Page 23 of Let Vengeance Be Mine

“A mother never has to be invited.” She takes off her jacket and shoves it at me before striding through to the living room. I quickly hang it on the cloak rack by the door and follow after her, unsure if that’s what she expects of me, or not.

“So, are you one of his whores?” She takes a cigarette from a silver case, placing it between her red-painted lips, and I try not to get distracted by her presence while I come up with an answer for her.

“No, I'm um…” I have no idea what to say because I don’t know what I am to Matteo. Just that, he’s everything to me.

“Sit.” She taps the seat beside her, and I react the same way I do whenever her son gives me an order…obediently.

She lights her cigarette with a Zippo and shocks the breath out of me when she clasps her talons around my chin and moves my face, to examine it.

“You’re pretty. And young. Too young for him,” she laughs.

“Nineteen,” I confirm defensively, shifting uncomfortably when she releases me.

“And where did he find you?” She tokes back on her cigarette.

“Mrs Romano.” Demitri comes to my rescue when he steps through the door and, for the first time since I've been here, I see a little fear on his face.

“Ahhh, Demitri, perhaps you can shine some light on my son's whereabouts?” She raises her perfectly-maintained eyebrows at him, and I watch him shake his head as the words get tangled in his mouth.

“He will be back soon. Perhaps, you will be more comfortable waiting for him in his office? I could fix you a drink.”

“I am quite comfortable sitting here with Anna, we will both take a Martini and make it dirty.” She winks at him before turning back around to face me, and he offers me a helpless look as he heads off to get her what she wants.

“The boy’s father was a friend of my husband’s, it’s why Matteo keeps him around,” She rolls her eyes at me before she drags on her cigarette, again.

“You were telling me how you met my son.” She gets right back to where we left off, and I feel my chest tighten with anxiety as I try to come up with an answer.

“At a party.” I swallow thickly, knowing what a terrible liar I am.

“Matteo rarely goes to parties, whose party was it?” She looks as though she’s trying to catch me in a lie, and it's working.

“I can’t recall, I was a little wasted. Me and my friends ended up there, I met Matteo and the rest is… history,” I laugh awkwardly, grateful when Anita, the housekeeper, comes through with a tray. She nods her head at Matteo’s mother before placing two paper napkins on the table, along with the dirty Martinis she ordered, and I immediately reach for mine and take a sip.

It tastes a little fuzzy on my tongue, and when I swallow I feel a wave of nausea that I didn’t expect.

“Are you ok, dear?” Mrs Romano asks, doing a good job of acting like she’s concerned.

“I’m just not used to drinking,” I admit, stirring the olive around the glass and trying not to throw up.

“Oh, I thought you said you were ‘wasted’ the night you met my son?” She has a victorious look on her face and all I can do is offer her another awkward smile.

“Mother.” Matteo’s voice has us both standing on our feet, and when he walks through the door his eyes immediately go to the glass in my hand and narrow furiously.

“Darling, how are you?” Mrs Romano heads towards him with outstretched arms and, as she embraces him, he gives me a cold look over her shoulder.

“Demitri called and said you were here. I wasn’t expecting you.” His voice remains stern despite the affection she shows him.

“So, it seems,” She looks at me back toward me and smirks.

It’s now that I notice how different Matteo looks from when he left. His hair is flopped onto his forehead, he’s not wearing his jacket, and the cuffs of his shirt are rolled up to his elbows.

“Is there something you wanted?” He heads towards me and takes the drink from my hand, sniffing it then shaking his head before he places it back on the table.

“Just to see that you are okay. It’s been a while, darling.” His mother smiles at him sweetly as his hand slides around my hip and his fingers dig discreetly into my flesh.

“I’m very well. Excellent, in fact.” Matteo almost seems a little nervous, himself, and despite knowing I’m in trouble, I find that quite amusing.

“Anna, here, tells me the two of you met at a party. It has been a while since you socialized. I’m happy to hear that you are feeling better.” There’s a bite of sarcasm in her tone, “Perhaps, now that you are feeling sociable again, we will see you at Gerald and Colotta’s engagement party? Anna, too, of course.” She looks between us.

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