Mateo Caputo (Unseen Underground 2)

“What do you want?” I ground out. It wasn’t even 11 a.m. yet and I was already done for the day.

He jerked, his foot slipping from beneath him, but he caught himself at the last second. His murky eyes met mine and I pulled in a breath. I’d know those eyes anywhere.

“I…” He held his hands up, taking a step toward me. “I just wanted to talk.” His gaze flicked around the lot and up to the apartments. “I saw you.” I raised a brow, my hand not moving from near my gun. I had no idea if he was going to pull something. “I saw you take her away.” He gulped, his fear clear to see, but so was his determination. “You have my daughter.”

“Luna,” I whispered, my hand dropping.

“I…Is she okay?” His voice broke. “Stan said that you’re in the mafia.” His eyes widened. “Is she safe? Is she—”

“She’s safe,” I told him, tilting my head to the side. He wasn’t strung out, if anything, it looked like he was clean. “You’re worried about her?” I asked.

“Yeah.” He pushed his hand through his too long hair. “I never wanted this. I never…” He blew out an audible breath. “I just wanted us to stay a family.”

I wasn’t sure what he was trying to tell me, but it was clear he cared about Luna. Addiction was a disease, I knew that better than anyone. But after just having walked away from someone who hadn’t given a flying fuck what happened to her kids, this was…refreshing.

“Are you clean?” I asked, not beating around the bush.

“I haven’t used since last night,” he said, wincing at the fact. “But I want to be clean.”

He wanted to be clean. I’d offered a woman help w

ho’d never tried to get sober, but here Luna’s dad was, telling me he wanted it.

“And your wife?” I asked, my gaze moving to their apartment door. I’d seen the state it had been in the day I’d gone in there to get Luna’s things. It was bare, the only thing of any worth the drugs they’d left lying around.

“She…” He licked his lips, his attention moving to the apartment door too. “She…I can’t do it anymore.” His face dropped, his anguish clear for me to see. “I just want to make sure my daughter is okay.”

“She’s okay.” I took a slow step toward him. “I married her.”

His head snapped around, his wide eyes focusing on me. “You married her?”

“Yeah.” I shrugged. “She needed me.” It was only three words, but I knew they’d impact him, and I was right. His shoulders drooped, his body swaying to the left. “I can help you.”

“Help me?”

I cracked my neck. I’d offered my own worthless mother something, and now I was about to do the same with Luna’s dad. It was only fair. “Rehab.” I paused, taking in his expression. “I’ll pay for the best rehab facility you could ever ask for.” His chest heaved, his hope washing over him. “But there’s one condition.” I waited for him to stare back in my eyes. “You do it alone. It’s the only way it’ll work.”

“But…” He turned his entire body to face the apartment building now, and when I looked up, I saw the singular woman standing in front of their door, staring down at us. Luna’s mom. This was where her dad would turn me down and walk up there, turning his back on Luna yet again.

The lure was too much, I’d solidified that fact as I moved around him, heading to the driver’s side. I’d offered, and that was all I could do. But there had to come a time when you stopped.

“Okay,” he croaked out as I pulled my door open. He didn’t look away from Luna’s mom. “I’ll get clean,” he told me. “Alone.” His breath stuttered out of him, his shoulders pushing back, and then he turned to face me. “I want my daughter back.”

“Get in,” I told him. “And I’ll take you there right now.” It was the truth, but it was also a test. Addicts always wanted one last hit, one more time before they told themselves they’d give it up forever. I didn’t know what to expect from him, but when he opened the passenger door and slid inside, I hoped this would be the final time he’d have to make this decision, not just for Luna, but for himself too.

I pushed into the SUV, staring up at the apartment as Luna’s mom stared down at us. She shook her head, turned, and walked into the apartment.

“Can we go?” Luna’s dad asked. “I want to get the hell out of here.”

“You ain’t gotta tell me twice,” I said, trying to keep my voice light. I started the engine, pulled away from the building, and prayed that this wouldn’t backfire on me.

CHAPTER 15

LUNA

I lined up all of the boxes on the countertop in front of the breakfast bar stools. I’d chosen all the high sugar ones, knowing it was exactly what Cardo would want. I’d hung banners saying Happy Birthday around the house and blew up at least forty balloons. New bowls and spoons stood in front of the cereal boxes, and now all I had to do was wait for everyone to wake up.

Chewing down on my bottom lip, I wondered if I’d done the right thing. I hadn’t asked Mateo if he had anything planned, but I knew what he’d gotten him for his birthday, and I couldn’t wait to see Cardo’s face when he saw it.