Page 14 of Twisted Knight

Matteo glowered. The man didn’t take no for an answer very kindly.

“I’ll go,” I offered. Luca was my best friend; we had each other's backs. I knew he would have done just the same if the roles were reversed.

Matteo sighed. “I guess I’ll just have to make due with the Wish.com cheap knockoff version of the capo.”

I smiled at him. “Take it or leave it.” I tried to sound unbothered, but it cut deep because it was how I felt every time we stepped out of the house to do anything with the famiglia.

I already knew how out of place I would feel today when I stepped into the meeting beside Luca, knowing I’d get the speculative looks and Luca would get the looks too. Choosing a simple made man as your consigliere was never done, and yet he’d done it—well, at the same time a capo was not supposed to marry outside the famiglia, and he did that too when he chose Cassie.

Luca was a capo who followed his head and heart more than the old-fashioned rules, and he was just powerful enough to get away with it.

Some were impressed; some were jealous, and some were waiting for him to fall, but I knew better. Luca was the best capo there was.

Matteo jerked his head toward the office door. “You better go ahead. We wouldn’t want the others to think you two are the teacher’s pets.”

Luca sighed but nodded. “The sooner we start, the sooner I’ll go home.”

“What do you think the Russian had to do in all this?” I asked Luca as soon as we exited the house.

Luca sighed. “Let’s walk,” he said before gesturing to the driver and telling him in Italian to go park the car in front of the compound by the gate.

Luca buried his hands in his pockets as we took the path to the compound. “I don’t know, but Matteo is probably the smartest, most calculating man I've ever met. He won’t do anything without having thought of every single possible consequence or outcome.”

I threw him a side-look. “You sound both impressed and a little bit in love,” I teased.

Luca snorted. “Hardly, but when Matteo is on your side, it’s the most lethal weapon at your disposal.”

“Do you think he’s really on our side?” I couldn’t help but ask. As Luca had implied, Matteo was a master manipulator; who was to say he was really working with us? He must have had his own agenda.

“I’ll deny it if you ever said anything, but yes, I do.” Luca shrugged as the compound came into view. “I know the man would be honest enough to tell us to get fucked if he didn't want to help. I think he needs to figure out if there’s a rat in our ranks even more than we do, so yes, as long as our interests are aligned, I think we can trust him.”

That was not the best vote of confidence because you could then ask yourself what would happen when your interests and his were not aligned anymore.

I didn’t get a chance to even ask more as Romero, one of the older members of the council, spotted us and told the other bosses who were smoking by the door.

“Let the show begin,” I muttered to Luca as we both plastered our cold smiles on our faces.

Chapter Four

DOM

The meeting was as long and tedious as usual. The bosses had to give their two cents on what the other bosses were doing, and I could see that Luca was getting restless and increasingly annoyed by the questioning of his decisions and his desire to go home. I had to admit this version of Luca was the best yet, a version I never knew he could be, but I guessed that was what the love of a good woman could do to you.

Once the meeting was done, Matteo dismissed the other bosses rather quickly, offering them all free food at his restaurant in town before each of them had their flight homes in their various jets.

“Are you sure you’re okay to stay?” Luca asked me one more time before stepping into his car.

I turned around to see Matteo leaning against the door of the compound with a smirk on his face.

I sighed. “Yes, it won’t be the first time we’ve spent quality time together.” I had done it after Matteo and I had killed Benny and Savio for kidnapping Cassie and organizing the death of Luca’s family. “Just—” I stopped.

“Just?” Luca encouraged, leaning against the door of the car. “Anything.”

“I may have promised something to someone and—” I gave him a sheepish smile.

Luca grunted. “What does she want?”

“Donuts from the Donuts Palace… Six.” I extended him the paper I had folded in my pocket. “These are the flavors she wants and potential alternatives.”

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