The Hitman's Mark

29. Safe

MATTEO

"I don't give a fuck how you get him off the balcony," Matteo growled into his phone, his grip tightening on the steering wheel as he sped down the highway toward Scarsdale. "Just bring him to the mansion and put him in the basement for me."

"Roger that," Luca replied from the speaker before repeating Matteo's demands to the rest of the Romano security detail.

Although he had half a mind to put a bullet in Francesco Russo's brain the moment he saw the coward crumpled in the fetal position on the balcony, Matteo couldn't bring himself to deny Val's whispered request: Take me home. Take me away from here.

He'd immediately carried her out of one of the hotel's back entrances to avoid causing a scene in the gala. While Val nuzzled her bruised face into his neck, he barked orders over the phone for Alfonso, one of Leonardo's private guards, to meet him outside and send other Romano guards to the south balcony, where they'd find a present waiting for them. Alfonso arrived at the Romano vehicles a minute after Matteo and Val, and fury lined the older man's face when he beheld the principessa's injuries.

Matteo explained what little of the situation he'd heard from Val and asked Alfonso to discreetly relay the situation to Leonardo and Adriano. He knew that the don and sottocapo would undoubtedly want revenge on the bastard Russo heir, but revenge meant war with the Russo famiglia. As much as Matteo wanted to end Franscesco's life, he'd let Leonardo make the call.

He received the keys to the armored sedan that Alfonso drove to the gala, leaving the SUV for the rest of the Romano attendees to use for transportation home. He carefully placed Val in the passenger seat and furiously sped out of the parking garage, only for his phone to ring five minutes later.

Luca was on the other line. Apparently, Alfonso had delivered Matteo's message to Leonardo, and the don wanted blood, consequences be damned.

Thank fuck, Matteo thought when he heard Leonardo demand Franscesco Russo's life in the background of the phone call. They'd make him suffer first, though. The Hollowman always enjoyed a bit of suffering before death.

"Alright, the don and Adriano are going to stay at the party a bit longer for appearances," Luca reported. "Lara is heading home early with the two guards that are transporting Franscesco to the Black Room. She wants to check on Val."

Hearing her name, Matteo risked a glance at the girl in the passenger seat beside him. She'd curled in on herself, her eyes closed as she clutched her legs to her chest. She looked so fuckin' breakable and fragile, but Matteo knew better. She was stronger than most men in the famiglia.

Guilt slammed into him like a freight train. This was his fault. He never should've taken his eyes off of her.

"That's good," Matteo muttered, his knuckles whitening as he squeezed the wheel again, searching for some outlet for the anger pulsing through his body.

"Alfonso and I will ride home in the SUV with Leonardo and Adriano," Luca continued, all business. "As of right now, it doesn't look like anyone from the Russos suspects anything. We'll see how long that lasts when they realize Franscesco is missing and there's blood spatter all over the balcony."

"They'll want leniency for him." Matteo rolled his eyes. His entire body rejected that idea, and red lined his vision again as he lowered his voice. "He'll be dead before Giovanni realizes that we are the ones who took him."

Out of the corner of his eye, Matteo saw Val shift. She opened her eyes, pain and worry clouding over the beautiful hazes. "I've gotta go. Call me if anything changes," he ordered, before pressing the red button on his phone screen and discarding the device in a cup holder.