“Stop!” I yell as Matty moves to punch him again. “Stop this madness.” I tug at my brother’s arm, but it’s like yanking on a rock. Mateo is muscle stacked upon muscle, and he isn’t budging.
“I need to teach thisbastardoa lesson,” Mateo says through gritted teeth, turning his head to look at me.
“No, you don’t. Let him go.” I shove my face all up in my brother’s. “Now, Matty,” I demand. “If you want to be angry, be angry at me. Vaughan has done nothing wrong.”
“Let him go, Mazzone,” Leo agrees, in a lethal tone.
Mateo glares at a terrified-looking Vaughan and clenches and unclenches his fist before letting him go. Vaughan slumps against the wall, panting heavily.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, reaching out to swipe at the blood dripping from his chin.
“Don’t fucking touch him,” Leo warns, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me back.
“Be grateful it’s me who found you and not her fiancé,” Mateo growls, pressing the muzzle of his gun to Vaughan’s temple.
The poor guy looks like he wants to shit his pants. “Fiancé?” His confused gaze bounces between me and my brother. “She’s seventeen. How the hell does she have a fiancé?” He looks to Mateo for answers. “And why didn’t you tell me?” he adds, slanting me with a hurtful expression.
“I was trying to forget he exists, and I did tell you things are complicated,” I explain. “I wanted one night to be normal. One night to pretend I have control over my life. One night to—”
Leo slaps his hand over my mouth, cutting me off mid-sentence.
“Shut your mouth, Nat.” Mateo glares at me. “Or keep spouting that shit if you want me to put a bullet through his skull.”
I remain quiet as tears stab my eyes. I won’t let them fall. I can’t, so I quietly seethe, bristling with rage under my skin.
“You tell no one about this,” Mateo warns Vaughan, pressing the gun against his temple. “If I find out you breathed a word of it, I will hunt you down and slaughter you like an animal.”
“I won’t tell anyone. I swear,” Vaughan says, his lower lip trembling.
I want to thank him for making me feel desired and giving me one night of happiness, but he can’t even look at me, and I don’t blame him. I’m pretty sure he’ll give up all notion of dating me now.
“See that you don’t.” Mateo removes his gun and gives Vaughan a hefty shove. “Get lost.”
Leo reaches out, grabbing Vaughan as he rushes past. “Touch her again, and I’ll kill you with my bare hands.” His menacing tone is one I haven’t heard from him before, and it gives me chills.
Vaughan nods, still avoiding eye contact with me, and I watch with an ache in my heart as he races down the alleyway, eager to get as far away from me as he can.
3
Natalia
Mateo doesn’t utter a word to me the entire journey home to Greenhaven. I sit in the back seat, fighting embarrassment and shame, and even being in the same car as Leo isn’t helping my mood. Tonight started out so promising, but it ended in the worst possible way. Leo’s words are imprinted in my brain, and I’m heartsore as well as so freaking angry. The unfairness of it all really gets to me. Leo seeing me as his pseudo little sister only adds salt to the wound.
My anxiety accelerates to coronary-inducing levels when we turn into the driveway leading to our large family home. Set on three acres of landscaped lawn, our sprawling mansion is an impressive gilded cage. Father has ensured I want for nothing—except free will. If Mateo tells Papa, there will be hell to pay. He will freak the fuck out if he hears I made out with a boy who isn’t even an Italian American. He can’t find out. What little freedom I have will be removed, and I’ll sink into an even deeper depression.
Setting aside my swirling emotions, I sit forward, sticking my head between the two front seats. “Please don’t tell Papa.” My eyes plead with my brother as he looks at me through the mirror.
“You’re not in any position to negotiate,” he grits out through clenched teeth. “And you’re lucky Enzo called me before Papa or Carlo were tipped off.”
“Who is Enzo?” I figured my brother had a spy who ratted me out because ourfamigliahas contacts everywhere.
“An associate. He was working the ticket office, and he recognized you.”
Of course, he did. I can barely breathe without someone reporting it. “Don’t tell Angelo. Please, Matty. He will ground me for the rest of senior year.” Tentatively, I reach out, touching his shoulder. “I promise I won’t see Vaughan again if you promise not to tell Papa.”
“I should, because that’ll ensure you remain pure and avoid temptation.”
I want to punch him. Viciously, until he bleeds. But I grind my teeth to the molars, clinging to the last vestiges of my patience. “I learned my lesson, Matty,” I lie. “Don’t take away the only freedom I have left.”
