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He remained quiet for several seconds, likely attempting to determine whether he should bother talking with me. I was surprised when he answered candidly.
“When you grow up poor, you have very few choices. I didn’t have the grades for scholarships, and no one was gonna give me a loan.”
“So working for a brutal man is a better choice?”
I was even more surprised when he moved to the railing, although he kept his distance. When I looked over, I easily noticed the weapon placed behind his back. Even if my marriage only lasted six months, was this the kind of life I could tolerate? I closed my eyes, enjoying the sun’s warmth, trying to block out my continuous memories of discussions with Tristen. They were all leading in a direction that made me feel more like a fool.
“I was stupid enough to pull a knife on Mr. Montenegro when he was leaving a restaurant, demanding he turn over his wallet. I had no idea who his father was or what they could do to me. Ten seconds later, I was on my back in an alley, staring into the barrels of two weapons. I said a prayer that day, something I’d sworn I’d never do again, ‘cause I knew I was going to die.”
I glanced in his direction, trying to imagine what his life had been like. “What happened?”
“When I didn’t say a single word, Alessandro threw me against a wall, searching for drugs. When he found nothing, he demanded I tell him what the hell I needed money for. I didn’t think I had a choice, so I told him.”
“Why did you accost him?”
“I told him it was for food for my mother and little sister. My mother hadn’t worked in a few months because she was sick. We had nothing. I couldn’t get a job given my age and public aid didn’t do shit for us. Nobody cared.”
“That’s when he offered you a job?”
“Nah, at least not right away. He let me go with a warning that if I ever bothered him again, I’d pay a price. He also made me promise to continue taking care of my family.”
I tried not to laugh but it was difficult. “Well, I guess that’s one way to obtain loyalty.”
“Don’t mock what you don’t know, Ms. Wynters, and I mean you no disrespect. One of his soldiers was told to take me home and he did. The next day there was a knock on the door. It was a delivery driver with tons of food and toys, clothes and supplies. And an envelope full of cash. I will never forget Mr. Montenegro’s generosity. Two years later on the day I turned eighteen, I read he’d taken over as Don of his father’s regime. I walked into his office and told him all the reasons he should hire me.”
Very few stories took me aback, but I could see by the look of pride and respect on his face how much loyalty he had for Alessandro. “What did he say?”
“He asked me a couple questions then hired me on the spot. A little over a year after that, I was able to buy my mama a house in a good neighborhood. I’m very proud of that.”
“You should be, Matteo. That’s incredible. I’m curious. What did he ask you? If you enjoyed killing people? If you had a brutal streak?”
“No, Ms. Wynters. You don’t know him very well.”
I sensed Alessandro’s presence from the electricity skimming the back of my legs, the increase in my pulse. When I turned my head, the strangest feeling rushed through me, something even more unexplainable than the ridiculous way I’d acted the first night at the bistro.
A deep longing, but not entirely because of Alessandro’s extreme good looks or the ruggedness of his physique, but because a small part of me was genuinely happy to see him. That was almost as insane as my body’s reaction, except it wasn’t. He’d chatted with me on the plane ride. Correction, he’d talked to me, not with me. I’d said very little, mostly because I wasn’t certain what to say or if I wanted to talk to him. So he’d talked.
It hadn’t been about business or gloating about how much money he had. Every question I did ask he’d answered thoroughly, including those I’d thought for certain he’d laugh at. Personal questions. Likes. Dislikes. I’d been nervous for about a dozen reasons, barely able to keep any food or drink down without racing toward the cramped bathroom. I’d also been more emotional than I’d wanted, alternating between fury and tears, most of which were directed toward Tristen.
Another ridiculous aspect.
Now he had his arms folded as he leaned against the doorway, studying me so intently my breath was stolen. The Spaniard had a certain way about him, a dark command that refused to take a backseat to anything else. Then he walked toward us, his eyes never leaving me. “I asked him if he’d kept his promise made to me, which I learned he had. Then I asked him if he understood the meaning of loyalty.”
“What did you answer?” I turned my attention to Matteo.
“I said I did. When Mr. Montenegro pressed me, I told him that loyalty meant doing whatever was necessary, no matter how uncomfortable or unsavory in order to protect a friendship, a business relationship, or the people I loved.” Matteo looked away, a slight smile crossing his face.
“That’s why I hired him. Not because he’d shot a weapon or was strong as an ox, and certainly not because he had the same level of bloodlust I did. What I was looking for were those people I could count on through thick or thin,” Alessandro said as he closed the distance, rolling his fingers lightly down my cheek.
I shivered from the tender touch, the sensual look in his eyes. “I should have known.”
“Known what? That I have two sides like everyone else? You can go, Matteo.” He didn’t issue the command unkindly, but Matteo left without saying another word, leaving the two of us alone. “It seems you continue to underestimate me, Sierra. I’ve never claimed to be a good man and very few people surprise me, but the night Matteo stuck a knife in my face, he caught me off guard. I was the crown prince of the Montenegro Empire. I had soldiers with me everywhere I went, treated like royalty because of who my father was and what he could do if they didn’t treat me with honor and respect.”
“How fascinating,” I offered, my words more condescending than I’d intended.
“For a young man who’d been broken into the lifestyle, taught that nothing less than the best was acceptable, it was enticing as hell. Don’t get me wrong. The wealth and the perks I grew up with were and still are wonderful, albeit you learn eventually even power has its dark side. But it took Matteo’s ability to shove the sharp blade of a knife under my chin when no one else had ever gotten that close to force me to realize my vulnerability. His plight allowed a rich boy with a bad attitude to understand the meaning of poverty.”
“That was very generous of you.”
