Page 58 of The Don

I did it and yet I’m a little confused. I’ve worked so hard for this, I almost can’t believe it was this easy. It doesn’t feel right and I’m expecting the guards to shoot me on sight as I take every step away from madness.

It doesn’t happen and as I approach the gate it opens, and a car makes its way slowly down the driveway, causing me to step to the side. As I peer in, I see Giselle staring back at me with a small smile and a grateful wink. Beside her is a man who causes me to do a double take because surely this isn’t happening. It can’t be.

What the fuck is happening?

As they move on past, I am left with more questions than answers because sitting beside his wife was the man himself.

Don Carlos Matasso, who merely stared ahead with an expression of boredom as the gates closed behind them.

CHAPTER41

LEO

Matteo arrives home within the hour and heads straight to the den, his shoulder bandaged and his arm in a sling.

“Fuck, I need a drink.” He growls as his consigliere Cesare shakes his head. “Doctor says no alcohol.”

“A cigar then.” He growls, and Cesare rolls his eyes.

“You gave them up, remember?”

“How can I forget when you remind me every fucking time I ask for one?”

Matteo is antsy and Dom growls, “Shut the fuck up and do what you’re told for once in your life, or I’ll finish you myself.”

For some reason, it makes us all laugh because it’s so good being in the same room and on the same page for once, no matter how long we may have left.

“What’s the plan?” Matteo says as he shifts, and his slight wince tells me he’s hurting. As I fill him in, he appears impressed. “You sure it will work?” he questions, glancing at his consigliere as if he knows the answer. To his credit, he nods slightly and says, “Ryan ran it by me along with Pasquale. We have pooled our resources and realize this is our best shot.”

“What can I do?” Matteo says, wincing with pain, and I snarl, “Take care of yourself. You’re no use to us broken and we need you to recover so you can take your place in this family.”

Matteo opens his mouth as if he’s about to argue and Dom says with a sigh. “Save your breath. You accept the hierarchy here. Leo is Don, his word is law. We must respect that and follow his lead.”

We all stare at him in surprise, but the emotion inside me stirs as my brother reminds us of what we are. We may be brothers, but we’re also the engine of a machine and if one part fails, it doesn’t work anymore.

Matteo nods, wincing in pain and I say in a softer voice, “Take some rest. We leave in two hours. You will need all your strength just to get through that fucking shit show and leave us to have your back.”

Matteo nods, accepting he has no choice, and just says to Cesare, “Find Abi. I’ll be in my room.”

Dom rolls his eyes as Matteo drops him a wink. “She gives the best…”

Dom yells, “Get the fuck out of here!”

Matteo laughs. “I was going to say massages.”

He smirks as he leaves, and Dom reaches for the whiskey bottle and then returns it almost at once. “Fuck, I need a drink.”

“We all do, but we need a clear head more.” I remind him. “There will be plenty of time for celebration later. Now let’s run over that plan one more time.”

We finally break for lunch, after which we are due to leave for the reading in town. I head onto the terrace with Ryan and am surprised to see Matteo and Abi, but no sign of anyone else.

“Where’s Chastity?” I ask, my level tone disguising an urgency that everything is not OK.

“She went to get her hair done with Flora.” Dom shrugs. “Flora called, they’re on their way back now.”

My relief is well disguised because my woman isn’t the kind to sit and wait for instruction and has an invested interest in what is happening today.

I can’t rest all the time she isn’t here and when she walks out onto the terrace with Flora, the relief is almost overpowering. However, as they draw nearer, I register the guilt written in Flora’s eyes and Chastity’s usually perfect poker face has deserted her now, bringing me to my feet immediately and heading to meet her.

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