Mafia's Final Play (Mafia's Obsession #3) - Summer Cooper Page 0,53
device to plug into a laptop or something. I don’t know the specifics of it yet, but I know we can do that. And there’s cell service too, so we don’t have to be completely out of touch. You can check in with whoever you leave in charge if that’s what you want to do.”
He looked over at her, amazed at all the information she’d gathered so quickly. “This is really what you want to do? I know I keep asking, but I want you to be sure.”
“For a while, I wanted to take over the family business, your job, but then, well, I don’t think I’m ever going to be that tough, that hard, that I can do what you do.” She looked down at her nails and twisted her lips into a frown. “If you want to stay and run the empire, Matteo, I understand. But, if you want to do this, then I’m all in like I said. Don’t do this just for me. I don’t want you to hate me for walking away, or leaving it for a while.”
“I won’t.” He assured her with his palm against her cheek. “I’d give it all up for you, baby.”
“But you don’t have to. We can find a way to make this work, I know we can.” Her eyes implored him to agree to it, and she could see he was pulled to agree. His eyes flicked to the list of places and she laughed with happiness when he nodded.
“I’ll start looking for a bus, RV, whatever it is that will be suitable. We have to remember though, Marie, there is a contract out on you.”
“Still no word on who put it out?” She hadn’t asked him a lot about it, but she’d heard him talking about it with Anton.
“No, and it’s really starting to piss me off. I have a list of suspects, but I can’t prove who it is. It’s usually not that hard to find out, but this time, it’s like finding a ghost. Usually, whoever put it out would declare it proudly, but not this time, and that makes me wonder.” He cut the words off and turned his face away.
With narrowed eyes, Marie stared at Matteo. “Do you think it’s Celeste? The way she was that day she came to see me…”
“She came to see you? Why didn’t you tell me?” His head whipped back around to face her, his face angry for a moment, but then it smoothed out. “Sorry, when was that?”
“Right before she left and everything kind of turned into chaos, and I wasn’t well, so I forgot to tell you. I think I pissed her off.” She frowned and looked at her nails again. “I might have implied she was a little too consumed with your private life.”
“You wouldn’t be wrong about that,” he chuckled and sat back. “What else happened?”
“Not a lot. She came in, asked if you were there, then asked if we could call a truce. I agreed, for your sake, then she commenced to insulting me. Kept talking about how she’d raised you to think with your brain and not your dick, and how you only wanted me in your bed, and the minute I got too old you’d replace me. Which is why I asked her if she was jealous.”
The memories were clear in her mind and Marie could still picture Celeste’s shock when the question was asked if Matteo’s aunt was jealous that Marie was in his bed.
“Oh, dear. Brave of you to give as good as you got, but yeah, you baited a tiger there.” He stroked his jaw and she could hear the bristle of his beard. He hadn’t shaved that morning, which she found kind of sexy, but the prickle of it against her skin could be a little painful. He’d shave when he felt like it. “What else?”
“She said she didn’t like me, didn’t think I was the wife you deserved. And that if she didn’t get rid of me, you would when you grew tired of me.” The words came out more slowly as she thought about the implication. If she didn’t get rid of Marie. What lengths would she go to in order to accomplish that?
“Hm. Anything else?” He waited for her answer, his face lined with concern.
“Not much. She said she hoped we wouldn’t meet again and left.”
“Right.” He clasped his hands together and brought his index fingers up to his lips. “Hm.”