Page 134 of Hidden Empire
“Thanks for the offer, but I’m celibate.”
I’m even more gobsmacked by this response. Even if he wasn’t celibate for the semester, Matteo isn’t into guys. At least, he’s never implied as much. Not even when we talked about it.
“Well, we have that in common then,” Ivan says matter-of-factly.
Matteo looks affronted by this. “Bullshit.”
Giving him a shrug, Ivan doesn’t care about his doubt. “I’m a second son, Matteo. I’m sure you know what that means for my family.”
Rearing his head back, he looks between Ivan and me. “That shit is for real? Dude, you’re a bullet magnet for your brother? That’s fucking fucked up.”
“Eloquent,” Ivan mutters.
“Hey,” I protest, pinching Matteo harder than I normally would. “Don’t call him that. You said you’d be nice!”
“Ow, motherfucking ouch,” he bites out through a wince.
“Be nice, or I’ll tell Dad I have a friend myself just so I can tattle on you for being mean to him!”
My brother scowls. “Traitor.”
Ivan sighs painfully. “Should we just clear the air then?”
“By all means,” Matteo huffs.
“I have no ill intentions toward Jade. I don’t drink, do drugs, or have sex. I’ll never marry, so you don’t have to worry about me trying to woo her. We’re friends. She’s funny, smart, and powerful. Not because she’s a Moretti but because of what she’s survived. She’s a warrior, and I’m going to continue to be her friend. Not even your objection will stop it, so you might as well get on board.”
I hold my breath, my heart so warm it could just melt. I wish I could run over and hug him right now, but I’ll do it later.
Eyes gentle as ever, Matteo peers down at him. “You told him? About before?”
“I did,” I whisper.
“If you can trust him with that… fine,” Matteo sighs, patting my shoulder. “I won’t object to him. But if he does anything, and I mean anything, I’ll kill him so fast Nico won’t even get to torture him. I mean it, Jade, I’ll drop this motherfucker.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, I throw my arms around his middle and hug him tight. “Thank you, Matteo.”
“Yes, yes, I’m the best, I know. Sing my praises, little sister.”
“Not quite the best,” I correct. “You could have left out the murder bits.”
“No, I couldn’t.”
Of course not, I snort.
I turn back to my best friend, beaming with a smile. “So now that we’ve got that squared away, what are we doing here?”
“Right this way,” he answers ominously, nodding to a mysterious door.
Matteo and I follow, finding an old cement staircase.
My brother shudders, peering down the steps. “Goodie, an evil lair, should we expect a villain monologue sometime soon, or?”
Ivan arches a brow. “Scared of a basement?”
Groaning, I rub my temples. “Oh my gosh, enough with the snark, you two. I want to know what Ivan has to show us.”
Without so much as another comment, the three of us descend the stairs. I take my steps slow, making sure that I won’t trip. It isn’t pitch dark, but the lighting is low and difficult to see. As we get to the bottom, the whole room is glowing with new light.