Page 40 of Ruined By Protection (Feretti Syndicate #5)

Matteo

I reach the double doors of Damiano's office and knock twice, hard and fast.

"Enter," Damiano's voice calls from inside.

I push open the door to find Damiano behind his desk with Enzo lounging in one of the leather chairs opposite him. Maps and blueprints cover the desk surface, along with what looks like financial projections.

"Sorry to interrupt," I say, pausing at the threshold.

Damiano waves me in. "You're not interrupting. We're discussing the casino expansion with Sartori."

Enzo turns in his chair, eyeing me with that calculating look he reserves for business matters. "The numbers from last quarter are fucking impressive. Even Riccardo had to admit we're exceeding projections."

I nod, taking in the blueprints. The Venetian Rose has been a gold mine for both families and expansion has been on the table for months. But I'm not here to discuss casino business.

"I need to speak with you about Montgomery," I say to Damiano.

Damiano exchanges a glance with Enzo. "We were just finishing up." He gestures to the chair beside Enzo. "Tell us what's happening with Hazel's situation."

I remain standing, too restless to sit. "We've got eyes on Hazel's family in Austin—they're safe for now but Montgomery's been making threats."

Enzo's jaw flexes. "Threatening her family? Fucking coward."

"What kind of threats?" Damiano asks, his voice deceptively calm.

"Specific ones. Her father's upcoming surgery, her brother's sports practice schedule." I grip the back of the empty chair. "He knows their routines, their vulnerabilities."

"And Hazel?" Damiano's dark eyes fix on me.

"She's..." I search for the right words. "She's stronger than she looks. But this is wearing on her."

Enzo smirks slightly. "You would know."

I ignore the jab. "There's more. We've connected Montgomery to the disappearance of his previous girlfriend, Melissa Winters. She was pregnant when she vanished."

The room goes silent. Damiano's expression hardens to granite.

"You're certain?" he asks.

"As certain as we can be without a body. The timing lines up—she disappeared right before he married Hazel."

Enzo lets out a low whistle. "So he kills his pregnant girlfriend, then immediately marries Hazel? Cold-blooded bastard."

"He needed a replacement," I say, the words tasting bitter. "Someone he could control."

Damiano leans back in his chair, fingers steepled under his chin. "And Hazel? Does she know about this Melissa?"

"I told her last night." The memory of her face when I explained it—the horror, the guilt, the dawning realization—still cuts through me. "She remembered meeting Melissa's mother once. Montgomery dismissed the woman as a crazy stalker ex."

"How did she take it?" Enzo asks, and I'm surprised by the genuine concern in his voice.

"About as well as you'd expect. Finding out your husband might be a murderer isn't easy. But she understands what needs to happen now."

Damiano nods slowly. "We discussed this before. My position hasn't changed. Montgomery needs to be handled, but cleanly. Nothing that comes back to the family."

"The casino expansion is too important," Enzo adds. "We've got the commissioner and half the city council in our pocket for the permits. We can't risk complications."

"I understand."

Damiano studies me for a long moment, his dark eyes unreadable. "Do you need backup for this? Someone specific?"

I shake my head. "I'll take Daniel with me. He's discreet, thorough."

Enzo leans forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees. "Noah's going with you too."

It's not a suggestion.

"Elliott touched Evelyn," Enzo continues, his eyes cold. "Noah wants his piece."

I nod once, accepting the inevitable. "Fine."

My phone buzzes in my pocket, cutting through the tension in Damiano's office. I check the screen and see Javier's name.

"I need to take this," I say, stepping away from Damiano's desk. "It's my contact in Austin."

Damiano nods, already turning back to the blueprints with Enzo.

I move to the corner of the office and answer. "Talk to me."

"We've got a situation," Javier says, his voice tight. "Two men tried to enter the Taylor house about twenty minutes ago."

My blood runs cold. "Are they okay?"

"They're fine. We intercepted before anything happened." Javier's voice drops lower. "The men had clear orders. They were supposed to rough up her father, make it look like a home invasion."

"Fuck." I run a hand through my hair, turning away from Damiano and Enzo who are now watching me with interest. "Where are they now?"

"Secured in the warehouse off Route 71. My guys are with them."

"Did they say who sent them?" I know who did but I need them talking to us.

"Not yet but they don't need to." Javier pauses. "One of them had a text from Montgomery with specific instructions: Make sure he can't walk to his next surgery ."

The rage that floods my veins is so intense I have to grip the edge of a bookshelf to restrain myself.

"Keep them locked down," I tell him, my voice deadly calm. "I want to know everything they know about Montgomery's operation. Who else he's hired, what other plans he has."

"Already on it."

"And the family?"

"Shaken but unharmed. We told them there was a gas leak in the neighborhood and we needed to evacuate them temporarily. They're at a hotel now with two of my men watching."

Smart move. The last thing we need is Hazel's family panicking or calling the police.

"You'll need to stay put for a couple more days," I tell him. "Montgomery might send more men when these two don't report back."

"Not a problem. I've got enough guys to rotate shifts."

"Good. Send me photos of the men you caught. I want to run them through our system, see if they've worked for anyone we know."

"Will do. Anything else?"

I think for a moment. "Yeah. Make sure Hazel's family has everything they need at the hotel. Whatever story you need to tell them, make it convincing. I don't want them going back to that house until this is over."

"Understood."

I end the call and turn back to find both Damiano and Enzo watching me intently.

"Montgomery?" Damiano asks, though it's not really a question.

I nod. "He sent men to Hazel's family home. They were going to permanently hurt her father, make it look like a robbery."

Enzo's expression darkens. "Fucking coward can't even do his own dirty work."

"Javier's men intercepted them. The family's safe, moved to a hotel for now."

Damiano leans back in his chair, his expression unreadable. "This changes things. He's escalating."

"He's desperate," I correct.

"Or he's trying to draw Hazel out," Enzo suggests. "Hurt her family, make her come running."

The thought makes my stomach turn. "She won't. She knows better now."

Hazel

A knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts. I sit up, tugging the sheet around me.

"Come in," I call, expecting Evelyn.

Matteo enters, balancing a tray loaded with food. The rich aroma of fresh coffee fills the room, along with something sweet and buttery.

"Breakfast," he announces, kicking the door shut behind him. "Ettore baked croissants this morning."

My stomach twists at the thought of food. "I'm not really hungry."

"You need to eat." Matteo sets the tray on the bed beside me. His voice is gentle but leaves no room for argument. "Even if it's just a little."

The tray holds a feast—golden croissants, fresh berries, scrambled eggs and crisp bacon. A small silver pot of coffee sits beside a delicate china cup. It's beautiful, thoughtful, and completely overwhelming.

"This is too much," I whisper.

"Start with coffee." Matteo pours the dark liquid into the cup, adding a splash of cream the way I like it—he must have noticed me adding some during breakfast and took note. I’m flattered.

I take a sip, letting the warmth spread through me. Matteo settles into the armchair beside the bed, watching me with dark, serious eyes.

"The croissants are still warm," he says after a moment.

I tear a small piece off and put it in my mouth. The layers melt on my tongue. I hadn't realized how hungry I actually was until this moment. I take another bite, larger this time.

Matteo doesn't touch the food. He just watches me eat, his gaze steady but distracted. There's a tension in his shoulders that wasn't there last night.

"You're not eating," I say, breaking the silence.

"I already ate."

I nod, reaching for a strawberry. "How was the meeting?"

"Productive." His answer is clipped, professional.

I study his face as I sip my coffee. The slight furrow between his brows. The tightness around his mouth. The way his fingers tap silently against his thigh.

"Something happened," I say. It's not a question.

Matteo's eyes meet mine. For a moment I think he might deny it but then he sighs.

"Montgomery sent men to your parents' house in Austin."

The strawberry I'm holding falls from my fingers, staining the white sheet. "What? Are they?—"

"They're fine," Matteo says quickly, leaning forward. "Javier's team intercepted the men before they got inside. Your family is safe."

Relief floods through me, followed immediately by cold fear. "What were they going to do?"

Matteo hesitates and I know he's deciding how much to tell me.

"Don't lie to me, Matteo." My voice is firm despite the trembling in my hands. "What were they going to do?"

"They were going to hurt your father," he says reluctantly. "Make it look like a home invasion."

The room spins slightly. I set down the coffee cup before I drop it.

"Where are my parents now?"

"At a hotel, under protection. Javier's men told them there was a gas leak in the neighborhood. They don't know what really happened."

I close my eyes, trying to process this. Elliott is targeting my family, just like he threatened. He's not bluffing.

"We caught them, Hazel." Matteo's voice is sure, grounding. "Your family is safe. We're watching them around the clock."