Page 75 of Last Breath

What have you done. What have you done. You have forsaken your family. Your own blood.

‘Be honest,’ Matteo continued. ‘You’re secretly glad I’m sequestering you away from the media right now. Congratulations, by the way – fatherhood is truly what makes one a man.’

Nella felt Ariana shift beside her. It was so weird that this girl seemed just as pissed off that Luca was the collateral Matteo had designated to guarantee her safety. Was it because Matteo had kept her in the dark about his schemes or because Ariana had accidentally picked up some human DNA despite her questionable parentage?

‘Luca ...’ Nella started to run down the aisle.

‘Oh, no,’ Matteo said, shaking his finger. Raphael tightened his hold on Luca’s shoulder. ‘He remains with me. Until you get back here with my daughter.’

This wasn’t ... No.

‘Ariana’s not a prisoner,’ Nella said, blood pounding in her ears. ‘She’s coming willingly.’ She moved to grab her brother, but Matteo stepped between them, veneers glinting down at her like a vampire about to pierce her neck. She felt the pulse of Grey and Jett beside her, ready to rip Matteo’s own throat out if he so much as breathed too close.

A ridiculous part of her felt annoyed that she alone could not elicit such hesitation.

‘I won’t let you,’ she said. To Luca, to Matteo, to herself, she didn’t know anymore. But it was true. She wasn’t losing Luca, she wasn’t putting him in danger again. Not after Dad, not after Frankie ...

She was the oldest. She had to keep him safe. Luca’s life was her responsibility, no matter how much she denied any sense of duty to her family. He was hers to protect.

‘You have no choice,’ Matteo sneered.

Luca tried to mumble through the tape, his green eyes darting between Nella and Matteo, then back to the end of the church where Max and Ariana stood.

‘Let him speak! He’s not going to use his mouth to undo his cuffs!’ Nella said.

Matteo nodded at Raphael and the rip of tape tore through the hollowness of the church in a sickening sound.

‘Son-of-a—’

‘Careful, boy,’ Matteo said. ‘You won’t be speaking about my mama like that under my roof.’

‘Fuck your mother. Fuck the lot of—’

CRACK!

Matteo’s hand cut clean across Luca’s face. Nella felt the strike like it was her own skin.

Luca spat at Matteo’s shoes as Nella launched between them, fighting off Jett and Grey, who tried to tear her away.

‘Come on, Luca.’ Nella grabbed his shoulder, which Raphael still held. ‘Let’s go home. I’ll find another way.’

‘Get fucked,’ he said. ‘Let him take me. I’d like to see him try to really hurt me. See all those vultures out there with their cameras? Imagine the story I can give them:Matteo La Marca abuses boy in church, then locks him up in private bunker in his estate.I hear Sophie Kingsley’s itching to destroy another dynasty’s reputation. Go, Nella.’ Luca glared at her, his eyes sparking with determination. ‘Find what you need in Italy to prove he’s as fake as his fucking toupee. I’ll be fine.’

She knew her brother. And she knew he was the furthest thing from fine. But why wasn’t he fighting this more?

‘Go,’ Luca said again, his eyes fixed straight ahead. Above him, Jesus looked sadly down from his crucifix at the scene below as if the realisation was slowly dawning that evenhecouldn’t save the Barbarani children from their own messes.

‘So, what’s it going to be, Antonella?’

22

Jett

Jett couldn’t sleep. Not thejust can’t drift offkind of non-sleep. The brain thumping, adrenaline coursing,2 a.m. what is the meaning of life?kind.

A montage of blurry images streamed through his brain.

Her eyes, black and wild, pulling him towards her.