico will stay here with you. There will be a guard out front too,” he tells me.

  “Go.” I nod. “I’ll be fine, promise.”

  “I’ll give you two a minute,” Nico says, letting himself out.

  I stand, walking over to Matteo.

  “I don’t want to leave you without me, but it’s dangerous out there,” he murmurs.

  “It will be fine, Matteo. The guy will be outside in his car, watching, and I have Nico. He’s the best, isn’t he? I’ll make sure the doors are locked. You have nothing to worry about,” I tell him, rubbing his arms.

  Matteo pulls me into his arms, hugging me tight.

  “Go, you don’t want to keep them waiting,” I whisper.

  Matteo leans down, kissing me softly. “I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

  “I know.” I pull back. “Go.”

  Matteo walks away, throwing one last look over his shoulder. He hesitates like he wants to say something, but then shakes his head.

  “Lock the door,” he demands.

  “Yes, sir.” I smirk, walking him to the door.

  “You’ll pay for that.” He smirks back as I close the door behind him.

  I flip the lock, laughing.

  “Don’t I know it,” I say to myself.

  At first, I go back to watching the movie we were watching, but then I turn it off. I don’t mind movies and television shows, but I prefer the cooking ones. I find them more entertaining.

  I flip through the channels when I find a competition cooking show on. It’s one of my favorites. They take random items and make them into a dish. I feel like it’s what I do in the kitchen.

  I don’t know how long I hang out on the couch watching television when I hear it.

  Pop. Pop. Pop.

  Sitting up, I frown, waiting to hear it again.

  It could have been a gunshot, but I’ve also heard firecrackers sound like that. Could it have been that?

  Nico hasn’t barged in yet, so it must be nothing.

  Just as I’m about to come out of the corner, a banging on the door startles me.

  “Open the door, Vanessa,” the voice demands.

  Ricky. How did he find me?

  Quietly as possible I stand and take off down the hall. The door explodes behind me, making me jump.

  Running into Matteo’s office, I slide around and hide under his desk. I see the emergency button he showed me and I hit it, relieved. He said within minutes his army of men would come for me.

  All I can hope is that they make it in time.

  Where’s Nico? I think.

  I’m worried about what this means for him.

  “Come out, come out wherever you are.” Ricky laughs, stomping each step up the stairs. “It’s better to come out willingly than make me grab you myself.”

  I cover my mouth, trying not to make a sound.

  “You know I killed the man outside, right? The one who should be watching you.”

  I tense as his footsteps get closer.

  He said man, not men. I note to myself.

  Nico could still be alive.

  “If you don’t leave
with me now, I’ll kill your little boyfriend too. Did you think I didn’t see you guys cuddling with each other? That I haven’t been watching you this whole time?”

  The tears start to fall when he pounds on the top of the desk.

  “But do you know what I will do before I kill him? I’ll take you right in front of him. Make him watch me own you.” He leans over the edge of the desk. “I knew you weren’t smart, but under the desk, really?”

  He jumps over the desk and grabs me by the arm, pulling me out from under the desk.

  “Let go!” I demand, sobbing.

  Ricky laughs, pushing me into the desk and bending me over, pinning me down. “He has cameras all over the house, you know. He’s probably watching us right now. Want to give him a show?”

  “Never.” I grimace as he presses my head into the desk.

  He turns me around and smirks. “Who knew you were so pretty under all that grunge.” He runs his thumb over my lip. I purposely try to bite his thumb.

  He snatches his hand back.

  “I’ll have fun with those puffy little lips later. Now, I want you to walk out of here with me willingly. If you don’t, this device.” He holds out his hand showing me a remote. “Will blow this place to smithereens. I’ll wait until your boyfriend comes to rescue you, then blow the place and make you watch, unable to save him.”

  I swallow hard. “I’ll go with you.”

  “Good girl. Let’s go then.” He reaches his hand out.

  I place mine in his reluctantly. Even if this turns out bad, everything will be okay. I can’t let Matteo suffer because he took me in. Even if he kidnapped me at first, it was for my own good. All he ever did was take care of me.

  I never even got to tell him I loved him.

  I shake the thoughts out of my head as he heads down the stairs.

  “Move along now. I know they will be here fairly quickly. I set up some distractions, but they won’t last forever.”

  The jovial way he speaks chills me to the bone. This guy is unhinged. I always knew something was wrong with him, but seeing him now, I realize I underestimated him.

  “Come on, dear. We need to walk a little ways before we can get into the car.”

  As he leads me around the front of the house, I spot Nico kneeling in the bushes. He holds a finger up to his lips, indicating I stay quiet.

  I look back forward, tensing.

  When we step past our fence toward the next-door neighbors, Nico makes his move. He jumps out of the bush, straight onto Ricky’s back.

  “Run,” Nico yells.

  I don’t hesitate. I take off running in the opposite direction that Ricky was taking me. I look back, watching as Ricky points the gun at Nico and shoots.

  “No,” I scream out, stumbling forward onto my knees.

  “Enough of this,” Ricky calls out. “Do you want me to blow him up?”

  I pull myself to my feet, making my way back to him.

  “I’ll let that one slide, but the next time I won’t be so generous. Were you fucking the guard too? He seemed awfully willing to die for you.” He chuckles. “Man, Little Miss Innocent gets around. No wonder you made it on the streets as long as you did. I knew you had to be doing something to deny me so many times.”

  I keep quiet, squeezing my eyes when I make it next to him.

  “Don’t want to tell your lover goodbye?”

  I whimper when he grabs the back of my head.

  “Please,” I cry.

  “Look at him. I want you to see what disobedience causes.”

  I slide my eyes open, my tears falling freely.

  I stare at Nico’s lifeless form lying on the ground, a bullet hole in his neck.

  We never even fully got back to where we once were. Nico was my best friend in the truest sense of the word. Yes, I spent time with Matteo, but Nico was my confidant. He was the one who was there with me every day.

  “Good. I think you learned your lesson. Let’s go.”

  He grabs my arm, dragging me down the street. It’s not that I’m fighting him. No, he has to drag me because I’m numb. All that I can see is the image of Nico lying on the cold pavement outside the house that was once my home.

  As soon as we get to a car a couple blocks away, he pulls a bag over my head. Then he secures my wrists with zip ties.

  “Can’t have you trying to escape. Don’t worry. We will be there soon enough.”

  It’s hard to judge time and distance, especially in the city. What seems like hours could actually only be minutes while a mile could really be three houses down. Traffic in the city is a different kind of hell.

  It feels like at least an hour and a half passes when we finally come to a stop. I know we aren’t in the heart of the city anymore. I could hear the traffic lessen the further we went. If I had to guess, we are probably in one of the outer boroughs, or maybe even Jersey.

  The front door opens and shuts. Then the door next to me opens. Ricky reaches in, pulling me from the car. He grabs my arm, guiding me since I can’t see. I hear something metal scrape against more metal.

  “We’re going down steps. Be careful, or else I’ll have to carry you.”

  I shiver. I don’t want him anywhere near me.

  He guides me to the first step. I tap my foot out until I find the edge, moving down onto the next step. I repeat the process until I hear him speak.

  “This is the last step.”

  Once at the bottom, he pushes me forward.

  “Hands above your head.” He chuckles. “You seem to like that.”

  Bile threatens to rise in my throat at his implication.

  “How long have you been watching me?”

  He grabs my wrists, cutting the zip ties off and replacing them with some type of cloth or rope.

  “Long enough. You’re a dirty girl, aren’t you? Candle wax? Handcuffs? All things a good girl shouldn’t be messing with.”

  This time the bile does come up, landing on the bag in front of me, splashing back into my face.

  “Disgusting.” He pulls the bag off my head.

  I look at the room, but it’s not much. The walls are concrete with two metal tables in one corner and a chair in another.

  He grabs my wrists again, attaching them to a hook hanging from the ceiling.

  “You have puke on your face. Gross. Is this what you two are into? Maybe I should count my blessing that you never took me up on my offer.” He uses the clean side of the bag he put over my head to wipe my face.

  “There, much better.”

  “Why are you doing this? I never did anything to you.”

  He chuckles. “Honestly, I don’t even care about you. You’re the cherry on top. I’ve been trying to take down the mafia in Queens for almost a year now. Imagine how surprised I was when I saw a certain mafia capo looking at a video of pretty little Vanessa on his phone. It looked like a camera feed, but I knew it was you as soon as I saw you. I wouldn’t forget a body like yours. I was trying to find info on whatever he was working on, but he was more worried about watching you. That’s when I knew. I was going to have you.”

  “Matteo doesn’t care about me. You’re wrong. I was his prisoner,” I lie through my teeth.

  “That’s why he let you go shopping with the precious queen and her two friends, right? Or why he takes you home with him every Sunday? Don’t play me for the fool. The guy loves you. He’ll come for you. When he does, I’ll be ready.”

  “Please. Don’t hurt him,” I beg, not liking the sinister smile on Ricky’s face.

  “I love to hear you beg, but I have things to do. Hang out for a while, why don’t you?”

  He laughs at his own joke as he spins a crank on the wall, making the hook holding my hands pull me higher until I can’t touch the floor.

  “I’ll be back, sweetie.” He blows a kiss my way before leaving the room.

  Once I’m sure he’s gone, I attempt to break the rope on my hands, but it’s no use. I’m stuck.

  I feel hopeless.
<
br />   Matteo will find me. Right?

  The alarm on my phone goes off. Whipping it out, I see the front door alarm has been activated meaning someone didn’t enter with a code.

  Vanessa.

  I walk to the edge of the room, calling Nico. My heart pounds as I dial Nico’s number.

  “Boss, we have a problem,” he answers.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Someone capped Sal. They blew in the front door.”

  “Vanessa,” I breathe out.

  “I’m about to breach the house. I’ll let you know once I have secured her.”

  “You have to protect her,” I urge him.

  “I’ll protect her with my life. She might be the love of your life, but she’s family to me too.” His voice is adamant.

  “Thank you.”

  He hangs up without another word.

  “What is it?” Bash demands, breaking away from Fox and the man he was torturing.

  “Someone broke into my house. Sal is dead.”

  “What are you still standing here for? Go!” he demands.

  “I can go with you,” Lo says, stepping out of the shadows.

  I nod. Running out of the warehouse, I grip the door handle to the car, jumping in. Lo takes the driver’s side, peeling out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell.

  As he drives down the road at high speeds, I pull up the camera feed inside my home. Going back, I watch the last thirty minutes.

  “Pull over,” I whisper.

  “What?”

  “Pull over!” I roar.

  Lo skids to a stop and I open the door, vomiting all over the pavement. Once I’m done, I shut the door and he takes off again.

  “That bad?”

  “She walked out of the house on her own.”

  “It could have been under duress. Don’t jump to conclusions.”

  I send the footage off to Lucian, asking him to identify the two men in the footage right as we pull up to my place.

  Jumping out, we both run over to Sal’s car. Finding him dead, with a bullet hole in the back of his head.

  “Fuck!” I yell, rubbing my face.

  My phone rings and I rap it out of my pocket. “Yeah?” I say harshly.

  “I’ll let it slide this time, but next time check who’s calling before you answer, Matteo,” Bash warns.