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Mateo had thought most of his life that he had a heart made of steel. But he was wrong! Because at that moment, it felt like someone was squeezing his heart as if it was nothing but bath sponge.
This was what she thought of him and his family and friends?
Mateo was fooling himself when he thought that she was finally telling their kids that he was their papa. He was wrong.
He hated what she said. But he hated himself more because she had every right to feel that way about him.
If she didn't want him in their lives, why did she act so understanding and nice?
"Because she's a cunning manipulative bitch who wanted all the good things that came with being the baby mama of a made man of the Mafia." He said out loud, gritting his teeth. He was wrong about her.
He took a moment to calm himself down before he went back to the office empty handed.
Amanda wasn't there. She was probably wandering around like she owned the place.
"We are going back to New York." he announced.
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"What?" River watched as Alessia packed her bags.
"There's an emergency it seems. Mateo just walked in and said we are all going back to New York." She said, tucking her many guns and knives into their allotted holsters.
"There's improvement in the situation with the Russians?" River asked, getting up from the bed and passing her some of her clothes.
"Don't know. You better go pack your and the kids' stuff."
River nodded and left Alessia's room, making her way to her own bedroom where the kids' stuffs were. She had figured it was better to keep all their clothes and other essentials in her own room since she gave them baths in her bathroom. Toys could wait.
She stopped in her tracks when she saw Mateo walk out of his room, a single duffel bag in his hand.
"Why are we going back to New York?" River asked, walking towards him.
"You and the kids aren't." He said, his eyes emotionless.
"What?" She was beyond confused now. "Why?"
"I don't have to justify each and every decision to you, now do I?" He glared at her.
River raised her brow, pursing her lips. Now he was going to use that tone with her?
But she thought that he was probably stressed by whatever shit had gone down by now and decided to cut him some slack. Also, she really didn't have the energy for yet another argument.
River shrugged. "You have a point. Have a safe flight." She said and walked away from him, not sparing him another glance as she closed the door behind her.
The kids had fallen asleep in their own beds and she knew at least Kiara was going to wake up at some point but she decided to have some more sleep until that happened.
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It had been two weeks since Mateo had left the ranch in Wyoming. And he hadn't talked to River or the twins after that.
And he missed them. He regretted the decision as soon as he left the house but his ego just wouldn't let him go back.
And Mateo was also so mad at himself. He felt that he had abandoned his kids because of his fight with River.
And it wasn't even a fight. She was honest. He had just wished she was as honest with him as well.
He had gotten an encrypted phone and laptop delivered at the ranch but River hadn't even switched it on once.
Janet filled him in on what all were happening; the kids' tutor had moved in last week and their classes had started, and River was said to be spending a lot of time at the shooting range.
She asked him if he wanted to talk to the kids or River but he always refused, because he knew he would fly right back if he heard their voices.
'Damn it River, just call me!' He thought, desperate.
"Hey Capo, there's a problem." Amanda barged in. A mere look at her was enough to make his blood boil.
"What is it?" He asked emotionlessly, not looking at her painted face.
She paused for a moment before she said, "We found the henchman Matthew Morris."
Mateo looked up. She had his entire attention now. Matthew Morris was one of Mona's closest men. They had found out that it was him that Dr. Valerie Pierce had handed the twins to.
"Grady's place. Soviet Street."
Mateo stood up, arming himself with his gun.
He walked out to see that some of his men were joining him.
"Let's kick some Soviet asses!" Arianna, Adam's sister, cheered.
They got into their SUVs.
He checked his phone on the way to see if River had called.
She hadn't.
But there was an email from Alessia.
He opened to see the files. They were reports, photos and videos from when River was pregnant to the twins' fifth birthday. Where did she get all these from?
Mateo fished for his air pods and found them in his glove compartment. He put them on and played the video labelled 'Finding Out' with the date on it.
It was a home video. River sat on a couch in her apartment living room, playing with what he recognized as a pregnancy test.
"So I found out today," She said nervously. "That I am pregnant. I don't know who you are but if you ever show up in our child's life, I think you would want to be part of all these moments."
She sat up, biting her lips.
There was a deep chuckle in the background to which River reacted with a scowl before it stopped recording.
Mateo scrolled through the videos; they were all videos recording by her.
His eyes welled up. She had recorded it all for when he came back. If he came back.
'Why are you so confusing River?'
He quickly called his sister. "Where did you get all this?"
"From her mother."
He thanked her and hung up, and decided he was going to watch it with River that evening after dealing with the Russian morons. Well, Matthew Morris was American. But he was working for the Russians.
They parked the cars in an alleyway and got out.
"Ready?" Mateo asked into the earpiece.
"Let's do this."
The group breached into their hide out. And time slowed down, Mateo's hearing shutting down by the loud noise of bullets being shot.
His eyes were trained on Matthew and he knew it.
He tried to get away but Mateo was faster and in his way in no time.
Mateo was so blinded by rage that he missed the gun he pointed at his abdomen and wasn't fast enough to dodge it.
"Capo!!" Mateo heard gasps and shouts followed by relentless shooting as he collapsed. He saw his back, escaping the scene.
Mateo struggled to breathe as the pain announced its presence and with the metallic taste of blood in his tongue and the clouding of his vision, he knew that he was in grave danger of dying.
The last thing he remembered before the darkness embraced him was him closing the door of the twin's room after watching them sleep and then River walking away, closing the door behind her.
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