Kill All Men

Chapter Eleven

Luna POV
As I step out of the shower and put on one of my over sized t-shirts, I hear a glass shatter from downstairs followed by yelling. I grab my gun from my nightstand and walk to see what is going on. I peak over the balcony and see Esmaé and Matteo.
"What the hell is your problem?!" He shouts. "Luna is trying to protect you and this is what you do? Walk around breaking people's shit?!"
Breaking things doesn't really seem like something Esmaé would do, even if she's mad so I'm not quite understanding what's going on. He starts to walk towards her and she quickly grabs the largest knife and hold it up to him.
"Stop getting closer! I won't let you hurt me. I won't let ANY man hurt me again!" Matteo stops in his tracks and lifts up his hands in surrender. I closely observe what is happening in front of me but I just do get it. Why is she so freaked out about this?
"Esmaé, I need you to give me the knife." He reaches his hand out to take the knife from her but she cuts the palm of his hand. I run down the stairs and stand in front of Matteo to stop him from getting closer.
"Matteo, I need you to go up stairs for me." I tell him. He scuffs and tries to put me aside.
"Luna get back!"
"Matteo, I don't think she knows that it's you. Go upstairs and wait for me in your room. Go." I demand to him. He backs away from the scene and walks back up stairs.
I look down to the ground and see that the shattered glass had landed on Esmaé's feet, leaving micro cuts on them. I look back up to her and see her fearful expression.
"Hey, sweetheart." I approach her slowly but she's still scared. She takes a jab at me but I dodge it just in time. "Hey, hey. It's just me." Esmaé finally looks at me but still keeps her guard up. "Now come on baby girl. Give Luna the knife. We don't want a little one like you hurting herself." I hold out my hand and watch as her fear starts to slowly fade away. She doesn't put the knife in my hand but instead just drops it on the ground. Her eyes start to fill with tears as she lets her body collapse into mine. I wrap my arms around her and gently run my fingers through her hair as she cries in my arms. I whisper "It's okay." as I do so. She lifts herself off of me and looks at my face. She stumbles away from me and runs up the stairs. When I hear a door shut I sigh call in one of my men to clean the glass up.

When I walk back upstairs, I go straight to Matteo's room. I knock on his door and hear a come in.
"Hey. You okay?" I ask as he wraps his hand up.
"Yeah. I guess so." I stand in front of his as he looks down to the ground. When he finally looks up to me, I slap him in the face. His face turns the other direction and he rubs his cheek as he winces. I grab his jaw and force him to look at me.
"Matteo, why are you so fucking hot headed?! Huh?! How could you not see that she was scared of you?" He looks at me for a second and I realize a tear forming in his eyes. He rips his head away from me and gets up.
"I wasn't paying attention."
"Yeah. No shit, Matteo." He walks over to his desk and power stances over it. He never does that unless there's something bothering him. "What's going on with you? You've been acting weird since that therapy session. What happened to you?" He turns around to face me. When I see him, his eyes are red and water trails down his cheeks. I walk to him and look up at his face. I wipe his tears away with my fingers gently. "Talk to me."
"Why do you always have to put yourself in dangerous situations without me, Luna?!" He outbursts. I furrow my brows at him.
"Matteo, I'm a mob boss. My entire life is dangerous. I have to do these things so that we can have a home and live semi normal lives." I explain to him. He scuffs and walks to the couch next to his bed.
"And what happens if one day you die? What happens then? Your always doing things alone, sending me away when things get to risky."
"Because I'm trying to protect you."
"I don't need your protection! That's my job! I'm supposed to be protecting you. Do you know how fucked in the head I get when you do things on your own. If you die, I can't handle that kind of heart ache." Matteo completely breaks down. He falls to the couch and buries his face into his hands. "You're the only family I have." I squat down and place my forehead on his. I didn't know that this is what was bothering him. I've been doing this for years and he's never said a thing.
"I didn't realize it meant that much to you. For now on, you'll come with me everywhere, okay?" He nods against me and I take in a deep breath. I stand up and start walking to the door, only to be stopped by Matteo grabbing onto my arm.
"Can you sleep in here with me?" He asks without making eye contact. I laugh lightly then pull Matteo off of the couch.
"I don't see why not." I watch as Matteo climbs into the bed and I climb in after him.
Matteo maybe a 6 foot, buff giant but he's nothing but a big old softy. It's been years since the last time he asked me to have a sleepover.

The next morning, I wake up to see that Matteo isn't there but two notes are sitting on his pillow marked with my name and Esmaé's name. I open the one for me and read.
'I left to go get pancake mix. I don't quite know what the other two eat so I automatically thought pancakes. Give the other letter to Esmaé. I have a sneaking suspicion that she wouldn't appreciate a direct apology.'
I take the note into my hands and walk towards Esmaé's and Lee's bedroom but then hear the T.V playing down stairs in the living room. I walk down and see that both Lee and Esmaé are watching Sofia the First on Disney Jr. I chuckle then walk up to them.
"Good morning to you both." I say. They both say it in unison. "Esmaé, come to the balcony with me?" I ask. She pops up from the couch and follows me out back. I hand her the letter and tell her who it's from.
"I don't want it." She try's to hand it back to me but I decline.
"I understand that what he did was scary, but part of that is my fault. He didn't mean to be so harsh, he's just not good with others. Read the note." She raises one of her eye brows at me and I huff. "Please." She sighs in defeat and unfold it. I am about to walk back inside but she tells me to stay and listen.
"Esmaé, the event that happened last night was utterly uncalled for. I didn't realize that you were afraid because I was blinded by my love for Luna. I took your dropping of glass as a sign of disrespect instead of a woman in fear of an angered man. I know now that I should have paid more attention to your state of mind. Luna raised me to be a respectful person towards other women unless told otherwise. I'm ashamed of how I made you feel in that moment. I apologize for my crude actions and only hope that one day you will forgive me." She finishes reading the note and I stand there in shock. I never knew Matteo was so good with apologies. She tucks the letter in her back pocket and wiggles her nose like a bunny.
"Where is he know?" She asks.
"He went to the store so he can buy thing to make pancakes." I tell her. She nods slowly with a look of slight sympathy.
"I like pancakes." She says in an adorable baby voice. I laugh out loud then place my hand on top of the girls head. I walk back inside as she scurries behind me.