Page 70 of The Mafia King's Acquisition
But I don’t stop it fast enough either.
“She looks like you,” I tell Valentina, my voice coming out quieter than I intend.
“She looks like Salvatore,” Val replies, which makes Salvatore make a sound from the other side of the room that might be the closest to a laugh he can manage right now.
Eventually, I pass her back. I step out of the room to give them the first minutes that belong only to them, and I stand in the corridor with my back against the wall and my eyes on the ceiling and try to put myself back together.
It’s then I remember.
My father.
The fourth floor. The waiting room. The surgery that should have been over forever ago.
I push off the wall and I’m halfway down the hall when I nearly walk into a chest.
I look up.
Matteo.
CHAPTER 15
Matteo
Elio: Mayor Beaumont was shot. Currently at the hospital. My sources tell me he’s out of surgery but I’m not sure how serious his condition is. No ID on the shooter just yet. But I’ll let you know as soon as I do.
I don’t bother thanking my brother for the information. As soon as I get the text, I’m heading toward my car and to the hospital. Lindsay’s at the forefront of my mind. These days, she usually is.
After succeeding in getting the mayor’s room number, I head upstairs. I find her in the corridor outside his room, standing with her back against the wall and her arms folded across her chest. Her eyes are dry. Her posture is straight.
Lindsay Beaumont does not crumble in public.
But I can see what it costs her to hold herself together. She’s somewhere else entirely, jaw set, staring at nothing. She hasn’t noticed me yet.
I want to find every single thing that causes her pain and destroy it.
I have never been great at comfort. Warm words and providing a shoulder to cry on aren’t my particular skill set. ButI’m here. I moved fast to get here without stopping to ask myself why and I still don’t have a satisfactory answer.
What the hell is wrong with you, Matteo?
I spot her and move toward her without thinking. She must sense me coming because she spins around too fast, colliding with my chest hard enough that she nearly stumbles backward. My hands catch her waist instantly, holding her steady against me. Relief flashes across her face for the briefest second before she buries it beneath that guarded expression she’s so damn good at wearing.
Of course, she looks even more beautiful when she’s holding herself together by sheer will.
I decide to speak first.
“Hey, Kitten,” I say softly. “You should have called me.”
“I didn’t think you’d come,” she states, still keeping her tears at bay.
My eyes narrow slightly. “I would have come.”
She exhales softly in reply.
“How is he?”
“He’s stable. He should wake up any time now. The doctor said he was lucky. The bullet didn’t hit any major arteries.”
“That’s good,” I murmur.
