9. Matteo

9

MATTEO

L uxtyn lunges toward Mancini so fast I almost miss it. I wrap my arms around her while Enzo leaps from his chair, prepared to help where needed, but I nod to him, letting him know I have it handled.

"You!" she screams at Mancini while trying to tear herself out of my grasp. I try not to tighten my grip on her, in fear that I'll hurt her unintentionally, so I let her thrash in my arms.

"What did you do to my mother?" she screams, and her hair whips me in the face, showering me with her sweet scent.

I shouldn't be thinking about her intoxicating aroma, especially at this moment, yet I can't help but notice the citrus and vanilla scents emanating from her, blending to create an enticingly sweet but not overpowering fragrance.

Get it the fuck together, Teo.

I release a nearly undetectable groan, trying to rein in that ridiculous thought and keep my body from reacting to Luxtyn squirming in my arms.

Enzo gives me one of his shit-eating grins, surely reading my mind, which is not what I need right now .

She is a means to an end.

A business transaction.

Exactly what Giuliana was going to be.

And that's it.

Mancini holds up his hands, with his eyes wide and locked in on Luxtyn. "That's why I'm here. I don't know where she is, but I think I know who took her."

"Liar! You're the one who took her! I know you did!" Luxtyn sinks her sharp nails into my forearms in an attempt to break free from me.

Oh, my Little Lux. You stabbed me. It'll take a lot more than that to get out of my grasp.

"One of the last conversations I had with her! On the phone!" Her words come out in pants. "I heard you!"

Ahh, I see where the confusion lies, and while I don't blame the girl for thinking Mancini took her mother, especially after hearing him while she was on the phone with her, there's no way Mancini took her mother. He wouldn't have made this agreement with me if he had.

Lowering my head, I whisper in her ear, "Relax, Little Lux," and to my surprise, after a few seconds and a few deep breaths, she slackens and loosens her grip on my forearms, leaving behind a trail of ten crescent-shaped marks in them.

I keep a hold of her, even though she's stopped thrashing around, and her breathing begins to even out. "That's my good girl," I whisper. Although, I don't know why I said my , as if she's mine .

She's a means to an end, Teo. Fucking remember that.

"I suggest you explain to Luxtyn why she heard you on the phone with her mother. I'll only hold her off for so long, Mancini."

His desperate gaze bounces from me to her. "It's true. I did see your mother. The night before she disappeared. But I promise you, Luxtyn, I had nothing to do with her disappearance."

"Well, not intentionally at least," I mumble, which causes her to stiffen and straighten her spine. Whoops. "Listen to what he has to say, Luxtyn."

"I do believe I know who was behind her disappearance, though, and I'm here to offer my help. If you'll let me." He gives Luxtyn a pleading gaze with desperate puppy dog eyes that actually make me feel an inkling of pity for the man.

"I'm going to let you go. Can you remain calm, Little Lux?" I whisper, and the soft strands that have fallen over her ear sway with each word I breathe out. I'm not sure why I keep calling her Little Lux like it's some cute fucking petname I've made for her, and it's not something I want to figure out right now.

She nods. "Use your words, sweet girl." Again with the fucking petnames, but I can't help it when she responds so perfectly to me.

"Yes, Matteo," she breathes out. The way she says my name, it's as if I commanded it out of her. Well, hell, I did, didn't I? My dick jolts awake. As if containing it from the excitement it felt while she was rubbing up against it in a feat of anger just moments ago wasn't enough.

I release her but remain rooted in place behind her in case she decides to change her mind. Or is it because I enjoy being near her? Nope. Not the latter.

"Start talking, Angelo ," Luxtyn spits out, which has me biting back a grin. She's not afraid. An admirable trait.

Dropping his hands to his side, Mancini explains the torrid love affair he had with her mother and how he pushed her away out of fear of harm coming her way if he continued having her in his life. How he never knew about Luxtyn's existence, and how he believes the Silvestris are behind her disappearance, which is new information to me.

Is that why Mauricio hasn't been with him lately?

Mauricio being Mancini's underboss means he's the one who takes over if anything were to happen to him. A stipulation I had Mancini add to the contract we signed gives me full control of the Mancini family upon his death or retirement. It's another reason I was so motivated to sign that contract the other day.

Mauricio used to be Giuseppe Silvestri's underboss, but when Angelo Mancini married Elena Silvestri, he started working for him instead.

I don't know the details of the marriage contract, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out why Mauricio started working for Mancini. It was just another power move for Giuseppe Silvestri. Having one of his own men on the inside of the Mancini family.

I wouldn't put it past the Silvestris to be behind her mother's disappearance, but what exactly would their plan be for her?