Dirty Addiction (Dirty 2)

“Did you hear me? I told you where to find your precious Nina.”

Nothing.

“Matteo!” I slap him on the cheek. It feels good to have my hand hit his rough face, even though my arms are weak and the hit was more of a light slap. So light that it didn’t even make a satisfying sound when our skin touched.

It does earn me a growl and a glare.

I smirk. “Glad to bring you back to the living. Did you hear me?”

“Yes. I’m not deaf.”

“You could have fooled me.”

“I heard you, but it wasn’t worth responding to. It was a lie. We both know it. You want some of your control back. You want to know what’s going on so you can try to get one step in front of me. Well, guess what sweetheart? Not everything revolves around you and Nina. Sometimes, I have more important things to worry about.”

I wrinkle my brow. “Like what?”

“Nothing that concerns you. You need to shut up. I need to be alone right now, and even though I can’t be alone because I have to babysit you, I can at least pretend in the silence.”

“You could let me go if you want to be alone.”

“I said, shut up!” His voice beams, bouncing off the high ceilings and walls so loudly I’m sure anyone in the house could hear him.

“No.”

The anger rolls off his body, but there’s something else mixed with it too. I’m playing with fire, but maybe figuring out what is going on is the key to gaining my freedom. I need to know everything I can about Matteo. It’s the only way I can be free.

Matteo shoves his uneaten plate of food in front of me.

“Eat. I know you are still hungry and if your mouth is full, maybe you’ll stop fucking talking.”

Damn it. My stomach aches at the sight of more food. I could use more nourishment. Who knows when my next meal will be.

But it’s a distraction. I know that. But it’s a diversion that is going to work.

I dig in, filling my belly. It will only work temporarily, and then I’ll be back to questioning Matteo every second until he starts speaking.

“Matteo Carini, it’s been a long time,” a deep voice bellows through the dining room.

I keep shoveling in food as I turn in the direction of the man who has entered. It’s not a man I recognize, but I haven’t met all of the men who work for Matteo.

“Not long enough,” Matteo answers.

The man chuckles and walks over and takes a seat opposite me and next to Matteo. He leans back in his chair, ignoring me completely as he stares at Matteo.

It gives me a chance to study him. He’s well dressed in dress pants and a buttoned-down shirt. It fits his body perfectly, like it was handmade for him. His hair is gelled and his face cleanly shaven. He doesn’t look like the rest of the men who are employed by Matteo. They wear clothes to make them look as menacing as possible. Dark jeans, shirts, and jackets. Items they can quickly move in and store weapons in. Not suits meant for an office.

“Your sister is ridiculous,” the man says, leaning back in his chair.

Matteo glares at the man. “Careful,” he warns.

“What? We’re friends. And you know how your sister can be. I came by to ask her to go with me to the ball my family is throwing.”

“Just because we are friends doesn’t mean you can say anything bad about my sister because she turned you down.”

“I didn’t say anything mean. I could have called Gia a bitch or cunt or something.”

Matteo is going to kill him. They don’t appear to be friends to me.