Page 81 of Gilded Princess

With the toe of his shoe, Leo pushes the front door open the rest of the way, placing his body fully in front of mine. There’s a moment of silence—no male voices or things breaking.

“Matteo?”

I peek out from behind Leo and see Matteo rush him, hair wild, eyes wide. “Where have you been? Where’s Maddie?”

This doesn’t feel right—Matteo feels off. I step out from behind Leo, but still hold his hand like the lifeline it feels like right now.

My nerves are shot, and if I wasn’t sure before, I know now that I have some unresolved trauma from the kidnapping. Realistically, I knew I couldn’t just pretend it didn’t happen, shove it into a box and bury it six feet under. Can’t blame a girl for trying, though.

“Matteo.”

In two steps, Matteo’s in front of me. His tattooed fingers curl over my shoulders, and he pulls me away from Leo and into the apartment. He holds me at arm’s length, his gaze flying over me from head to toe several times. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so manic. Even in the face of a collapsing warehouse, he wasn’t this rattled.

“What’s going on?” Leo asks as he steps inside and closes the door. “Holy shit.”

Matteo lets go of me and spins to face his brother, and I get my first unobstructed view of the apartment.

Or what’s left of it.

The couch cushions are slashed open, the drapes torn off the rings, plates and glasses smashed on the floor. Gouges in the walls, cabinet shelves torn down, food spilling out of the fridge. Someone tore this place apart.

He gets in Leo’s face. “Why didn’t you answer your phone?”

Leo pushes him back a step. “It was on silent. What happened here?”

Matteo steps toward Leo again. “And Maddie’s? Where were you two that neither one answered?”

I shoved mine in my purse when we left the coffee shop and haven’t looked at it since. Nerves line my belly at the idea of another text message waiting for me from the unknown number.

“It was in my purse.” My voice is quiet, but it might as well be a gunshot for how Matteo reacts. He turns around and rakes a hand through his hair. The movement jerky and harsh.

“Someone broke in, and we were worried about the two of you,” Dante offers from his position leaning against the island in the kitchen.

“Jesus. Are you guys okay?” I ask, taking a few steps toward Dante.

He shrugs, wearing his nonchalance like a coat. “We’re fine. We weren’t here.”

“Did they take anything, or I don’t know, leave a message or something?” Leo asks.

Dante folds his arms across his chest. “No, so far it seems like nothing was taken, but almost everything is trashed.”

Matteo turns to face away from us, rubbing the back of his neck. It’s quiet for a moment, and I take in the damage.

“You have to leave.” Matteo’s voice is low, but the steel behind his words is unmistakable.

“C’mon, man, ease up,” Leo argues.

I tilt my head, trying to see what he’s looking at, but his angle blocks my view. “Well, I don’t think anyone should stay here. I’m assuming the bedrooms weren’t spared,” I counter, looking around at everything again.

Matteo throws his arms out to the side, his eyes wide and his hair a mess. “Look around you, Leo. She doesn’t belong here!”

I flinch, my shoulders jerking toward my ears. He’s loud enough that if I wasn’t sure this apartment was soundproof, the neighbors would’ve gotten a front-row seat to Matteo’s rejection.

Because that’s what this feels like. Again.

I cut Leo a look before focusing on Matteo. “I thought you were going to apologize, not tell me to leave again.”

His face loses all expression, an impressive feat considering he was a ball of emotion thirty seconds ago. He stares at me for a few moments, his eyes void of anything recognizable, and I just know whatever he’s going to say will hurt. “I don’t want you here, Madison. Get out.”

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