Chapter Eight
Mateo watched the man swallow several times, but his gaze stayed glued to Aria. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think the boy had a crush on his woman. He didn’t feel jealous because the boy was around her daughter’s age, and he knew his woman loved him.
He bit back a grin when he determined she had no clue how the boy felt. She was oblivious. He sometimes forgot that although she’d gone through a lot, she was still so innocent.
Someone called his name, bringing him back to the conversation.
“What do you think?” she asked him.
“If you’re okay with him, I am, too.”
She nodded and looked back at the man. “We’d like you to stay on, Taylor.”
“Yes. Thank you, ma’am.”
Mateo bit his lip when the man nodded enthusiastically.
“If you have a question, you can come to any of us three until they pick who they want to manage the security.”
“Pet, we asked Devon to stay, and he took the job,” Trent said. “We talked about it a bit. He’s one of the first guards we befriended when we got here, and he’s been on our side the whole time.”
Her smile widened. “That’s wonderful. You’ve met Devon, Taylor?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. Go to him for instructions, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am.” The man scampered out of the room.
He saw the look in Aria’s eyes and laughed.
“What?” she asked as she turned his way.
“The look on your face,” Mateo said.
“Well, the poor boy was so nervous. Why did you guys have to scare him so much?”
The men held back their laughter. Very few men who came into contact with her weren’t enthralled by her beauty, and she never thought that, which made them chuckle.
Not only gorgeous, but she was also generous, thoughtful, and cared about others. Many had commented that her posture and mannerisms reminded them of a queen. She would just scoff at that and say she was far removed from being a queen. They never argued with her, but they did agree with the people who said it.
He’d never forget the first time he saw her. It was his first day, and he was out in the back. He looked up at her balcony to see her in a white nightgown, her long hair blowing against her, the wind making her hair fly out and plastering her gown to her breasts. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
When he returned to his apartment that night, he told Trent what he’d seen. It was a few days before Trent caught a glimpse of her, which also affected him. It felt like they were destined to be together.
Trent and he had shared a few women in the past but never thought they’d end up falling in love with the same one and seeing a future with the three of them as a triad.
When they learned how she and her children were treated, they were furious. Their first thought was to kill Lorenzo, but they needed to make sure it was something she wanted. He knew how mafia families were, but he didn’t know the particulars of her family. If they made that move, they could put her in a worse situation.
Fortunately, they were able to talk to her when they found the tunnels and had her moved into the room.
She’d been terrified of them at first, but she’d learned to trust them the first time they’d taken care of her after Lorenzo had beaten her. The anger that grew inside of him made him want to howl. How could anyone hurt that tiny precious woman?
They often bathed her, patched her wounds, and iced her contusions after her husband had left her. He only hoped that whatever was happening to him was worse than the pain he inflicted on her.
“I’d like to see Devon. I have yet to meet him.”
“Okay, we can have him come up here,” Mateo said.