Bitter Queen (Advantage Play #4) - Kelsie Rae Page 0,5
of her.”
Rolling my shoulders, I mutter, “Yeah…about that….”
“I don’t give a shit about good ol’ Uncle Moretti.” Matteo laughs, amused by my half-assed attempt to apologize before sobering with his next words. “And she doesn’t look like a Fed to me. But she’s too stunning for her own good, D. I suggest you figure out how the hell to alter her appearance. Quickly. Word travels fast, and it’s only a matter of time before they come looking for her––the girl who got away.”
“What else have you heard?” I prod.
“That she isn’t who she appears to be.”
I cock my head to the side. “Do you know who she is?”
Pulling up a live feed of the hallway that leads to her bedroom, he studies it carefully. The door is wide open, but there isn’t any movement.
“Answer the question,” I demand.
With his gaze glued to the screen, he concludes, “She’s just a broken girl who doesn’t know how to put herself back together again.” Clearing his throat, he tears his attention away from the video feed and looks up at me. “Be gentle with her.”
“I won’t hurt her.”
“I meant emotionally,” he clarifies.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
He nods. “Good. I left all the items Lou mentioned on your bed in the room across from hers. I don’t know if hair dye will be enough to hide her identity, but it’s worth a shot. And like I said, let me know if you need anything else. There’s a keypad on the door to this room. The code is 0-0-1-0-0.”
“Why so simple?”
“Because everyone expects a guy like me to have something complicated. I figured I’d just give them the bird and tell them to fuck off instead.”
I laugh as recognition dawns on me. The code signifies his knuckles. While the majority of numbers are low, the middle digit is high in the air. As if he’s literally giving them the bird. “Clever,” I compliment. “And thanks again, Matteo. Have you heard any unrest from the other families?”
“It’s a little early to tell. Lucca Russo is being a bit of a bitch about the transition, but he’s harmless. If you found someone in your ranks to marry his sister, Emilia, he’d probably shut right up. He just wants to keep his family’s status without having to lift a finger. I heard his father had been setting up a betrothal with one of Burlone’s soldiers, but it fell through when all hell broke loose less than forty-eight hours ago.”
I smirk. “That won’t be a problem. Stefan has wanted her for years. What about everyone else?”
He shrugs and leans back in his office chair. “Nothing too out of the ordinary. Now they’re just fighting with each other like a pack of wolves over a scrap of meat. Who’ll be crowned the next king of the underworld when their fearless leaders were all whisked away in handcuffs?”
“Dex,” I answer him.
Brow quirked, he repeats, “Dex?”
“He was being groomed for the position, anyway. Why not give them what they want?”
“And if they don’t back Dex?”
“Then they go in the ground. We’re going to extract anyone who wants to continue selling fruit to the highest bidder.”
Fruit.
What a twisted way to talk about human beings. Like they’re nothing but an object.
Matteo kicks his feet up onto the desk then laces his fingers behind his head as if he has all the time in the world. But it doesn’t hide his flash of surprise as he clarifies, “You plan on eradicating the entire human trafficking industry?”
“In this part of the country, yeah. We’ve seen what it does to women. Our women,” I clarify. “Regina. Ace.”
“And Q?” he challenges.
I hesitate. “Yeah. And Q.”
“Interesting,” he notes.
That same tic in my jaw returns with a vengeance as I grit out, “Kingston promised to protect her.”
“So, it has nothing to do with the way you look at her?” He scoffs. “Keep telling yourself that. But what makes you think the Romano family can pull it off? You’ve never been in the skin trade.”
“King’s dad didn’t want to make things messy for the family by sticking his nose where it didn’t belong. But Burlone crossed that line and left us no choice as soon as he tried to frame us by doing business on our docks.”
He scratches his jaw before resting his elbows on his knees. “I remember hearing about that. Obviously, thinking he could use Kingston was Burlone’s biggest mistake. But I think you’re smart to take control while everyone is left scrambling.”