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“I don’t answer to you or Featherstone. If I don’t want to take your call, then I won’t take it.”
Silence greets me for a moment before Luna sighs down the line. “That’s very true, Matteo, but we’re both dealing with the same enemy right now, and a conversation could be beneficial to both of us.”
My gaze flicks to Vito and Enzo for a brief moment before I respond, “What makes you say that?”
“I heard about what happened at your nightclub. Classic Dmitri move if you ask me.”
My heart rate spikes, thumping in my chest as I inch closer to the cell phone. “Who did you hear that from?”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
If she says Wren’s name right now, I’ll explode with rage.
“Matteo, let's be real. Dmitri is more than happy to parade this information around New York City. I’m not sure if he thinks it’s a tactic that may scare me, but I get the feeling he doesn’t quite understand how Featherstone operates here in the States. HowIoperate.” Relief rushes through my veins.
My head rolls forward for a second as I try to calm my breathing. I was certain it was going to be Wren. I did leave her with her phone after all.
“What’s the reason for your call, Luna?” Vito asks, thankfully taking control as I take a moment.
“I want to bring you back to the table again. For the two of us to work together. We have the same enemy right now, and I’m done with this going on longer than it needs to. I want to bring them down, and I want to do it now.” The determination in her voice is firm through the phone line and I’m almost impressed.
“What’s in it for you?” I ask, lacing my fingers together as I brace my arms on the table.
“Wren’s safety. Her freedom.” She doesn’t miss a beat, attempting to conjure up some bullshit. But of all the things I expected her to say, that wasn’t one of them.
“And…”
“And nothing. I don’t know what is going on with the four of you, but she showed her loyalty to me, to Featherstone, before you left New York. She can tell me a thousand times she doesn’t want my help and that she’s happy where she is, but I want to prove to her that I am worthy of the redemption she pursued. She’s a survivor, like me, and I won’t let you hurt her.”
I process every word she says, saving them all for later as I hum in response. “Hmm, and what is it you want from us?”
“Your men, your intel, your strategy. Then once they’re out of the way, we can discuss whatever it is you had going on with Totem.”
Enzo taps his fingers on the table, his eyes wide as he nods to her words.
“I’ll consider your offer,” I murmur, before stretching my hand forward and ending the call. Silence blankets us as we process everything we just heard.
Hurt her? Hurt Wren? Fuck, even if I’m not ready to admit it yet, she holds way more power over me than I do over her, and I’m sure the same goes for my brothers.
We shouldn’t be in this position. She should be dead and I should be focused on spilling Russian blood, but here we are.
“She’s home.”
My heart clenches at Vito’s words, and I’m up and out of my seat before I even realize it. My brothers are hot on my heels, but when I step out onto the driveway, the SUV is already moving away again.
She’s inside.
I reach the front door, but turn to face my brothers before I step inside. I don’t get a chance to open my mouth and plead my case when Vito nods at me. “Go.”
Enzo pouts instantly, clearly wanting another taste of the woman he was lost in last night, but I don’t wait around. That one word from Vito is all I need.
The moment I step inside, I make a beeline for Wren’s door. As I come to a stop, the door slightly ajar, I hear my brothers interacting with Nonna in the kitchen, and I know I have her to myself.
Using the tip of my finger, I nudge her door open a little further so I can get a peek inside. She’s sitting at the edge of the bed, palms flat against her knees with her head tilted back. She inhales slowly, holding her breath, before she exhales.
She repeats the motion a few times then opens her eyes. She must notice my shadow out of the corner of her vision because she turns to look at me. There’s no jolt to her movement, no surprise at my presence, just a soft smile touching the corners of her lips.
“How are you,Stellina?” The nickname I gave her back in New York feels natural on my tongue again. The second she revealed herself as Wren and not Ava, I avoided it at all costs, but it’s impossible now. Today’s events have changed everything, even if I can’t explain why.
