Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 102833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
“But if you did happen to get pregnant one day, I … I think I’d be okay with that.”
I’d be scared shitless, and I’d have to hire more guards to protect them, and I’d live every day trying to make sure they were safe and healthy and happy—holy shit, how the fuck does Dominick do it with three kids when just the thought of one has me spiraling?
“Breathe,” Dani says, picking up on my freak-out without me saying a word.
She runs her knuckles down the side of my face, and I’m calm once again.
“Sorry,” I mutter.
“Don’t be. Making the decision to have a baby shouldn’t be taken lightly. And when the time comes, if we decide to have one, we’ll talk about it, and I’ll—” She pops up, her forehead damn near hitting mine. “Oh my God, Matteo.”
She tries to scramble out from under me, but I don’t move.
“What’s wrong? Talk to me.”
“I haven’t gotten my shot. Between moving and being held captive and then moving in here … it never even crossed my mind.”
“What are you saying?” I ask, trying to put all the pieces together. “Could you be pregnant?” I wait for the freak-out to come, but it doesn’t.
“It’s doubtful,” she says, lying back on the pillow. “I’ve been on the shot for a while now, but I’m going to make an appointment to get it renewed this week.”
“Actually …” I grin at her. “It will have to be next week.”
She looks at me with confusion, and I hope I didn’t fuck this up by not telling her about the getaway before making the plans.
“We’re leaving for Italy on Sunday morning.”
It takes her a second to wrap her head around what I just said, but once she does, she shrieks in excitement.
“Are you serious? Italy? Wait …” Her face drops. “What about my job? I just started there. I don’t want to just up and leave.”
“Lorenzo knows and is okay with it. You’ve had a shitty year,” I tell her. “And you deserve to go away and have a good time. And since I’ve never taken a vacation, my brother and Lorenzo are completely supportive.”
A grin spreads across her face. “I can’t wait.”
She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls my face toward hers for a quick kiss before she pushes me off her and rolls off the bed.
“Hey, where are you going?” I yell as she heads into the closet.
“To pack!” She laughs. “We’re going to Italy!”
28
Daniella
“This place is insane!” I yell over the noise at Peyton, who nods in agreement.
“I’ve only been here once, but it was just as crazy last time.”
From the outside, it looks like your typical warehouse, but inside, it’s been transformed into something you’d see on television.
A fighting ring—or whatever it’s called—is in the center of the huge space that’s filled with so many bodies. Women are dancing to the music, the alcohol is flowing, and bets are being made.
We’re sitting in the makeshift VIP section, away from everyone else, since it’s safer than being down with the crowd, and we have the perfect view of where the fight will be taking place. I watched a couple of Matteo’s fights on YouTube to prepare myself, but I still didn’t expect to see this type of crowd.
“It doesn’t help that he hasn’t fought in almost a year,” Lorenzo says.
Since Matteo needed to get ready for the fight, Lorenzo picked me up, and we met Matteo’s family here—along with Bri’s boyfriend, Theodore, who she formally introduced to her family tonight. Ian, the guard who’s stuck being my shadow, is standing in the corner, keeping watch, along with several other guards I recognize who work for Dominick and Matteo.
“How bad will he be when it’s over?” I ask Bri, knowing she’ll be honest with me.
We’re supposed to leave for Italy in the morning, but what if he’s hurt badly—gets a concussion or the opposing fighter breaks something vital on Matteo? I’m not worried about the trip, but about how badly Matteo is going to feel afterward. The videos only showed the fight, not the aftermath. It helps that Matteo is undefeated, but that doesn’t mean damage isn’t done.
“It varies,” she says. “They fight until one person can’t fight back, but Matteo is always the one left standing. Here.” She hands me a shot glass. “A little alcohol running through your system might help calm the nerves.”
“Thanks.” I down the shot, but within seconds, instead of feeling calm, nausea overtakes me, and I have to force the bile down.
I grab my bottle of water and chug almost the entire thing, which, of course, leads to me having to go pee.
“How long until the fight starts?” I ask Lorenzo.
“Maybe twenty minutes.”
“I need to use the restroom,” I announce to everyone, knowing Matteo told them to keep an eye on me.