Coming Home (Morelli Family 6)

Mateo’s mood is decidedly darker when I get to him. I stand near enough for him to reach out and wrap an arm around my waist, but he doesn’t touch me. He’s in business mode, and I hadn’t hoped to see Business Mateo tonight.

My stomach sinks with dread, then my blood boils with anger. How dare they do this on my wedding day, for Christ’s sake. This should be a happy, relaxing evening for us. I shouldn’t have to worry about Mateo getting upset or a mob war breaking out between… I don’t even know! They’re the same family. I don’t understand what the hell any of this means, but it shouldn’t be happening at my wedding.

Throwing my hands up in the air, I toss out, “I say we greet him.”

All of the men assembled around me turn to stare at me.

I shrug. “What the hell, right? If the big deal is it’s a show of disrespect that we didn’t invite him, let the old bastard in. Shake his hand in front of people, give him a slice of cake, hope he has an allergic reaction, and then send him on his way. Have someone watching him every minute that he’s here, keep him out of the house, but… fuck it. This shouldn’t take over our wedding. If Vince isn’t here with him, then probably no one is here to kill me.”

“I’m not taking that chance,” Mateo states. “Ben and my father—you don’t understand, Mia. They’re animals. You think I’m ruthless, but they are fucking psychotic.”

“He knows he wouldn’t leave here alive if he did something like that,” I reason.

Adrian shrugs. “He’s old. Maybe he wants to go out with a bang.”

“Can you check his guns at the door? Say everyone has to.”

“He won’t buy that,” Adrian states.

“I also don’t want him here, guns or no guns,” Mateo adds. “After what he did, I hope he rots in hell.”

Shrugging helplessly, I tell him, “I just want us to get back to the wonderful evening we’ve been having. I just want everyone safe. He flew here from Vegas, so it stands to reason he expects to get in.”

The men talk some more and ignore me, but I feel safer here in the cocoon. Dark-haired stranger checks me out and winks at me like an asshole. Don’t know who he is, but I don’t need any additional hot psychos hanging around, so I ignore him completely.

“Look, we can just take this guy out if it’s an issue,” Mr. Dark Hair says.

Colin’s head snaps up. “No one feckin’ asked ye, Ryder. I asked ye here for added security, not a freelance mob hit.”

Casually rubbing his hands together, Ryder lets his gaze land on Mateo. “For a little extra pay, I can do a little extra work.” He shrugs innocently. “All I’m saying.”

Adrian’s voice has an edge to it. “Your guy was the one who first caught wind he was on his way. Maybe you knew he was coming.”

“Yeah, or maybe we’re just good at what we do.” He smiles at Adrian like an asshole, since he basically just insulted him.

I narrow my eyes, propping a hand on my hip. I want to yell at him, but I don’t know who these guys are, so I keep my mouth shut.

“All right,” Mateo says irritably, sighing. “I don’t like this one bit, but we’ll let him in. We’ll greet him visibly, exchange a few words. He can have a glass of champagne, take his girlfriend out on the dance floor, then he can get the fuck out of here.” Pointing to Ryder, he says, “You and a few of my men are going to follow him to the airport afterward.”

Ryder’s eyes light up and he nods smugly.

Colin pinches the bridge of his nose. I recall sitting in the study when Mateo and Adrian were making plans for added security, so I assume Colin is responsible for the new guy being here. Now the new guy is trying to convince Mateo to commission a mob hit. It probably wouldn’t take much to convince Mateo of that, but I have to imagine there would be massive fallout if just refusing to invite him to our wedding is a kerfuffle.

“Wait, Jessica came with him?” I ask, wrinkling up my nose. “Is it too late to change my vote?”

At least it gets a slight smile out of Mateo. “You don’t get a vote.”

As Ryder walks past, he slickly assures me, “I’d give you a vote.”

I side-eye Adrian.

He assures me, “I know, I don’t like him either. Don’t worry, he won’t be back.”

“I actually might hire him for a side gig,” Mateo tells Adrian. “I’ve hired Colin too many times. I want someone who isn’t associated with me at all who can do one job and disappear. I won’t miss that guy.”