Chapter 15

Unspoken Desires - Chapter 15

Matteo

I’d just locked Svetlana’s drunk uncle Smirnoff in the Camorra’s underground holding. It’s the kind of place you use when someone needs to disappear for good.

Before I left, I made sure my orders were clear: no one goes near him, no one even looks his way. If anyone crosses that line, I won’t waste time with questions, I’ll make an example.

The drive to my parents’ place wasn’t long, but it felt heavier than usual. That knot in my gut was back. The one that tightens when the board shifts and not all the pieces are moving where they should.

My phone lit up. Damian.

“We got Sareena,” he said, getting straight to the point. “Heading to Vegas.”

Good. Sophia would’ve been wrecked if something happened to her sister while she was ‘away’.

“What else?”

He hesitated just long enough to tell me there was more. Of course there was. If I’d had that bitch’s notes from the start, I would’ve handled this already.

“Lessia has some information for you. About Cesare, he’s flipped.”

My grip on the wheel tightened. That bastard, he was a trusted friend. “You’re sure?”

“Yup.”

Cesare. He was a hunter, a tracker and great with explosives. One of our best. We’d worked together for years. He was more than just a trusted associate, he’d been treated like family. If he was in this, then the problem wasn’t coming from outside. It was inside our house.

“Keep it quiet,” I said. “Talk to my father alone, when no one else hears it. If Cesare is involved, we don’t know who else will be.”

“I’ll handle it,” Damian said, then added, “oh and we’re bringing Demetrius with us. Is his departure still confidential?”

That hit different. Demetrius Theodorou. That snake had been playing on both sides for years. Feeding the Familia intel on the Camorra, while acting as our enforcer. Damn good enforcer too.

Everyone thought he was loyal. That makes him dangerous, a real threat… but not untouchable.

“I’ll deal with him later,” I said. “Just get to Vegas. I’ve got a party bus waiting at the airport. Stocked with champagne, a dirty stripper pole and Britney Spears playing. Thought I’d help keep things classy. Wouldn’t want you ladies disappointed.”

I laughed and ended the call, without letting him say a word.

By the time I pulled up to the mansion, everything looked routine. Guards at their posts, lights on, staff moving like it was just another day.

I didn’t waste time. Headed straight to my father’s office. No knock. No hesitation.

The door was open and Cesare was behind the desk, phone in hand, relaxed like he owned the place.

His eyes met mine the second I stepped in. There was a flash of fear. Quickly buried, but I saw it.

“Oh really? Don’t worry, Damian,” he said smoothly into the phone. “I’ll tell Miguel and Matteo everything. We’ll help get Gino and Alexandra back. Whoever’s behind this wants them alive.”

He ended the call and looked up like this is normal. Sitting at my father’s desk, the one that will one day be mine.

“Damian thinks Sophia’s involved,” he said smoothly. “She’s been tied to Svetlana for years. Your parents thought she’d changed, thought she was good for you.”

His words were polished, rehearsed. Like he’d practiced in front of a mirror.

“Miguel and Connie both believed she was helping them get you back. But instead, she took your mother. If Constance gets hurt…” He let the threat hang. “I won’t show her any mercy.”

He expected me to buy it. To go along with it.

Then he switched tactics. “I heard you grabbed Mikhail Bocharov during the raid. Bring him to the meat shop. The rooms downstairs can handle the noise. I want to help extract answers.”

“He’s dead,” I said flatly. “Adriano and Davide didn’t wait. They’re loyal to my mother.”

His expression barely shifted, but I caught the tension in his jaw.

“Maybe you should speak with Alessandro,” he said. “He’s quiet, but if there’s a rebellion coming, it’ll start with him. Better to get in front of it.”

He was scrambling. Trying to stay in control while the ground is cracking beneath him.

I stepped closer. “Where’s my father?” I asked. “And why are you in his office?”

He faltered. Just for a second.

“He asked me to come here,” Cesare said. “Wants help finding your mother. Probably doesn’t trust you anymore. Not with your connection to the kidnapper.”

That was enough. I grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him forward.

“My father wouldn’t let you run a soup kitchen, let alone this organization,” I said, voice low and cold. “You’re not a soldier. You’re my fucking errand boy. If you ever utter my fiancé’s name again, I won’t think twice of putting a bullet between your eyes. Get out of my sight and don’t fucking come back until he really calls for you.”

I throw him toward the door.

Damian was right. Cesare was a traitor. We’d let him too close for too long.

——————

Sareena

The plane dipped low, and the Las Vegas skyline came into view, glittering and unapologetically alive. I should’ve felt something. I should have at least felt some relief. I was one step closer to finding my Nono, Nona, and my sister. But instead, there was just this aching tension under my skin.

As the wheels hit the tarmac, everyone grabbed their things and filed out quickly. No one spoke. Everyone too deep in their own thoughts.

As Matteo had promised, the party bus was waiting. Neon lights pulsing faintly behind tinted windows, loud music muffled inside. Matteo had followed through.

The entire flight from Nashville to here, Damian hadn’t said a word to me. Not one. He was angry at me for taking off, but I don’t need his permission to go anywhere. I am an adult and he’s not my mommy.

I tried talking to him. I sat beside him, brushed against his arm, whispered I was sorry. That I hadn’t meant to cause more problems. That I just wanted to save my family.

Every time, he either looked away or physically got up and moved. Like my words hurt him. Like touching me was too much.

Eventually, I gave up. Sank into the velvet bench, at the back of the bus. Beside Gabby and Lessia, curling my legs under me and pretending like my chest didn’t feel like it was caving in.

Gabby was already mid-rant, talking to herself. As she scrolled through her phone with wild thumbs and muttering curses under her breath.

“These stupid, pathetic men,” she said, her voice cracking.

“So glad you’re okay, Gabby,” I said gently. “You must’ve been terrified… that shooting today.”

She blinked up at me like she’d forgotten I was even there. “He’s so stupid, Sareena,” she said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “He’s willing to give me up. Just… walk away. Because my dad promised me to someone else.” Tears welled up again. Her voice shook.

“What the hell? Engaged?” I asked, stunned. “When did this happen?”

She told me everything. Sneaking out to finally meet Max. The shooting at the café. Max dragging her into a crawl space to keep her alive. And the part that hit hardest - her taking advantage of that terrifying moment just to feel close to him. To feel wanted.

Now Mario was out for blood, and she was engaged to Darius Accolti, future Capo of the Outfit.

I didn’t even know what to say. Gabriella had always been a dreamer. Wild, bright, impulsive. But always, always in love with Maximus. Since grade three. She’s been chasing that boy pretty much her whole life.

I was still sitting with that when Lessia leaned forward, her voice quieter but edged with frustration.

“Well… at least the guys you love notice you,” she muttered. “The one I like? Doesn’t even acknowledge I exist.”

Gabby and I turned to her in sync. “Vincent?”

She groaned, slumping forward.

“He’s impossible. I call, he’s cold. Short with me. I try to get close, he walks away. Like I’m some disease he’s avoiding.” Her mouth pressed into a hard line. “It’s so damn frustrating.”

Gabby reached over, grabbed her hand. “He’s an idiot. I can say that, he’s my damn cousin. He’s never had a real girlfriend. Just random girls, hookups, whatever. He doesn’t know how to deal with actual feelings.”

We all went quiet. For a moment, the only sound was the thumping bass from the front of the bus and the low hum of tires on pavement.

Across from us, Damian, Matthew, Demetrius, Max, and Vincent sat huddled together. Focused, planning whatever came next. Making sure their whispers didn’t reach us.

We were right there, feet away, and it was like we were invisible. The only one who glanced up occasionally was Maximus. And, the look in his eyes were sad, hollow, shattered. Life isn’t fair.

We got to the safe house within the hour. Pulled into a gated complex tucked between hills and desert brush.

The moment the bus stopped, I grabbed my bag to follow the others to the exit. And froze. Matteo. He was standing at the front of the house. Just… waiting.

The world around me blurred. My heartbeat slammed against my ribs, hard and frantic. My skin went cold. I couldn’t breathe.

Flashbacks hit like gunfire. His voice whispering in my ear. His tight grips on my arms, when he held me down. His hands on my legs. His body pressing into mine. The way it felt when he looked at me like I was nothing.

I couldn’t move. My throat clenched as panic gripped me from the inside out. I needed Damian. Needed his voice, his hand on mine, something to anchor me. But he was already off the bus. Walking toward Matteo.

Like he had forgotten what that man put me through.

—————

Damian

I was still pissed. Not surprised, though. This was classic Sareena. Always taking off without thinking, walking straight into danger like the rules didn’t apply to her. Like the people who cared about her were just supposed to keep cleaning up the mess.

She’d run off to Vegas. Alone. Again.

I was ready to drop it during the flight. Ready to let it go, talk it through, meet her halfway. But then she said it…

“I had to go to Vegas. They’re my only family. They’re all I have.”

It hit like a punch. All she has? I’m standing right there. Loving her every step of the way. Fighting for her - for us. And she says something like that? What the hell am I, then?

So I shut down. Ignored her the whole damn flight. Every time she came close, tried to apologize, tried to smooth it over… I moved. I couldn’t even look at her. If I did, I’d probably give in. Break. She needs to understand what it means to be in a relationship.

When the party bus pulled up to the safe house, I got out first. Matteo had texted that he’d be there. Said he had updates.

We needed to plan. There was no time for grudges or bruised pride.

We had four hostages to find. Four family members. That’s what mattered now.

I walked toward him, arms out, hands up. We shook.

He grinned. That same stupid smug look I always wanted to wipe off his face.

“Bernardi, I think your fiancé’s a little spooked by my presence,” he said with a laugh.

I turned. Sareena was still on the bus, completely frozen. Eyes locked on Matteo like she’d seen a ghost.

I didn’t hesitate. Didn’t ask questions. Just turned back, climbed into the bus, and hauled her over my shoulder.

She didn’t fight me. Didn’t say a word. Neither did I.

I carried her straight into the house, found the first empty bedroom, and left her there.

She wanted to come. She knew she’d have to face him. She’d brought this on herself.