Her hand clenches. “That son of a bitch.”
I love it when she swears.
“I don’t want you to do anything,” I tell her. “Please. I just want you to stay safe. He’s dangerous. Let us handle it.”
She lets out an exasperated sigh. “What if Lucio comes after you again?”
“He already tried. But Matteo’s men are strong. Matteo won’t let him,” I say. “But don’t tell anyone I told you about Lucio’s true intentions. Okay? Please. He’ll have you killed.” I grab her arms to make sure she looks at me instead of Matteo. “You have to promise me not to tell a soul. Not even my father. Okay?”
She nods a few times. “That’s going to be easy becauseyour father and I haven’t spoken in years.”
I let out a sigh too. “Yep, and that’s exactly why Lucio wanted to marry me.”
“Just for the money your father has?”
I nod.
“That bastard,” she says, making me laugh again. She hugs me tight. “God, I miss you so much.”
“I miss you too, Mom,” I say.
Behind her, a man in a suit snaps his fingers, and I recognize the badge on his chest with Matteo’s emblem on it.
So it was one of his men who brought my mother here.
This was Matteo’s idea all along. That’s why he brought me to this cemetery. It’s the perfect place for a secret rendezvous.
I hold my breath as my mother pulls away. “I guess it’s time to leave again, isn’t it? I really wish we had more time.”
I nod a few times. “I know, but we’ll see each other again,” I say even though I’m not entirely certain. I have high hopes. “Matteo’s doing the best he can, and he wants you safe as well, for my sake.”
She glances over her shoulder at the guy staring at her while he’s checking his watch like he’s in a hurry. “He’s gonna drive me home again. At least, that’s what he said. I don’t know if I can trust these guys. They give me the creeps.”
“I’ll go back with Matteo. I’ll talk to you again later, okay?” I reply.
“Promise me,” she says.
“I promise, Mom. I’m safe. You stay safe too. Don’t talk to Lucio or anyone else from the Agostini family.”
She nods, then turns and walks to Matteo’s guy, who guides her all the way through the cemetery back to the second car. She sits on the passenger’s seat while he closes the door behind her, and she waves at me through the window with a lukewarm smile on her face.
I won’t forget finally seeing her anytime soon, and I’m happy that I was able to talk to her.
When she’s out of sight, I turn around to face Matteo again. He’s already gotten up from his knees even though he’s still staring at his mother’s grave.
I approach him while I take a deep breath and place my hand on his shoulder. “Thank you. And I mean it from the bottom of my heart.”
This man did something for me that means the world to me. Even though we both knew it was dangerous, and he knew the risks of bringing her here, he still went ahead, just so I could see my mother again … just to make me happy.
“You said you missed her,” he says. “I didn’t want you to suffer like me.” He turns his head to look at me. “I want you to be happy, even if you think I’m a monster, even if you hate me, and I won’t hold it against you if you do. But I swear, on my mother’s grave, I will keep your mother safe, Tesoro.”
I’m overwhelmed by gratitude, and I wrap my arms around him, hugging him tight.
“This meant the world to me,” I say. “And I don’t thinkyou’re a monster at all.”
He gently rubs my back. “I wish I could do more.”
“Lucio is the real monster.”
