Page 42 of Ruined By Protection (Feretti Syndicate #5)

Matteo

I head back downstairs to finalize plans with Damiano.

I find him in the study, behind the desk with Zoe perched on the arm of his chair.

They're looking at something on his laptop, their heads bent close together.

Even after having a baby and now pregnant again, Zoe still manages to look like she could damage a man with nothing but her smile.

Damiano's hand rests possessively on her hip.

They look up as I enter and catch the tail end of whatever intimate moment I've interrupted.

"Matteo," Damiano acknowledges me with a nod. “Plan set in motion?”

"We're going to need a private flight to Texas as soon as we can convince Montgomery to meet Hazel at his country house."

Damiano raises an eyebrow. "You think he'll fall for that?"

"If we play it right." I lean my back against the wall. "Hazel's going to text him, make him think she's considering coming back. We'll string him along just enough to get him where we want him."

"And where exactly is that?" Zoe asks.

"Somewhere isolated. Hazel told me he has a place outside Austin. Some fancy estate where they planted a tree on their wedding day." My jaw tightens at the thought. "It's remote enough that we can handle things quietly."

Damiano considers this, tapping his fingers against the polished wood of his desk. After a moment he nods. "I'll have the jet ready. Just give me a day's notice."

I shift uncomfortably under Zoe's scrutinizing gaze. Her lips curl into that knowing smile that always makes me want to leave the room.

"What?" I ask, already regretting it.

"Nothing," she says, but her expression says everything. "It's just... I never thought I'd see the day."

"See what day?"

"The day Matteo Caruso falls in love." She leans into Damiano, eyes gleaming with amusement. "You—the man who has women falling into his bed on demand—actually falling for someone."

I scoff, trying to brush it off. "I'm not?—"

"Don’t bother with denials," Zoe cuts me off, waving her hand dismissively.

Damiano watches our exchange with interest, his arm still draped possessively around his wife.

"So," Zoe continues, relentless as always. "What's it like? Being in love?"

I stare at her, searching for a deflection. "I guess it's like when you wanted Damiano but didn't know what you needed was actually him."

Zoe's eyes narrow. "Nice try. Always find a way to turn questions around, don't you?"

"It's a gift," I shrug, hoping she'll drop it.

She exchanges a look with a smirking Damiano, then jokingly threatens; "You know I'll make you pay for that, right?"

"For what?" I ask innocently.

"For dodging the question." She slides off the arm of Damiano's chair and approaches me. "I could tell Hazel about the time you got so drunk at Noah's birthday that you tried to serenade a potted palm."

I feel heat creeping up my neck. "You wouldn't."

"Or maybe about the Christmas party when you wore that ridiculous?—"

"Fine," I interrupt, holding up my hands in surrender. "What do you want to know?"

Zoe's smile is triumphant. "What's it like? For real this time."

I take a deep breath, running a hand through my hair. How do I explain something I barely understand myself?

"It's... terrifying," I admit finally. "Like someone ripped out something vital and now walks around with it in their pocket. And you just have to trust they won't crush it, or sit on it, or decide to toss it out."

The room falls silent. Even Damiano looks surprised at my honesty.

"But it's also..." I struggle to find the right words. "It's like finding something you didn't know was missing. And now you've found it you can't imagine going back to before you had it."

Zoe's expression softens. "That's actually... sweet."

I clear my throat, uncomfortable with the label. "Yeah, well, don't get used to it."

"Too late," she says with a grin. "I'm definitely telling Hazel about this conversation."

"Zoe—"

"And the palm tree incident."

Damiano chuckles, the traitor. "I have pictures of that somewhere."

I glare at both of them. "Can we get back to the plan for neutralizing Montgomery?"

"Of course," Zoe submits, although her eyes tell me this isn't over. "But just so you know, Matteo, it looks good on you."

Her smile turns genuine. "Being in someone’s pocket."

I watch Damiano and Zoe leave the study, heading to the nursery to check on Sofia. Zoe throws one last knowing smile over her shoulder and I can't help but shake my head. I've never been the type to wear my heart on my sleeve but apparently I'm doing a shit job of hiding my feelings for Hazel.

The door's barely closed behind them when it opens up again and Noah and Daniel enter, both wearing expressions that tell me they've been busy. Noah's suit jacket is unusually rumpled and Daniel has the focused look he gets when he's been staring at surveillance footage for too long.

"Tell me we have good news," I say, moving to the large table we use for planning manoeuvres.

Noah pulls out his phone and swipes through what looks like a flight manifest. "Jet's scheduled for 7 p.m. departure today."

Daniel spreads a map and close up satellite images across the table, marking locations with precision. "I've got two teams in there already. One watching the Montgomery estate, another positioned near the Taylor family."

I lean over the map, studying the layout of Montgomery's property outside Austin. It's exactly as Hazel described—remote, surrounded by acres of private land. Ideal for what we need to do.

"And the security system?" I ask.

"State of the art," Daniel replies, pulling up schematics on his tablet. "But nothing we can't handle. Four guards on rotation, cameras covering most angles. There's a three-minute window during shift change we can exploit."

I nod, tracing the property line with my finger. "What about local law enforcement?"

"Nearest sheriff's station is twenty minutes out," Noah says. "Response time averages twenty-five minutes for that area. We'll have more than enough time if anything goes wrong."

The room falls silent as we analyse what we're planning.

"We just need Montgomery to take the bait," I say finally. "Hazel's going to text him soon, make him think she's considering coming back."

Daniel looks up from his tablet. "What if he insists on coming to New York instead?"

"He won't," I say with certainty. "He'll want her there, where he feels most in control."

Noah checks his watch. "Weapons?"

"Nothing traceable," I insist. "We go in clean, we leave clean."

Daniel nods in agreement. "I've arranged for everything we’ll need to be waiting for us in Austin. Local contact will have a vehicle ready at the private airfield."

I pull up the satellite view of Montgomery's estate on my phone, zooming in on the main house. "We'll need to isolate him first. Make sure none of the staff or security gets caught in the crossfire."

"Already on it," Noah says. "Our guy inside says Montgomery usually dismisses the house staff by nine. Keeps only perimeter security after hours."

I'm about to say more when the study door swings open and Lucrezia bursts in like a hurricane. The three of us instinctively straighten up, shifting our postures from the hunched planning stance we'd fallen into.

"Jesus, you three look terrifying," she announces, crossing her arms as she surveys us. "Standing around that table like you're plotting world domination."

Noah's expression doesn't change but Daniel at least has the decency to look slightly embarrassed. I just shrug.

"What are you doing here, Lucrezia?" I ask, not bothering to hide the edge in my voice. Family or not, we're in the middle of something that doesn't concern her.

She rolls her eyes, walking toward us with the confident stride she's perfected since childhood. "Evelyn told me what's happening. The whole 'let's fly to Austin and neutralise the abusive ex-husband' plan."

I shoot a glare at Noah, who holds up his hands defensively. "Don't look at me. I don't tell Evelyn shit about operations."

Lucrezia reaches the table, glancing down at our maps. "Relax. No one's going to compromise your little mission. But Hazel needs support right now and I'm going to provide it while you three run around playing assassin."

I rub the angst gathering between my eyebrows. "This isn't a game, Lucrezia."

Her expression softens just slightly. "I know that, Matteo. I've been hanging with Hazel since she arrived. I've seen her bruises, heard about her nightmares. I probably know more about what that monster did to her than you do."

The thought makes my jaw clench. I've seen enough of Montgomery's handiwork on Hazel's body to fuel my rage, but I know Lucrezia's right. She's been there from the beginning.

"Fine," I concede. “You win.” But I’m in for the long game, I think to myself.