Page 120 of Phantom Mine

I stare at his sleeping form, willing myself to go, knowing I need to.

My feet are rooted to the floor.

I can’t make myself move.

“Leni…” he breathes, the two syllables heavy with longing.

He shielded me from the rain.

I don’t want to go back out into it without him.

I peel my clothes off and get back into bed beside him. The second he feels my body against his, Matteo closes his arms around me and pulls me into him with a contented sigh.

???

The next morning, I wake to find Matteo grinning down at me. “You stayed.”

I’m in his arms, still held as closely against him as I have been all night. “You’re clingy,” I grumble.

He laughs, his chest moving against mine with every deep chuckle, then he burrows his face in my neck. His breath tickles me as he announces, “I got hungry and had one of the pancake things you made. Hope you don’t mind.”

I freeze. He notices, straightening to look down at me. “You tried myarepas?”

“Is that what they’re called?” he groans, licking his lips. “They’reunbelievable, Len. I mean, holy fuck, I had to stop myself from eating all of them.”

I stare at him, Adri’s words playing on a loop in my mind.

Before I can say anything, Matteo’s phone rings. He reaches for it with one hand, keeping his hold on me with the other.

“Pronto,” he says, smiling down at me.

I see the change in him before it happens. His eyes shutter, then the smile wipes off his face and he releases me.

He sits up, his feet finding the floor, his hand raking through his hair. “Quando?” he listens to the answer, then mutters, “Cazzo.” He nods twice more. “Arrivo subito.”

He hangs up, bringing the phone slowly down from his ear as he stares into the distance.

“What happened?” I ask, anxiety knotting my stomach.

Matteo glances over his shoulder at me. His eyes roam over my face before he answers.

“My father has been kidnapped.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

Valentina

Matteo pulls on his clothes, kisses me, leaves his apartment, and disappears again.

When I get toFirenzefor my shift that night, the unrest is palpable in the air. It’s there in the hushed conversations happening in the VIP rooms, in the furtive glances men throw at each other, in the thinner crowds and scared patrons. TheFamigliahas been rocked by two unanswered attacks to their leadership and Matteo’s continued absence as he searches for his father doesn’t reassure them.

This has Thiago written all over it. Months ago, I accused my brother of not doing enough to find Adriana’s killer and now he’s decided to do the craziest thing possible and kidnap theDonof the Italian Mafia. I’ll have to apologize to him next time I see him.

As the days go by, Matteo’s absence wears on me. I want to ask him what he plans on doing if he finds his father alive. I wantto ask how he feels about being interimDonin his absence, if it’s everything he dreamed it would be. I assume not, given the circumstances that gave him his crown.

If I knew where he was or if he’d even texted, I would ask all my questions. But he hasn’t.

Unlike last time when I simply missed him, now I’m pissed. He pressured me into pouring my heart out to him, intocaring. Why would he do that if he planned on disappearing without a word for another week? He has a phone, he could use it.

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