I pause, dropping my hand. “And Vince?”
“You know what happens to Vince if you walk away,” he says, simply. “It’s not your problem, though. Not mine either. I couldn’t care less. Survive Easter, that’s all I ask.”
“Demand,” I mutter. “I don’t recall you ever asking for anything.”
“Well, I’m unlikely to start now then, don’t you think?” He rises, walking in my direction. I automatically drift away, creating distance. This man’s vibe is as unapologetically predatory as it was the first time I met him, and I don’t need a mess like him in my life.
He smiles slowly, liking how I retreat. I don’t feel like playing games with him, so I stop moving backward and let him box me in. I turn my face, but remain where I am, letting him get as close as he wants to. He should know I’m accustomed to men making me uncomfortable. I made a fucking career out of it. He might have his own intimidating skill set, but he doesn’t have anything I haven’t seen before.
“How’s Laurel?” he asks, smoothly.
My stomach twists. It’s like he heard me goading him in my mind.
Fine, he has the ability to make me intensely uncomfortable. Does he want a fucking trophy?
“Look, I’m doing exactly what you told me to do,” I say, meeting his gaze. “I’ve done everything you demanded, every single step of the way. I changed my fucking shampoo because you told me to. You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to check in on me. We had an agreement and I’m doing my part. Nothing has changed; I’m just… struggling a bit with the baby situation. I really care about Vince, but I’m also… I’m not that woman.”
Mateo rolls his eyes, literally saying, “Ugh. I’ve learned any woman too caught up on not being a certain kind of woman probably is that woman, she just lives deep in denial.”
“I don’t like that he hurt your wife. I’m sorry if that offends you.”
“I don’t like that he hurt my wife either, but these are the cards we have. I can’t reshuffle the deck; I can only play the cards that have already been dealt.”
“Yeah, well, you’re rigging the whole game,” I mutter.
“That’s why I’ll win,” he replies, obviously unbothered by ethics.
“It’s just a difficult thing to accept.”
“Well, he needs you to accept it. What is it you need to get there? You need to see Mia’s okay? She is. Spend the day with her. She adores Dominic. Mia doesn’t need you to punish Vince on her behalf. I understand thinking she might, but that’s not Mia. She goes out of her way to protect people from punishment. She wants Vince to be happy. You convince her he is and she’ll be thrilled. Let me worry about my wife, you worry about containing the loose cannon.”
“I’m also worried… what if he finds out the whole truth? What if he finds out you sent me? He’ll hate me.”
“Yes, well, I told you not to admit as much as you did. That was poor judgment.”
“That’s not helpful.”
“If he finds out, it’s because you’re a shitty liar. Don’t tell me you fucked for pay more than two years and didn’t learn how to lie to men, Madison. I won’t believe that.”
My jaw locks. “Carly. You know my name is Carly.”
He catches my jaw in his hand and jerks my gaze to his. There’s a threat lurking in the depths of his brown eyes, promising horrors I can’t imagine should I be unwise enough to let him down. “I don’t give a fuck what your name is. Do the job I paid you to do, and do it well.”
He releases my jaw. I try to back up, but I’m right against the bookcase. My heart hammers in my chest. I swallow, nodding my head.
Apparently done talking to me, Mateo finally takes a step back. I should be able to breathe a little easier with him out of my personal space, but I can’t. He still holds too much over my head. This man is a threat whether he stands right in front of me or resides 900 miles away. At least when he’s 900 miles away, though, I have a more convincing illusion of safety.
He doesn’t say another word, simply departs the room. I lean back against the bookshelf and sigh. I fucking hate mob families. They do not play by the rules. They take advantage of people in vulnerable situations—and if you’re not in a vulnerable position and they need you for something, they put you in one.
I draw my phone out of my pocket, opening the chain message between me and Vince. He texted me this morning after he left with Alec. I think he’s relieved that after dinner, the Dominic reveal, and the rest of the painfully uncomfortable evening, I let him fuck me. Actually, let him is inaccurate—I’m the one who initiated. It’s the easiest way to shut a man up, to be honest. I don’t know how to process any of this. I’ve had some dysfunction in my life, but nothing like this. This is some next level fuckery, right here.