The Hitman's Secret

Ch. 12: Underground

MATTEO

"Absolutely not," Matteo snapped.

Val shot him a glare from where she sat on the couch, engaged in a game of poker with Luca. "Well, I already told Bastian that I'm coming. If you don't want to go with me, I'll ask someone else."

"Hell, I want to go," Luca chimed in, tossing a red chip into the pot.

Fucking hell, Sometimes Matteo wanted to throttle that kid. He frowned from his spot in the doorway, a shoulder leaned against the frame with his arms crossed.

Val had just sprung the news on him that she planned on attending an underground fight ring that evening, and every fiber in his body rejected the prospect. Even worse, she'd received the invitation from Sebastian Alessi, of all people. Apparently, she wanted to spearhead the Romano famiglia's own fight club.

The princess lifted both her brows, offering Matteo a cheeky glance that said, See? Luca wants to go with me.

He sighed. The stubborn girl would go to the fighting ring, with or without him. She'd warned him of that much, and at least Matteo could keep a closer eye on her if he went by her side. He could certainly keep her safer than a guard like Luca, who seemed to view the fighting pits as some kind of exciting field trip by the eager grin on his face.

"No," he conceded, fingers tightening and untightening into fists at his chest. "No, I'm going."

"Good," Val drawled, placing her two cards down with the confidence of a woman with a royal flush. "It's a date."

Luca smirked and placed his own cards on the couch between them. Although he couldn't see the cards from his place in the doorway, Matteo could guess from Val's sour expression that Luca had handily beaten her. She stuck her tongue out at him as he swept her chips into his impressive stack.

She turned her attention back to Matteo, tucking a flyaway behind her ear. "The fights start at nine, so we'll leave here at eight."

Matteo huffed a laugh. Of course Bastian hadn't told her the first thing about the underground fights. "We'll leave at nine, princess. The first two fights of the night are never worth watching. Most of the crowds won't start showing up until ten, maybe later."

She blinked, clearly taken aback by his knowledge on the matter. "O-kay."

He slowly approached the couch, bracing his hands on the back rest beside Val's head. She peered up at him, eyes round and curious. If Luca wasn't sitting nearby, Matteo would've clutched a fistful of her chestnut ponytail and wrapped it around his fist twice.

"These fights aren't put on for people like you, Val. They're rough, and the people that attend them are rougher," he warned. "Don't dress like you're the heiress of the Romano famiglia. Don't act like it, either. It'd be best if no one knows who you are tonight."

One corner of her full lips turned down. "Won't someone recognize me?"

He shook his head. "Well-bred women of the Cosa Nostra don't come to this fighting ring. Most of the men will be soldiers, too. They wouldn't know what you look like, anyways."

At least, Matteo hoped that was all still true. It had been years since he'd crossed the threshold of one of these underground fights.

"Fine," she agreed, handing Luca her cards to shuffle before unfolding her legs from beneath her and slipping off of the couch. She wore a baggy t-shirt that obscured her little shorts, leaving her long, shapely legs on full display. "I'll blend in tonight."

Not fucking likely, Matteo thought. Val could wear a potato sack and still outshine every other woman in the room. His fingers tightened around the couch cushion at the mere thought of every man and woman's eye following her with sinful intentions that evening.