“Great.”
And because the timing couldn’t be any worse, my phone rings.
I pull it out of my pocket and frown at the caller ID. I don’t want to deal with this shit, but I swipe the screen anyway and lift the phone to my ear. “Ciao, Stefano.”
“Ciao, Signor Santarossa. Sorry for the interruption, but Signori Fiore are here with two of their men.” The words come out in a rush, and I can just picture the old man’s eyes flitting around nervously due to his company.
“It’s okay, Stefano. Send them up. I’ll unlock the elevator on my side once they’re here.”
“Will do, signore. Grazie.”
I hang up and put my phone back in my pocket, walking to the elevator and staring a hole into it. I don’t need to check behind me to know that Ash and Zeno are right there, always having my back.
The monitor for the security system comes to life as I press it, and we watch via the live feed how Lorenzo, his brother, Toni—Ally’s dad—as well as two of their men, enter the elevator and ride up. The monitor makes a beeping noise when the elevator arrives at the penthouse. Only people with the code can open it from the other side, so I unlock it by pressing my thumb on the screen, and the doors quietly open.
The four men walk in, and Lorenzo’s eyes immediately zoom in on me. He points at me. “You.”
The only reaction he gets from me is a raised eyebrow. Not only does he show up uninvited, but he also barges into my home, just to point fingers and yell at me. Not happening. If I wasn’t this damn tired, I’d have a gun aimed at his head by now.
I pick an imaginary piece of lint off my shirt before I give him a bored stare. “Say what you came here to say and leave. You’re not welcome here.”
His nostrils flare as he stares me down like I’m nothing, or I assume that’s what he’s trying to do. Toni stays quiet, but his fingers curl by his sides. The two men with them scowl at me but show no other reaction so far. That might change in the next few minutes if Lorenzo doesn’t get his shit together.
Lorenzo takes a step toward me. “Is it true that Frederico’s dead?”
“Yes.”
Color rises up his neck and into his face. He looks like he might explode soon. “And he was murdered?”
I’m about to answer when a quiet, “Yes,” comes from somewhere behind me.
All heads snap to where Gemma’s standing in the hallway, appearing small in her oversized hoodie and sweatpants, her arm cradled to her chest. I feel terrible that she still hasn’t had the medical treatment she needs. I’m also irritated as hell that she’s up at all and not still asleep like she should be. Fucking Lorenzo.
She walks over to us, and I feel marginally better the moment she stands next to me, surrounded by Ash and Zeno.
Lorenzo tsks at her, disapproval written in the tight lines of his face. “Gemma, let’s go.”
The “Fuck, no,” is sitting on the tip of my tongue just as Gemma says, “No.”
One word. Two letters. Zero room for arguing.
His lips form a tight line in disgust. “Gemma, I said let’s go. Stop being a brat, we’re going home.”
No matter how much I want to glance at Gemma, I don’t dare take my eyes off Lorenzo. But out of the corner of my eye, I can see she stiffens at his words.
Then she shifts and raises her chin. “I said no.”
Lorenzo’s breathing gets louder, like he’s an angry bull getting ready to charge. Even the vein in his neck is pulsing aggressively. His behavior seems to trigger the man standing next to him because his fingers twitch, slowly moving up his leg.
Lorenzo blatantly ignores his daughter and turns to me. “What the fuck is this, Matteo? I thought we had a deal. Alessandra is back home, and Emilio will be here in a few days for the wedding. Everything can go back to the way it was planned.”
“I’m not marrying Emilio.” Gemma’s tone is firm.
Lorenzo’s eyes narrow to slits as he glares at her. “I didn’t ask what you wanted. You’re going to marry Emilio.”
She shakes her head. “I can’t. I’m already married.”
He rolls his eyes at that. “Don’t be stupid. Luigi is dead.”