“Wait…”
He does not wait.
“Got him,” the scarred man says, with a phone to his ear.
“Tell him to get rid of her. Her sister isn’t cooperating.”
“Permanently?”
“Of course.”
I launch up off the chair, looking between them. “Wait! What—Slow down.”
Mateo meets my gaze coldly. “I don’t wait and I don’t slow down. Would you like the job?”
“I… I…can’t.”
Mateo nods once at the other man.
“The date’s over,” the man says, into the phone. “You won’t be seeing her again.”
Is that code? Oh, my God, are they putting a hit on my sister?
“Wait.” I lurch forward and grab Mateo’s arm.
He shakes me right off, scowling at me like he doesn’t appreciate being touched. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out. Enjoy the high ground. I’m sorry it cost your sister’s life.”
My chest feels like it’s caving in. “No, wait. Please. Please.”
He doesn’t stop walking. My cries don’t stir his sympathy. I don’t think he possesses any.
“I’ll do it!” I cry desperately.
Mateo pauses, his back still to me.
“I’ll… I’ll do whatever you want me to do. Just please don’t hurt my sister. Please.”
Adrian looks to Mateo for direction. Mateo deliberates, keeping all of us hanging here in suspense. I can’t breathe. I think I’m going to pass out. I try to take steady breaths, but I can’t. Tears well up in my eyes.
Finally, Mateo glances back at me over his shoulder. “Good choice, Madison.” Approaching the door, he says, “Tell Alec to take Laurel home. Safely.”
I brace a hand on my chest, relief pouring through me.
I expect him to stick around, but he continues to head for the door. “Where are you going?” I call out, confused.
“Home,” he says, simply.
Mateo leaves the room, like wrecking my life is just an item on his to-do list and he doesn’t want to be late for dinner. I stare at the scarred man, eyes wide, chest heaving. They just turned my life inside out and they’re so fucking casual about it.
“We’ll be in touch,” he tells me, before turning and following Mateo Morelli out the door.
This deleted scene takes place after Last Words.
The Nutcracker
Mateo
“Explain to me why I’m doing this again.”
Francesca stands beside Sal, running a hand down his chest as she watches Adrian and Elise walk sideways down the row to find our seats. The auditorium is lit up and alive with pre-show chatter.
I notice a cheap bracelet hanging from my sister’s slim wrist as she runs her hand down Sal’s chest, her brown eyes sparkling with sly amusement. “The membership to your badass club was up for renewal. You had to prove yourself.”
Sal shakes his head, watching as I put a hand on Mia’s hip to usher her in front of me. She slides in first so she can sit by Adrian and Elise. “I think I should’ve let my membership lapse.”
“You bite your tongue,” Francesca says.
“This is the kind of crap you do to get the girl,” Sal goes on. “I already have the girl.”
“Soon you’ll have two,” Francesca replies, glowing as she rubs her tummy.
He smiles too, leaning in to give her a kiss. “I guess taking my girls to the ballet won’t kill me.”
I barely manage not to roll my eyes. Giving my head a shake, I make my way down the row to sit by my lovely wife. She is not similarly unimpressed by Sal and Francesca nuzzling noses with his hand on her swollen abdomen. As soon as I sit down, she leans her chin on my shoulder and murmurs, “They’re so cute.”
“Adorable,” I answer, dryly.
“He’s so excited to be a dad,” she continues. “Doesn’t it make you want another baby?”
Faint alarm grabs hold of me, but I keep my expression neutral. “We already have a baby. We have lots of babies.”
“We should have one more,” she tells me. “I want another girl. In fact, I’m pretty sure you promised me another girl.”
“Did I?”
She nods, flashing me her big blue eyes. “Yep.”
I squint my eyes in thought. “I don’t remember that.”
“No?” she asks, deceptively innocent. “I do. I believe I was sharing you and unable to have a baby of my own for some reason…”
I pull a face like I’m deep in thought. “Nope, none of this is ringing any bells. I don’t think any of that happened. Maybe you imagined it.”
“Then how do you explain the existence of Rosalie and Roman?” she inquires.
“Immaculate conception. I willed them into existence with my mind.”
Mia gives me a playful glare and pokes me, then settles her head back on my shoulder and wraps her arm around mine, hugging it. “You have to put one more baby in me. If that one is another boy, then I’ll give up. But I want to try one more time.”
“Why don’t we wait until the newest baby actually sleeps through the night before we start talking about this?” I suggest.