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"Stay alert," I tell Melania as I navigate around to the back of the building where shadows provide better cover.
I park between a dumpster and an old delivery truck, positioning the car so it's partially hidden from the street. The engine ticks as it cools, the only sound besides Melania's calmed breathing beside me.
"We need to get out," I say, checking my weapon. "Better to have our eyes scanning than be sitting like targets."
Melania nods, clutching the laptop to her chest.
"Take the USB," I instruct her. "Leave the laptop in the car."
She carefully extracts the drive and slips it…somewhere…Fuck, she’s still wearing only my tee.
"Let's go."
We exit the car simultaneously, moving into the shadows between the motel and a chain-link fence. I position Melania against the wall, my body angled to shield her while maintaining sight lines in all directions.
The night air feels heavy with tension. Every distant car engine makes me tighten my grip on my weapon. Melania remains perfectly still, her breathing measured. She's handling this better than most would.
"How's your arm?" she whispers.
"Fine," I respond, not taking my eyes off our surroundings. The pain has dulled to a persistent throb and the bleeding has stopped. "Just a graze."
Five minutes pass in strained silence before headlights sweep across the parking lot. A black Audi pulls around back, moving slowly. I push Melania further into the shadows, positioning myself between her and any potential threat.
The car stops. A moment later, Matteo emerges, his movements casual but his eyes sharp as they scan the area. I recognize his silhouette immediately.
"It's Matteo," I murmur to Melania, feeling her relax slightly against me.
Matteo approaches, hands visible. His eyes land on Melania first, assessing her condition before turning to me. His gaze drops to my bloodied sleeve.
"You okay, brother?" he asks, nodding toward my arm.
"Just a scratch," I confirm. "Bleeding's stopped."
He nods, satisfied with my assessment. "Damiano sent everything you asked for," he says, turning to Melania. "Threelaptops, different makes. Clean. I guess I should have stopped at Gucci. You didn't have time to dress before the melee?"
I watch Matteo's eyes scan over Melania, lingering a second too long on her with a hint of a smirk. Something primal flares in my chest.
"Get in the car," I tell Melania, my voice deliberately calm. "I'll be there in a minute."
She hesitates, glancing between us before nodding and walking toward the Audi. The moment she's out of earshot I step into Matteo's space, close enough that my words won't carry.
"The next time your eyes undress on her like that," I say, in a dangerous whisper, "you're going to end up blind."
Matteo stares at me for a beat, surprise flickering across his features before he bursts into laughter.
"Holy fuck," he wheezes, shoulders shaking.
I don't share his amusement. In one swift movement I cup the back of his neck, yanking our foreheads together like lions establishing dominance, my fingers digging into his skin.
"Have I made myself understood?" My voice is barely audible, each word precise and lethal.
Matteo continues laughing, though his body tenses under my grip. "I've fucking understood pretty well," he manages, still chuckling.
I release him and step back, tossing him the Maserati keys. "Throw the laptop somewhere it won't be found, then disappear the car."
He catches the keys with one hand, his laughter subsiding but amusement still dancing in his eyes. "Consider it done."
I slide into the driver's seat of the Audi, instantly noting how Melania's scent has already claimed the interior. She sits with perfect posture despite everything, the USB drive clutched in her palm.