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I sip my beer as I wait. The music is turned up and the mood here seems to match the upbeat songs they’re playing tonight. But not mine.
Matteo finally rises, but it would seem he’s not leaving yet, simply heading to the restroom.Great.Once upon a time, I liked him. We were friends I thought…
Brittney interrupts my thoughts by clearing her throat. I turn and find her standing to my left. Her arms are crossed, and her chin is lifted in defiance. “Gabby said you needed to see me.”
“We should talk. You can’t trust Matteo,” I say bluntly.
“What the—wait. How do you know his name? Are you spying on me?” she asks in a demanding tone.
She’s angry. Her fists are clenched at her sides as she waits for my answer.
I have nothing to hide. Maybe I should, but I don’t care what she thinks of me. I haven’t for a long time. I stand and throw down enough cash to pay for my beer and a tip. “Trust me. I know him. He’s dangerous like I told you.”
She lifts her chin even higher to keep eye contact with me. “Trusting you is the last thing I’ll ever do again, Hawk. You didn’t warn me against him, you warned me Nashville could be dangerous.”
“You seem to forget…I lived in Nashville for a few years. It’s why I know him and how I know he’s dangerous. That’s a promise I’d never break,” I tell her.
Her eyes widen in surprise. “You asshole. You followed me that night. You were there.” She steps back from me as her nostrils flare, and she clenches her jaw.
I close the space and lean in toward her so she can hear me. My lips brush the shell of her ear as I whisper, “You seem to forget when you wrote your song about me, you lied and made my promises null and void, and in the same breath, broke yours to me.”
She lets out a hiccup of a sob before her eyes fill with tears and she slaps me. I touch my face, feeling the sting of her slap before facing her again. She blinks and big teardrops fall down her cheeks. “Don’t you dare try to protect me from whatever nonexistent danger you’ve cooked up in your head. I don’t need anything from you. There is no one who could ever hurt me more than you.”
With that, she turns and heads for the kitchen doors where Zander stands staring at me with stone-cold eyes. He follows behind her as Gabby continues waiting on customers.
I hear a lone, slow clap behind me over the music playing from the mounted speakers. “Bravo,fratello, bravo.”
My teeth grind together before I face him. “Matteo. What are you doing here?”
He produces a knowing smile. “I’m simply scouting out new talent. This one has it all. She’s a beauty with heart and soul. I’m still not sure what you did to break her, but I can’t wait to put her back together and make her mine.”
This time it’s my fists doing the clenching. “Back off, Leone. Leave her out of whatever this is.”
He laughs cruelly before adding, “Not a chance in hell. We may not be able to touch you or your precious mamma and sister, but I’m going to enjoy destroying you through her.”
“You’re wrong. I could care less about her. If you want to come at me, you’re going to have to do better,” I say calmly, although I’m anything but.
He shoves his arms through his suit coat. “You can try to hide it, but you’re a lousy liar. You care. And now, I finally have you where I want you.”
He starts to walk away, but I block his path. “You’re making a mistake.”
He stands toe to toe with me. “No,fratello.It was you who made the mistake.”
He hits my shoulder with his as he pushes past me to leave. But he makes sure to taunt me a little more and says, “By the way, your dad says hi.” He laughs again. “I’ll be seeing you.”
Once I’m sure he’s gone, I scrub my hand down my face and glance toward the bar to see if Brittney has returned, but all I see is Gabby and Zander. He keeps me in his sight as he takes care of his customers. I approach the end of the bar and he follows. “You need to leave her alone. I don’t know what you did but leave her be.”
“I’m not here to mess with her. I’m trying to watch her back,” I tell him.
His eyes narrow as he takes in what I said. “What do you mean?”
“I need to talk to her. Is she back there?” I ask impatiently.
“No. She left,” he says flatly.
I don’t give him a chance to say anything else, I head for the exit to find her. With Matteo lurking and making his threats, I need to make sure she’s safe whether she talks to me or not.
It’s a good thing I figured out where she lives. And if I can’t find her, I’m not above asking for help from her best friend, even if it means hinting at a truth I fought hard to escape.
