Fatal Alliances [✓]

46

CHAPTER FORTY SIX

MALIA

"DIO MIO. YOU SPEAK ITALIAN NOW?"

Now that he stood towering over me, he smiled, though no one could see the emotion he had reserved just for me. One of his hands carefully slid behind my back and caught me in place, while the other reached up to cup my cheek and brush my jawline with his knuckle.

"I may have used a little app called Duolingo. I wanted to learn so I could understand you and if we ever crossed paths again and ended up in each other's arms, I didn't want to let the dirty talk slide." I shrugged, smiling innocently. "But I had more of a lengthier, refined speech prepared. In fact, I was going to blow your mind away."

"Right." Mateo frowned, sighing as he composed himself, about to say the words that I yearned to hear back from him.

"Don't." I whispered. "When we get out of here, then. You can tell me whatever you want."

"I'm fine. I have to tell you something though, I know it sounds bizarre, but anything is possible—"

"He's already aware, Vincent revealed all that needed to be said." Hashim said to me, not even a few meters away. He pushed past the both of us and I wondered where Fiorella was, and why she was quiet right this moment. I didn't get the chance to swivel back on my heel and search for her however, because I was dragged away.

I tilted my head to a side, but Mateo remained impassive as he threaded his fingers through mine and pulled me along with him, until we were back behind the invisible line and shielded by the men that looked anywhere but at us, high on alert, eyes narrowed in completely on the enemies.

For a brief moment, I felt as if I was amongst wolves, and I was nothing more than livestock. As Anastasia met my wondering attention, trepidation seemed to pour from the ends of my fingers and seep through my pulsating veins, filling me with fear and paranoia that wafted around me in a ribbon of purple. She was calm, with no redeeming emotion or dimension, as if she didn't give a damn about anything.

"It took a lot of effort in recovering that video of you at the bal masquè, then some more of you meeting up with Josiah Parish, many times." Mateo spoke up first. "You did an outstanding job of acting like the innocent girl who just wanted to keep to herself, confused by what was going on around you. Really dipped your hands in the Belucci case, trying to cover up any trace of your involvement. I am shocked at how idle you behaved, fooling me."

Her fuchsia lips curled upwards and she laughed menacingly, the sound causing my ears to sting as I felt the impending doom wash over me. "Well, I admit, though precarious —I enjoyed playing the young woman you so badly wanted to protect and shelter from the world, because you sat with so much guilt for killing my father."

"I didn't kill your father." Mateo responded rather calmly. "There were others there, your father was not the only person who died."

"No," Anastasia snapped. "So did the driver. But not you, never you."