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I smile and begin to nod my agreement before snapping my head in his direction. “Why the fuck are you here?”
Oh fuck me. He has that mischievous glint in his eyes and a dopey grin. What the fuck have they done now?
“Ryder wanted to go with Scar.”
Motherfucker. Of course he did. I pinch the bridge of my nose and shake my head.
“It’s not going to be a clean in-and-out,” I apologize to Matteo. They didn’t explicitly ask for it to be that kind of job, but I had inferred it was their intention for it to be. He gives me a questioning look and I explain, “Ryder likes to encourage Scar to play with her prey.”
“I think I like Ryder,” he responds with a smirk. “Think he’ll be my friend?”
I sigh and choose to ignore him and the curious looks from Rachel and Kade. Instead, I text Mikey and Ronan to let them know cleanup might be a little messier tonight than I had originally said. Ronan is quick to respond he already knew as soon as Scar told him Ryder was with her, but they’re already in place and the job is almost done.
Thank god for small favors at least.
“You can ask him yourself,” Kade offers. “They’ll be here soon.”
Matteo sits up straighter. “I chose a good night to stop by. The whole family is going to be here.”
I’m starting to really hate the curiosity in his eyes. While I think it’s harmless and seems to be mostly intrigue, we are not close enough for this type of candor. His father has always been happy to let us have the West Coast while he dominates the East. It limits our competition and we trade in different markets as well. Keeping a healthy amount of separation has done us both well, but Matteo seems eager to blur those lines.
“Have you heard from Nicholis?” he suddenly asks, turning to Rachel.
She eyes him suspiciously, on edge as much as I am. “Why would I have?”
Matteo weighs her words. “He’s left the country. Doing some work for my father.” He’s fishing again. I just can’t figure out why.
Rachel is a pro at hiding her feelings. She doesn’t flinch at his words and her expression doesn’t even flicker, but I see the brief snap of pain that flashes in her eyes. Anger burns through me and I’m relieved Scar isn’t here. It’s been hard enough to talk her down from hunting the prick and taking him out once and for all. It isn’t what Rachel would want though.
“I fail to see what that has to do with me,” she answers primly. Short, sweet, and to the point. I’m proud of her.
“He didn’t tell you?” Matteo pushes.
Rachel waves him off, taking a sip of the red wine Silva brought her as soon as she sat down. “Why would he?”
Matteo eyes her skeptically. “You were once engaged to the man.”
I’m ready to shut the conversation down. The last thing Rachel needs is this man dragging her painful past back up. Isn’t it bad enough she already lost Alec and then was abandoned by the last connection she had to him? But my interference isn’t required.
She smiles like the cat that got the cream behind her wine glass. “And what of your ex-fiancée? She still in Paris or is it Milan now?”
I half expect shutters to fall over his eyes, but he just seems all the more amused at her barb. “Point taken. Maybe it would have been better to point out you were once childhood friends then?”
Rachel’s smile turns predatory. She knows something I’m unaware of. Maybe it’s time to set Noah and Scar on digging into Matteo’s past. We never have out of respect, but if he’s blurring lines, we may need to be better prepared. “Funny you should mention childhood friends. I heard arumorthat you had one once upon a time. Might have even been the cause behind the abrupt termination of your engagement. Have you heard from her lately? Know what she’s up to?”
Matteo looks equal measures chagrined and impressed by her cutting words. We will definitely be looking into his past. He puts his hands up in surrender. “Fine, fine. You win. Nicholis is no longer your friend.”
“He’s no longer anything to me,” she cuts in sharply. Atta girl.
He sighs again like this conversation hasn’t gone the way he expected it to. “You know, you lot sure are hard to get in with. I thought you would appreciate knowing.”
Rachel scoffs, “I no longer care. Want to get on my good side?” He nods and she smirks. “Pay me more money.”
I chuckle at her brazenness. This is the Rachel we know and love. It’s a risk, but Matteo was the one to drop the formalities first. She has just followed his lead. He shakes his head. “Are you sure you two aren’t blood related?” he asks, gesturing between Rachel and I. “What?” he asks defensively at our expressions. “You guys are so guarded. I’m not my father, okay? He respects you lot and prefers the distance, but I’m curious. I want to know more about you. Fuck the distance.”
“Haven't you ever heard what curiosity did to the cat?” A slow smile spreads across my face to turn and find Scar has snuck up behind me, Ryder at her side. My smile is quick to drop and be replaced by exasperation. She’s still got blood in her hair and when she turns her head, I’m almost positive I see something that looks suspiciously like it could be bloody fingerprints at the side of her neck.
“Good thing I’m not a cat then,” Matteo snarks back, his eyes lighting up as he takes in Scar and Ryder’s disheveled appearances. They really did the bare minimum to clean up before coming here.
