Page 157 of Phantom Mine

“Threatening me is a surprisingly poor play on your part, strategically,” Matteo answers.

The man’s gaze lifts past Matteo and moves for the first time over to Aurora. He looks her over, then goes back to scrutinize Matteo’s features.

Finding nothing, he slants his gaze to me next.

Matteo shifts, blocking me once more from his view.

“Something tells me there isn’t anyone you wouldn’t threaten for the girl you’re desperate to keep out of my eyesight.” The Serb’s voice takes on an unwavering, unyielding edge. “So you tell me, do you really think I’m foolish? Or are we more alike than you thought?”

I wish I could see Matteo’s face. There’s only so much I can glean of his emotions from his back.

Even without it though, I can tell there’s a certaindétenteslowly rolling through the air. The tension eases, driven by some silent exchange happening between the two men.

Finally, Matteo waves at Amadeo.

“Fall back,” he orders Enzo.

Enzo does as instructed. He removes his foot from Amadeo’s back and steps away.

Four men immediately detach themselves from the Serb's side and head over to the Italian. They drag him across the alley to their boss and hold him half upright, half slouched before him.

Without a spoken word or order, one of them punches him in the face. Amadeo comes to with a gasp. He takes one look at the Serbian and flinches.

“W-who are you?” he stammers.

The scarred man extends a palm and a guard hands him a gun. The man lifts, aims, and fires a single bullet into Amadeo’s lower back.

“Your worst fucking nightmare.”

Amadeo howls. Frantic, bulging eyes look down past his waist. “M-my legs… I can’t feel my legs!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you feel the rest of what I’m going to do,” the man seethes.

Amadeo screams, and he keeps screaming until one of the guards stuffs a ball of fabric down his throat.

I use the distraction to press into Matteo’s side and grab his hand. His fingers twine around mine and grip me tightly, but he doesn’t look at me.

“Stavi ga u kola,” the man says gutturally.

Even though I don’t understand it, I know it’s an order.

His guards obey, taking a still screaming Amadeo with them out the alley and leaving their boss behind. He turns back towards us, doesn’t look at me and stares at Matteo instead.

He brings two fingers to his forehead and flicks them off in a sarcastic salute. “Until we meet again, Matteo.”

I look over at the man I love. His expression isn’t what I expected. I thought I’d find annoyance, frustration, and wrath.

Instead, there’s intrigue and something even more surprising. A hint of a smile.

“Until then, Darko.”

Chapter Forty-Two

Valentina

There’s no way I’m leaving Aurora alone tonight, so when Enzo pulls up to her flat, I get out with her. Matteo doesn’t argue, even though I can see in his eyes that he doesn’t want to spend the night away from me.

Aurora disappears into the bathroom the moment we cross the threshold. She doesn’t immediately come out, so I busy myself in the kitchen. I don’t know when the last time she ate was, but there isn’t much to work with in her fridge.

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