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“I was so scared,” she said pulling back and looking at me and then him. She caught my face in her hands and stared at me, her lips trembling. “I thought you were dead?—”
“Just really banged up. I lost a lot of blood, but the bullet didn’t hit anything vital. Luis and Joseph arrived and well if it weren’t for?—”
“Luis?” she said, turning again toward him. “What are you doing here? I thought I was seeing things.”
“Luis started working for me shortly after we got married,” I explained. “He helped me make sure you stayed safe.”
“What?” She looked confused.
“I know. It’s a lot to take in, but it’s true,” Luis said. “At first, I said no, and then Dario told me the whole story, and I knew you were in deep shit. Excuse my language.”
“What?”
“He told me about your plan to kill Nico and said he needed an extra pair of eyes on the inside, someone who wasn’t part of his inner circle. Someone he could trust.”
“And so, you volunteered?”
He shrugged, “Jason was my best friend. I couldn’t protect him from himself, but I could protect you…so I did.”
She teared up. “So, Jason really was laundering money?”
He nodded, “I’m sorry. He was, but?—”
Mya blinked back tears and turned to Dario. “So, everything you told me was true?”
“Yes, but I never told you why he did it.” This was the hard part. “Jason was trying to get close to Matteo. You see, he figured out the car accident that killed his parents was caused by Matteo. Matteo was drunk. And a minor. It was a hit-and-run. He never served any time. My father bribed all the right people, so Matteo was never charged. He wasn’t even questioned.”
“So, Jason wasn’t trying to do anything illegal, but he got in too deep and couldn’t find a way out. He was trying to findsomething to pin on Matteo, but Matteo had pulled him in too deep.” Luis swallowed hard, unable to finish.
“He had him killed,” she finished.
“Yes,” I said. “And that letter you found, I never saw it. I’m guessing Ivan put it there for you to find. I’m sorry, Mya. I really am.”
She wiped away a few tears, and I took her hands in mine.
Luis looked at the two of us and excused himself saying, “I’ll be back.” As he hopped out of the car.
He walked away, but I never took my eyes off Mya. My beautiful, Mya. She deserved more than what I could offer her. I had to tie up the loose ends.
“I’ll be right back.”
I went to find Matteo. The hatred that was in his eyes as he looked at me would have made a lesser man shrink.
“I should kill you. But I won’t. I’m giving you what you want. My empire. My contacts. You can have it all…but I swear if you ever try to find us again, I’ll kill you slowly. Is that understood?”
I didn’t wait for an answer, I just turned around and walked away. I knew Matteo would lawyer up and find a way to beat the charges. Luis meant well, but I knew what power could do.
It made people like Matteo think they were above the law, and unfortunately, sometimes they were.
I turned to Joseph and said, “Drive him home. There’s nowhere he can run. The cops will come for him soon enough.”
Finally, back at Mya’s side, I sat down and took her hand in mine.
“I’m sorry, for everything. For not telling you the whole truth, for having you believe that Jason was a criminal. I’m sorry. I thought I was doing what I needed to protect you?—”
“No, you wanted to give me a reason to hate Jason and to love you.”
I felt like my heart was out in the open and I hated it. But she was correct. “You’re right. From the moment I saw you on the steps outside the courtroom, I couldn’t get you out of my mind. I wanted you. And to say I’m obsessed with you would be the truth. I’m sorry for everything I put you through. You don’t have to forgive me, but I wanted you to know that I care about you. I love you, Mya.”