38. Matteo

38

MATTEO

P ulling up to the guard post at Mancini's estate, I roll down the window to speak to one of the burly looking men he has working. Usually I'd have Enzo drive, but since we're showing up to Mancini's unannounced, I figured I should be the one to take the brunt of this decision, should there be any repercussions. It's unheard of to show up at another don's home unannounced, but this concerns his daughter, so I don't fucking care.

"Matteo DiMaggio," the guard says as he approaches my vehicle. "I wasn't informed you'd be coming this morning."

"That's because your boss hasn't been informed either."

He lets out a dismayed grunt. "Mr. Mancini is busy today. Maybe you should call ahead next time and schedule an appointment."

"Maybe you should use that headset of yours to contact Mr. Mancini and let him know I'm just dying to see him." My sarcasm doesn't go unnoticed as the guard's gaze turns cold. He steps back into the guard hut, knowing he can't ignore my request .

"You think it was wise not to give Mancini a call to let him know we were heading over? What if he's not even home?" Enzo asks.

"I thought it would be more fun to surprise him. And it's early. Where else would the old man be?"

The guard speaks into his headset, and after a few more seconds, he reaches for something, and the gates in front of us slide open. I hold his stare until he finally gives me a slight nod to drive through.

Enzo chuckles in his seat next to me. "Well, that was easy."

"And you doubted me," I say with a relaxed scoff.

After parking my car right out front, Enzo and I walk up the front steps and are immediately greeted by the same butler who met Lux and me the other night. "Welcome, Mr. and Mr. DiMaggio." That's weird to hear out loud in a sentence. "Mr. Mancini wanted me to bring you to his study."

The butler leads us through the foyer, down the hall, and around the corner into the room I was acquainted with the last time I was here.

"He'll be with you both momentarily. Can I get either of you anything? Coffee perhaps?"

"We're okay, thank you," I say before he exits the room with a small nod.

"I could've used a coffee, Teo. Do you know how late our sister kept me up last night worried about how you'd react to seeing Lux working that pole?"

I snap my gaze to his. "Don't speak about my wife working a pole again. And if you tell me you saw her?—"

Enzo holds up his hands in defense. "I didn't see shit. Lux on a pole? I don't believe it."

If rolling my eyes was something I did, I would've rolled my eyes so hard they would've gotten stuck in the back of my head. "You watched, didn't you? "

He shoves his hands in the pockets of his slacks and walks along the wall lined with bookshelves, acting as if he's looking at them. "I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't see anyone that looked like Lux on that stage."

Ignoring him, I take a seat on the couch, and Enzo comes over and drops into the spot next to me. "So, how was last night?" his nosy ass asks.

Leaving my gaze on the door, I keep my response short and sweet. "Fine."

He sulks into the couch. "That's all you're going to give me?"

"Were you expecting something else?'

"I saw the way you looked at her when you saw her on that stage. You were pissed."

"Of course I was fucking pissed." I finally bring my attention to his.

He holds up a finger. "You didn't let me finish. You were pissed, but also turned the fuck on. You can't tell me seeing your girl up there doing the damn thing didn't twitch that dick of yours." The gleam in his eye and that shit-eating grin on his face tell me all I need to know about what he'll say next. "So that begs the question. Was I right?"

"Right about what, Enzo?"

With a wiggle of his brows, he says, "The sex. Was it fucking amazing like I said it'd be?"

I let out a sigh and keep a blank expression on my face before turning my gaze back toward the door.

Enzo releases a deep laugh that stems from his gut. "I'll take that as a yes."

I shake my head.

"Man, you must really like Lux." I can't deny that. "You used to have no problem telling me about your sex life. But now," he says with another laugh. "Now I can't even get you to admit if you've fucked or not."

"We fucked. It was the best damn sex of my entire life. And yes, I do really like Lux. Any other questions I need to answer, or is this inquisition over?"

His smile broadens as he grabs my shoulder and gives it a shake. "I already knew. I just wanted you to admit it. I'm happy for you, brother."

A smile threatens to break out on my face but is quickly shoved back down when Mancini's voice sounds in the room. "I apologize for keeping you both waiting," he says as he walks in and takes a seat in the chair directly across from us. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" He peers back and forth between Enzo and me before settling on me.

"I wanted to stop by and check in with my favorite father-in-law. See if you've heard anything about Lux's mother," I say, jumping right to it. No point in wasting time.

He sits back in his chair, relaxed, sipping the cup of black coffee he walked in with. "I have not, unfortunately. What about you? Any new revelations?"

"No." I lie, not wanting to tell him I ended up at his strip club last night with Mauricio and the Silvestris.

Mancini narrows his eyes slightly before asking, "How's Lux? I'd like to take her out to lunch today or tomorrow."

"I'll check with her to see what her availability looks like, but I have to tell you, Mancini. She's getting more and more torn up over her mother. She's been begging me to let her help find her. I don't think she's going to want to waste her time getting lunch with you when she could be focusing on finding her."

"What does she think she's going to be able to do to help?"

"She's quite the persistent little thing. Very strong-willed. She'll figure out something to do. Especially since she's typically home alone all day, leaving her ample time to figure something out."

I study Mancini's movements as he brings his coffee mug back up to his mouth and swallows the hot liquid. There's a slight shake in his hand as he lowers the cup back down to his lap.

"Let me see what I can find out. I might know a guy that can help."

"Great," I say before pushing myself off the couch with Enzo following. "Let's reconvene in a couple of days. See what this guy of yours turns up."

"Sure," he says as he rises from his chair. "Let me walk you both out."

"No need. Enzo and I can see ourselves out," I state as I make our way to the door. "We'll talk in a couple of days."

"Can you, please, tell Lux that I've been thinking about her?" he calls out, causing me to spin around. His gaze remains forward, so all I see is the back of his head. "That I miss her, and if she ever needs to get out of the house, she's more than welcome to come here."

"Sure." But she won't be coming over here unless I'm with her.

"I'd really like to get to know my daughter, Matteo, so I would appreciate your support with that. I've made mistakes in the past, but I'm trying to make up for them now."

Even though I know he can't see it, I nod before exiting the room. The sincerity in his voice has me almost feeling like I owe it to the man to help him have a relationship with his daughter, but I can't make that decision yet. There's still something off about Lux's mother's disappearance, and until I figure it out, I can't trust anyone.

Mancini's butler meets us as we round the corner and walks us to the front door. "Mr. and Mr. DiMaggio, you both have a splendid day," he says before opening the front door and letting us out.

Once we're in the G-Wagon, out of earshot from anyone, I say, "We've planted the seed."

"Now let's see what that gets us," Enzo finishes.