Chapter 6 - Matteo Had to Choose Between His Family and the Woman He Loved
The bakery became a fortress.
Matteo moved his people around the block.
Security cameras appeared overnight.
Steel shutters replaced the windows.
I protested.
“I run a bakery.”
“Not anymore.”
“I still make bread.”
“You can make bread behind bulletproof glass.”
I stared at him.
“That's ridiculous.”
“So is getting shot at.”
Sofia sat at the counter, eating chocolate cookies.
“You two argue like a married couple.”
We both turned toward her.
She smiled.
The tension broke.
For the first time in days, we laughed.
Then Matteo received the call.
Gabriel had contacted him.
One meeting.
No guards.
No weapons.
Come alone.
Matteo wanted to go.
I refused.
“Absolutely not.”
“He asked for me.”
“He also tried to kill us.”
“I need answers.”
“You need backup.”
“If I bring backup, he'll disappear.”
“Then let him.”
Matteo looked at me.
“What?”
“You're not walking into a trap because your pride tells you you're invincible.”
“I've survived worse.”
“That isn't the point.”
“What is?”
“The point is that you're not alone anymore.”
His eyes softened.
He stepped closer.
“Emily.”
“Yes?”
“I've spent my entire life believing attachment was weakness.”
“And now?”
He looked at me.
“Now I think it might be the only reason I'm still standing.”
My heart beat faster.
Neither of us moved.
Then Sofia shouted from the kitchen.
“I can hear you both being romantic!”
I laughed.
Matteo groaned.
The meeting still happened.
But not the way Gabriel expected.
Mara gave us another secret.
The old Vescari family club had a tunnel beneath it.
Matteo could enter without being seen.
He took two trusted men.
I stayed with Sofia.
Three hours later, we heard an explosion.
The television showed smoke rising from downtown.
The club had burned.
Matteo was missing.
I knew immediately something was wrong.
Then my phone rang.
A man spoke.
“Bring the ledger.”
“You have Matteo?”
“Yes.”
“What do you want?”
“Everything.”
The line went dead.
Sofia stood beside me.
“No.”
I looked at her.
“You stay here.”
“I want my uncle.”
“I know.”
“I can help.”
“You're fifteen.”
“So is your problem.”
That was the same stubbornness I recognized in her uncle.
I almost smiled.
Then the bakery door opened.
Gabriel walked in.
No weapon.
No guards.
Just a calm smile.
“I'd hoped you'd come to me.”
I backed away.
“You kidnapped Matteo.”
“He came willingly.”
“Where is he?”
“Alive.”
Sofia stepped forward.
“You're the bad guy.”
Gabriel smiled.
“Your mother used to say the same thing.”
Sofia froze.
“You knew my mother?”
“I knew her very well.”
I moved in front of Sofia.
Gabriel looked at me.
“You have the ledger.”
“No.”
“I can smell a lie.”
“I bake for a living. That's probably flour.”
He laughed.
“You're exactly like Margaret.”
He reached inside his coat.
I grabbed a bowl of flour.
Gabriel blinked.
“You wouldn't.”
I smiled.
“Oh, you don't know me.”
I threw the flour.
He cursed.
Sofia grabbed my hand.
We ran.
Behind the ovens was the hidden passage.
We descended.
Gabriel shouted behind us.
We reached the chamber.
There was another door.
Mara had told me never to open it.
I opened it.
It led directly to an old alley.
We escaped.
Outside, Matteo was standing there.
Bloody.
Bruised.
Alive.
I ran to him.
He caught me.
For one second, neither of us spoke.
Then he whispered.
“You disobeyed me.”
“You're welcome.”
He laughed.
Then winced.
“You're hurt.”
“I've looked better.”
“I threw flour at Gabriel.”
His eyes widened.
“Again?”
“He deserved it.”
He smiled.
“Definitely famous.”
I hugged him.
His arms tightened around me.
“I thought I'd lost you,” he whispered.
“You didn't.”
He rested his forehead against mine.
“I need to tell you something.”
“What?”
“I love you.”
Everything inside me stopped.
“You do?”
“Yes.”
“When did that happen?”
“Probably when you assaulted me with flour.”
I laughed through tears.
“I love you too.”
Then gunshots rang out.
Matteo pushed me behind him.
Gabriel stood at the end of the alley.
He wasn't smiling anymore.
“You should have stayed out of this,” he said.
Matteo stepped forward.
“No.”
May you like
His voice was quiet.
“This ends tonight.”
