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Chapter Eighteen

Matteo

I go to Dante for help in finding Connor and he tells me that the bastard has been spotted near one of Viktor’s nightclubs.

“Don’t be reckless,” Dante tells me on my way out of his house. “I told you to stay put and let me handle this.”

“I cant. I have to do this.” I can’t rest knowing that Julia is upset with me. I know I shouldn’t have told her what to do and she does have the right to talk to her brother but I can’t lose her and if taking Connor down helps weaken Viktor and makes the world safer for Julia, I will do it.

I park down the street from Viktor’s nightclub and watch as people show up for the evening. I keep my eyes peeled, hoping something, just something will work in my favor.

And it does.

Connor walks up to the doors and is let inside.

This is my chance to end him.

I don’t bring my gun with me as I know the bouncers will be able to detect I have one with me, so I settle for a knife instead, hidden inside my jacket pocket.

The bouncer motions me on through without any problems. I scan the area to find Connor. It’s a packed night. People are shoulder to shoulder as they move about the club. It’s going to be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Except… my eyes go up to the second floor of the club and that’s when I spot him: Connor. Same old, same old, even though the club is new. He just loves his private VIP booths.

I can’t draw too much attention to myself. If Viktor knew I was in his club, he’d lose his fucking mind. I spend the evening watching Connor until he finally leaves the private booth. He saunters out of the club.

I follow him.

I remain as far back as I can while still keeping an eye on him as he heads for his car. That’s when I decide to strike.

I rush towards him with my knife and jam it into his side and pull it right out. He grunts and falls forward.

“You don’t get Julia,” I growl, swiping the knife towards his throat but he jerks back just in time to avoid getting hit.

“Hey!” a man shouts behind me. Turning around, I see the bouncer from before standing there with a gun drawn. “I will shoot if you don’t drop your weapon.”

Connor laughs as he dives into his car, making a getaway before I can stop him. Fuck!

I lower my knife to the ground and raise my hands in surrender. “Just lower your gun and no one else has to get hurt.”

“I’m calling the cops on you.” As he pulls out his phone, I make a run for it. He tries shooting after me but I hurry down the street until I lose him. I hide in a twenty-four hour gas station until the coast is clear for me to get back to my own car. Once I do, I drive straight to Julia.

She’s pacing around the room when I return. “I was so worried. Did you kill him?”

“No.” I grab her face and press my lips right to hers.

“Matteo.” She steps out of my grip. “You’re losing it. You remind me of my brother right now. Killing Connor is not the answer. Convincing Viktor to get on board with us is the answer.”

“I don’t want to talk right now.”

She eyes me over before she leans into my touch. “I just want us to be safe.”

“And I’m sorry I left angry. But I can’t lose you, Julia. I fucking can’t.” I lift her into my arms and carry her into the bedroom. “I just need you.”

“Then take me. But don’t ever try to control me again. Please.”

“I promise I’ll try not to.” I rip her clothes right off her and she quickly gets rid of mine.

I part her legs but Julia stops me. “I want to be on top this time. I want to know what that feels like.”

I’ll gladly let her fuck me anyway she wants. I grab Julia around the waist and lay down so she’s straddling me.

She looks me right in the eye as she lowers herself onto me. We both moan at the same time.

“Show me what to do,” she pants and I grab her hips, helping her to rock back and forth. Every motion sends a new wave of pleasure through me and judging by the way Julia is moaning, it’s the same for her.

“Fuck, you are beautiful,” I say, looking up at her as she rides me.

She doesn’t blush this time. Her pace is frantic and forceful. In a way, it’s a punishment for me trying to control her. She wants to be the one in control for once.

“I love you,” she gasps out. “But don’t ever treat me like that again.”

“I love you too. And I can’t lose you, baby. I just can’t.”

She slaps her hands onto my chest and rocks her hips around with a frenetic energy. I’ve never seen her more beautiful than like she is right now.

“Oh!” she cries out as she increases her pace.

I grip her hips tighter. I need this just as much as she does. I failed to kill Connor again. I failed to protect her.

“Matteo.”

“Just feel,” I gasp out. “Just let it happen.”

She keeps panting and gasping and softly moaning and it’s doing wild things to me.

I sit up and bring our chests together. My hands grip her ass, rocking her harder against me. Our breath mingles together. We pant at the same time. It’s like we’re animals desperate to get as close as we can to each other.

Julia kisses me right as her body trembles. I hold her close. I move her hips for her until my own release hits me too.

Then we fall onto the bed, my cock still inside of her, and we just lay there, content to be in each other’s arms.

“Don’t ever leave me like that again,” she says. “I was so worried you’d die and I would never see you again.”

“I know. I’m sorry. Connor is a slippery fucker. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to kill him.”

“I don’t need you to kill him for me to be proud of you.”

“But I have failed at protecting you.”

Her eyes soften. “You haven’t failed at all.

Matteo, we won’t survive if we don’t work together.

Let me talk to Viktor. You can come with me.

We can set up another meeting with Inessa and we can facetime Viktor.

It will be safe. I can explain to Viktor that I love you and that I never meant to hurt him. And hopefully he’ll understand.”

“Hope. You don’t know for a fact.”

“You’re right. But we have to try.”

I sigh deeply and pull her in closer so I can give her a kiss. “I think it’s too risky but you’re not going to stop until you get to talk to Viktor so… let’s talk to Viktor. And I’ll be there to make sure you’re not hurt.”

“My brother will never hurt me.”

I wish I had the same faith in Viktor as Julia does but I don’t. Viktor may not physically hurt Julia but he could hurt her if he locked her away again. He could hurt her by killing me. Viktor may love his sister but he loves his pride more.

Julia

I set up another meeting with Inessa in the park. Matteo decides to remain in the car, nearby, but that he’ll come out if anything goes wrong.

Once I see Inessa, I break out into a run and hug her. “I’m ready to talk to Viktor. Matteo understands. He won’t stop us this time.”

She pulls back and won’t look me in the eye.

“Inessa?”

“I’m sorry, Julia. I didn’t want to do it this way but…”

My heart rate spikes. Something isn’t right here. “But what? What did you do?”

She sighs and points behind her. It’s then I see Viktor coming my way. Oh no. I hope Matteo doesn’t leave the car. I hope he doesn’t make this worse.

Viktor reaches us. “Julia. I’ve come to talk.”

“I want to talk too.”

“Good. And I hate to do this because I want to trust you but I can’t.”

I frown. “What are you talking about?”

Viktor picks me up and throws me over his shoulder before I can even react. And that’s when I hear Matteo’s car door open and his footsteps running after us.

“I will shoot you,” Viktor says. I cant see what’s happening from this angle. My entire world is upside down.

“Let her go,” Matteo growls.

“I need to get my sister somewhere safe so we can talk. And she’s not safe with you.”

“Don’t kill him,” I cry. “Please. I will hate you forever if you kill him.”

I can tell that makes Viktor hesitate. Inessa grabs his arm. “Come on. Let’s go.”

“Matteo, don’t shoot,” I call out. “Just let me go. I’ll see you again. I promise. Don’t kill my brother.”

Both men stand off until Matteo lowers his gun.

Viktor nods and turns around, giving me the chance to see Matteo when I lift my head.

I told him to trust Inessa and she betrayed me.

I told Matteo that everything would be ok but the farther Viktor carries me away from Matteo, I know things won’t be ok.

I don’t say a word until I’m back in Viktor’s house. My house still, technically. Viktor made sure my name was on the lease too, as well as Inessa’s in case anything happened to any of us.

Viktor takes me into his office and makes me sit in the chair like I’m a little girl in need of a scolding. It’s moments like this that I’m reminded that Viktor isn’t just my brother – he’s also my dad in a way.

“Explain everything to me,” he demands. Inessa stands in the corner, not looking at me. Guilt, I’m assuming.

“What do you want to know?”

“Do you hate me?”

The question catches me off guard, I don’t even know how to speak for a long moment. “Viktor, have you been thinking I hated you this whole time?”

“Why else would you act the way you’ve been acting?”

A flare of anger hits me but I tamp it down. Screaming at Viktor right now is not going to help my cause. “I don’t hate you. I’ve never hated you. I only said I would hate you if you killed Matteo.”

“So, if you don’t hate me, then why did you do what you did? Why did you give private information to Matteo, the enemy? Are you that na?ve?”

“Viktor,” Inessa says softly. “Don’t be mean. Hear her out.”

“Maybe I am a little na?ve,” I say. “But I only ever gave information to Matteo to help protect his life as well as yours.”

“How so?”

“The night you were going to attack Dante’s nightclub. I told Matteo about it in the hopes that he wouldn’t be there that night so he couldn’t get hurt.”

Viktor scoffs. “So you care about your boyfriend more than the man who raised you?”