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“Matteo,” I hear Vincent say.
“Not now.” The man in front of me doesn't bother to spare him a glance. Vincent lets out an awkward laugh.
“I see you’ve already met my fiancée.” Vincent’s words make me want to vomit.
“What?” The one word comes out low but is filled with warning. I will him not to say anything. To take the hint. He clearly knows who Vincent is. I don’t want anything bad to happen.
“Yes, Mona O’Haire. She’s mine.” Vincent goes to step closer to me, his arm coming out to wrap around me.
“Touch her and you’ll lose that fucking arm.” Vincent freezes, the blood draining from his face. He’s scared of Matteo. Who the hell is this man?
“You can't, ah—” Vincent stumbles over his words. “Be serious.”
“Have you ever known the Cattaneos to be jokesters?” The tone of Matteo’s voice gives me goosebumps in a good way. What the hell? This is so not the time for this.
My stomach drops at the realization of Matteo’s last name. The Cattaneo name is one I know well. Everyone does. This is not happening. Only I would go out to have a night of fun and end up hooking up with one of the most powerful men.
“Listen.” Matteo swiftly pulls out a gun. It’s almost graceful how well he does it. That shuts Vincent up. I glance around the room, not seeing my father or brother still. Everyone else, however, is watching this all play out.
“We’re leaving.” Luca grabs my arm.
“I can’t.” I try to pull on it, but it’s no use.
“Do not fight me. I promise you will not win.”
Vincent's father rushes toward us but stops in his tracks when Matteo simply shakes his head at him.
“We’ll talk later,” he tells him before he’s once again pulling on my arm. I have no choice but to go.
“No!” My sister is trying to pull on my other arm.
“Stop,” Matteo orders her. I swear, the whole room does stop. No one is even taking a breath. You could hear a pin drop.
“It’s okay, Riley.” I try to reassure her, but she won’t let my arm go. “Please,” I plead before she gets herself hit or worse. Nothing she does or says will matter. We’re women. It never does.
Finally, she releases my arm, her eyes filled with tears. It crushes me.
“Sir?” A man strides up to Matteo, leading me out of the ballroom.
“Not now.” The man nods. I’m numb as I’m taken through the lobby and into a car. Matteo doesn’t release his hold on me until we’re pulling away from the hotel. I scoot all the way to the other side of the car until I’m pressed against the opposite door.
I can feel Matteo’s rage. It's unlike anything I've ever witnessed before. I’ve seen my brother lose it before, but a Cattaneo could level a whole city if he wanted. I've overheard my family talk about Matteo before. He’s not some low-level gangster like a lot of these other families are. He has real power and reach.
“Was this your plan?” Matteo asks. I sit there, thinking that he's talking to the man behind the wheel. “I asked you a question, Mona O’Haire.” He spits out my last name as though it’s left a bad taste in his mouth.
“What?” is the only word I can get out. It’s in self-preservation, in fear of his deadly wrath. How is this the same man I met weeks ago? I hadn’t feared him at all. I’m so naïve.
“Don’t play stupid. It’s unfitting.”
“I’m not,” I rush to say, having no clue what he’s talking about.
“Then maybe you truly are.” I don’t react to his words, even if they do cut me.
I’m proficient at not giving people the reaction they expect. If they know what hurts you, they’ll use it against you. Growing up with a brother who terrorized me, I learned to play that game long ago.
The car falls silent again. I try to remember everything I might have heard about the Cattaneos. One memory comes rushing back.
I’ve been offered to him before. I remember my family discussing the offer. Matteo had turned it down. I suddenly realize what Matteo is thinking. When we pull through two giant black metal gates that close the second we've passed them, I snap from my thoughts.
