Page 35 of Dangerous Games

“No, it’s not.”

“Then, uh, how can I help you?” I squeak out. The room feels like it’s closing in on me, and it’s getting harder and harder to breathe with every second that passes with him looking at me with those same unreadable eyes Gio has.

It’s uncanny how similar these two present themselves. You can tell they’re definitely brothers.

“I want you to tell me what you know about Brian Hatchett.”

My eyes dart to him as I freeze, my body going on high alert from the turn of conversation. “I already told Gio I don’t know him.”

Matteo takes a seat across from me and leans back in the chair, casually crossing one leg over the other as if he owns the place. I guess you kind of do when you’re the top mob boss in Ravenna Heights.

“I know what you told Gio.”

My hand rubs the back of my neck as I try to reassure myself silently that it’s going to be okay and he isn’t here to kill me. “I don’t know what else you want to know.”

“I want to know if you just forgot to mention something to him.”

My eyes narrow slightly at the accusation in his tone. “Are you asking me if I lied to Gio?”

“Not lied in the traditional sense, but maybe decided to leave some things out.” He shrugs.

“Lying is lying, no matter which way you look at it. I wouldn’t lie to your brother. I don’t know who Brian Hatchett is or what he wanted.” I cross my arms as I hold his gaze, my answer final.

Matteo studies me until I’m close to squirming in my seat from the intensity of his gaze. “So you have no idea why he was waiting for you at The Drip or how he just happened to know where you live?”

Shit.

When he says it like that, it does look bad.

“I know what it looks like, but I swear I have no idea. Like I told Gio, he freaked me out. Imagine if you were just trying to have a cup of coffee by yourself before work and suddenly a random man is sitting down across from you. Not to mention the not so small fact that he knows who you are, but you have no idea who he is. It’s fucking weird. So I got up and left. I’m sorry I didn’t stick around to ask him the questions you so badly want answers to.” I end my rant laced with sarcasm as I roll my eyes to the side and focus my attention on the dirty khaki-colored wall.

I mean, who does this man think he is? Besides the head of the Italian Mafia. He has no right to come in here and question me.

My attention moves back to him as I hear the chair creak under his weight as he pushes out of it. He adjusts the lapels on his suit jacket before saying, “It’s not lost on me that my brother has taken a liking to you. It wasn’t my intention to come here and offend you, but I can tell by your tone that you have taken my questioning as such. If I find out you didn’t tell him something and it comes back on him, you’ll be answering to me, not him. Are we clear?”

I swallow. “We’re clear.”

Matteo opens the door to the breakroom and walks out without another word. It isn’t until I hear the familiar chime from the store’s entrance that I come unglued. I’m greeted by Nate’s wide eyes when I emerge.

“What the fuck was that?”

“I honestly have no idea,” I answer, and that’s the truth. That’s the most I’ve ever spoken to Matteo. Even when I toured the apartment and signed my lease, he didn’t say more than he had to. He asked if I was interested, and when I said yes, handed me an application, told me the monthly rent and when it was due, and that was it.

“Oh no,” Nate says as he follows me around the counter. “That excuse works with literally anything but the fucking head of the Italian Mafia walking in here and demanding to speak to you in private.” Nate pauses as he looks around before lowering his voice to a whisper. “Are you fucking him?”

“What?” My head rears back as my face scrunches up in disgust. “No!”

“Oh, thank god.” He brings his hand to his chest dramatically. “You’re the first person I’ve actually liked working with, and I’ve heard his wife is a little crazy. I’d hate to see something happen to you. They have the power to make you go away if you know what I mean.”

“Well, you can relax because I’m not fucking Matteo.” It’s his brother who I want to fuck. “You’re stuck with me.”

“Let’s keep it that way.”

The rest of the day passes by without anything unusual happening. I wasn’t completely in my right frame of mind. I had moments where I would catch myself staring off into space, tuning out the outside world and retreating into my own head. Maybe seeing a dead body is starting to catch up with me. Or maybe it’s because the dead body belongs to a man who was after me.

Would my dad really give me up?

I’ve had an uneasy feeling all day, realizing he hasn’t been in touch since I gave him that money. Is that all he really sees me as? His personal ATM? Maybe Gio is right. But if he is, what do I do with that information? He already has the money. I probably won’t see it again. I just don’t know how you write off your only family member, shitty person or not.