Celeste’s now dead husband, had branched out their organization, had started to creep into territory that wasn’t his, and it cost him his life. Of course, those activities had allowed Celeste the life she loved, but Matteo wouldn’t point that out. He inhaled slowly, deeply, and then walked away from the laptop.
The sound of a bell told him he had a new notification and he walked back over to the laptop. He didn’t want to look at the new email, but it might be important. A click of the mouse opened up a new screen and he saw a picture of a very timid looking young woman. It was her driver’s license photo and she stared straight into the camera, no smile, no emotion at all. Just a dead gaze that still managed to stir… something in him.
A frown marred his features as he increased the size of the photo. So, this was Marie now. Well, from her latest license, at least. He stared at the image for a moment before he closed the picture and read the text within the email. It seemed Marie’s mother no longer drove, but Marie did drive her mother’s car out every day, around one in the afternoon, to do the shopping and other errands.
He wrote back to the data broker to tell them it was good work and then glanced at the clock. It was about the time the young woman drove into town, so he picked up the keys to the old car that his aunt had provided.
The 1966 Lamborghini 400 GT was the very same one his uncle had died in. Celeste paid to have the damned thing restored for some reason, and now he was expected to drive it around town. Matteo assumed it was to creep Marie’s mother out, to frighten her, but the woman never left her bed, so the whole thing was pointless. It drove smoothly and had a few updates to make it suitable in the modern world, so he didn’t mind too much.
With a cold gaze hidden behind mirrored aviator sunglasses, he drove into the small town, careful to keep his speed down. He wasn’t in a rush because he was waiting to spot the girl. He figured she’d stop off at the grocery store first. With a twist of his wrist, the car turned smoothly into a gas station where he filled up the almost full tank. He glanced around and saw her, over in the parking lot across the street.
He didn’t know for sure, but he was almost certain she was staring right at him. He felt his lips twitch in satisfaction, his target had been located. He put a debit card into the machine, paid for his fuel, and then slowly drove across the road and into the parking lot of the grocery store.
Matteo noted she was distracted as she put the groceries away. She turned to return the empty cart to the stand, then stopped, obviously lost in thought. He drove on but slammed on the brakes suddenly so that it made a noise. He felt a prickle of guilt, not enough to make him feel sorry, but he felt it.
She responded with a turn, fear clear on her face as she stumbled a little. Her hands were on the hood as he stepped out of the car, all that was good and humble as he apologized to her.
He wasn’t aware of what he said, or what she said. All he could do was note how white and perfect her teeth were, how beautiful and haunting her eyes were, and just how long those tanned legs of hers were in those tiny denim shorts she had on. The t-shirt tented over full breasts that drew his gaze for only a heartbeat, it was those eyes that fascinated him.
His thoughts flew right out of his head for a moment as he looked at her and took in just how odd he felt when he saw her up close. The pictures had done her no justice at all because she had a lovely, heart-shaped face, clear tanned skin, and the cutest button of a nose.
Matteo wasn’t completely dead inside, he still liked to have a woman when the mood struck. Usually, they were women that knew the score and were in it for what they could get out of him. This woman was all innocence and charm. There was no kind of guile in her eyes, no knowing twist to her full, luscious