Page 5 of The Marriage Debt

"Lila, so nice of you to come by." Mateo steadies me with a hand on my elbow and a firm look that strikes fear to my core. Always serious, never smiling, the man is notoriously intimidating. I pause and swallow hard as I look around his body to see Lev at his desk, trying to spin the chair in circles.

"Lev," I say, almost in a whimper, breaking my own rules.

"Come," Mateo says, glancing up the hallway before stepping to the side and gesturing into his office. I move past him, walking straight to Lev's side and picking him up. He wriggles and fights me, clearly not amused with how I want to protect him.

"Mommy, stop," he grunts, shoving me away and sliding down to the floor. "Uncle Mateo, can I see your sword?" Lev runs out of my grasp and straight over to his uncle, making me cringe. I don't think he understands that these men are capable of dangerous, scary things. He's too little. The only thing he knows is that Mateo has a two-hundred-year-old sword that he likes to look at encased in glass on the mantel behind him.

"Yes, of course, Leviticus." If Mateo Rossi can smile, I think I witness it, but it's so brief no one would ever have gotten a picture. He turns, lifts the lid off the case, and leaving the sword in its scabbard, he hands it to Lev.

Instantly, my senses are on alert. I rush to his side and snatch it away. "Are you an idiot? He's five. That's a weapon." My hands tremble as I hand the sword back to him. He shrugs and takes it, and Lev whines.

"A boy has to learn at some point." Mateo replaces the sword in its case and I hug Lev to my hip.

"What do you want, Mr. Rossi?" I need to know why he insisted that I pack a bag and drag my son here in the middle of the night.

He moves away from me, strolling to his desk like he's done nothing wrong, like his brother isn't dead and he's just ordering me around like I'm one of his staff. I stare after him, trying to keep Lev under control, but he seems too comfortable here. He's curious, picking through Mateo's things. I don't know what sort of man Mateo is but if this were Anton, Lev would've been screamed at by now. Mateo just seems amused by it.

"You'll be staying here from now on," he states calmly as he sits down.

"What? No. I am moving." I move closer to Lev, desperate to keep him closer to me. I'm not thrilled with having him snooping around a criminal's office. God only knows what he may find.

"No, you're not. You won't be able to get outside the reach of your mother and her attempt to take the boy away." He speaks matter-of-factly, like he knows everything, like he's in control.

"How do you know about that?" I'm tense, trying not to let my fear show, but it's not working.

"You'd be surprised what I know, Lila. Now settle in… We'll be entertaining a judge in the morning."

I shrink back for a moment, wondering what this is about. My mind is playing tricks on me. Mateo Rossi wants to help me keep my son? But why? What is his ulterior motive?

"You are bribing a judge to dismiss the custody suit?" I ask timidly, finally reaching Lev. I loop my hand through his as he spins Mateo's globe on its wrought-iron axis. Mateo chuckles.

"No, silly. He'll marry us." The dry laugh comes with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes, more of a glimmer of his internal thoughts coming to fruition on his face. He's not happy. He's gloating.

"Marry?"

"It will end the custody petition. Serafina won't fight me. You know that. And we'll be married, so she'll have no recourse. The boy already has my name. It's simple." He reaches for a nearly empty bottle of wine and pours himself a drink as he eyes me.

"She'll see through it," I say coldly, feeling impotent. This is what happened with Anton. I got pregnant. He hired a judge, put a gun to my side. I had no choice. But I don't see Mateo's gun. I can still get out of this.

"That's why you're moving in." Bringing the wine glass to his lips, he sips, and I stare.

Being forced to marry yet another Rossi man? This can't be happening.

"I won't do it."

"You're free to go," he says calmly, "but the boy stays."

Somehow, I know he's not joking. I glance at Lev. "What do you want with him?" Now my heart is pounding in my ears. Fear cripples me. I hold his hand so tightly, he turns and bites my fingers, then rushes to Mateo and climbs on his lap.

"Can we stay here tonight?" Lev asks Mateo, pulling his tie and twirling it around his wrist.

"What do you say, Mommy?" Mateo asks me in a cold tone, and I don't have a choice. I am not leaving here without my son. I just have to find a way to get out of here with him before it's too late.

4

MATEO

The footage plays in silence, just like the men on the rooftop terrace. I lean forward in my chair, one elbow on the desk, thumb pressed to my mouth as the frame stutters, then loops. A black SUV. No plates. Same spot two days in a row, idling across the street from the school like it’s got all the time in the fucking world.

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