Family Ties (Morelli Family 4)

Luckily, she comes out, gives me a faint smile, and proceeds to my arms, wrapping hers around my neck and holding me close. This isn’t the time or place to accept her comfort, so I don’t linger long before pulling her to my side so I can stand toe-to-toe with her brother.

“You’re up,” Adrian announces, nodding for me to go in.

I let my arm fall from Francesca’s waist and I nod at Mateo as I head into his study. I thought I might actually get a one-on-one, but Francesca doesn’t need guarding, so Adrian follows us in. Of course. Adrian took my gun already, so I don’t know what he thinks my long plan might’ve been. Go through all this with Francesca, turn my back on my own father, all so I could get him alone to, what? Kill Mateo with my eyeballs? Sure, I could fight him, but he trains harder than I do, so he’d probably win. Still, the paranoid motherfucker wants his guard dog in here.

Doesn’t matter. I just need to get through this so I can take Francesca and get the hell out of here.

I’ve never been on the inside of Mateo’s home, but the place is a fucking palace. Oversized and unnecessarily opulent—just about what I’d expect from the showy bastard. Lacks warmth, too. Doesn’t feel like a home. No wonder Francesca’s so in love with Ethan’s old house.

Adrian leads me over to a chair in front of Mateo’s desk. Of course he has me take a seat, but he remains standing over me. I can’t stifle a little smirk as I sink into the seat, cocking my head and looking up at him.

“We gotta stop meeting like this,” I tell him, lightly.

Shrugging casually, Mateo says, “I don’t know, with you planting your guys in my fucking businesses, I think it’s pretty generous of me to meet you here. I think an abandoned building with my gun in your mouth would’ve been a lot more appropriate.”

I grimace with feigned remorse. “Sorry, I’m not into that.”

Apparently, he’s not in the mood for jokes. “Tell me why I shouldn’t kill Mark Giustiniani.”

Well, that’s a fucking mood killer. “He was only there to protect Francesca, nothing more. I wanted a bodyguard on her and I couldn’t exactly ask your permission, now could I?”

“Funny, I hear he asked a lot of questions that had absolutely nothing to do with Francesca.”

Goddamn Mia. Of course he pumped her for information once Mark outed himself.

“He has a curious nature,” I remark, casually.

“You also kept him stationed in my bakery even though Francesca was gone. Why?”

I go quiet, debating how to explain that. I didn’t want Mark to go back after the bakery closed—in fact, I told him not to. But when Meg called and asked him to come back, he asked if Mia was still working there. She said yes, that she’d probably be working even more with Francesca gone. So, the dumbass went back.

“He developed friendships with the other ladies,” I tell him, as vaguely as I possibly can. “Given my dad didn’t approve of my plans for peace, he wanted to make sure they were safe.”

“He wanted to make sure they were safe, or he wanted to make sure Mia was safe?”

He asks evenly, but I know enough to be cautious. “He’s not trying to get with Mia.” That’s not entirely the truth, but it’s close enough. Mark knows better than to actively pursue her.

“He killed a man on his own side to safely extract her today,” Mateo remarks. “Good friend.”

“Great friend,” I agree, holding his gaze.

Mateo nods, still watching me. Then he says, “What happened today was unacceptable. There’s no way your father would’ve gone after Mia if he didn’t get the idea from you. Francesca may look at you through rose-colored glasses, but my vision’s 20-20. You used intel my sister innocently shared with you against me. Don’t ever put her between us that way again. Any of your guys ever so much as looks at Mia the wrong way going forward, I will eradicate every last one of you. Delmonico hasn’t met your little sister, but I’ve seen her picture; I’m sure he’d like her.”

Every hair on the back of my neck prickles. “Don’t threaten my fucking sister.”

“Don’t use mine,” he returns, plainly.

I’m normally much more in control of myself, but I’m tapped the fuck out today. “You weren’t so fucking concerned with protecting her when the last asshole used her to get to you, now were you?”

Dismissively, because I guess he really wants to fucking piss me off, he says, “That’s not your business.”

“Bullshit. You’re her brother; it’s your job to protect her. You’re more protective of some fucking girl who’s dating your cousin than your own sister and that is straight bullshit.”

He’s more even-tempered than I am right now, so he doesn’t jump down my throat. He just watches me get hot under the collar, and stands there wordlessly while I simmer down.