Accardi (Genevieve and Matteo) by Allison Franklin novel Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

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The words in the email on Matteo Accardi’s computer swam around the screen. He sighed and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his

hands. With his eyes closed, he saw her. Dark mahogany hair, blue eyes, freckle on the soft skin below her ear. Matteo sighed again and

looked back at the computer. He’d drowned himself in his work over the last week, trying and failing to get her image out of his head

She ran. She fucking ran. He kept reliving that morning. He should have stayed in bed. He thought she had been as exhausted as he was.

He’d slept for six full hours for Christ’s sake. He hadn’t slept for six hours since he was fifteen and had gotten drunk for the first time.

She seemed out for the count so he’d allowed himself to get up and take a shower so when he was done he could wake her up with his

mouth and let her shower while he started breakfast. His mind drifted to how she’d completely fallen to pieces in his hands as his mouth

demolished her pussy. God, he’d wanted to experience that one more time.

Fuck. One more time? He knew why she ran. She knew he had no intention of ever letting her leave his family’s safe house. She was

cunning enough to figure that out. He could see the intelligence behind her ice blue eyes from the moment they locked gazes. Even if she

never figured out who he was or the full extent of his power in the city, it wouldn’t have taken her long to realize you didn’t say no to

him. You couldn’t say no to him. It wasn’t a fucking option. She found a loophole though. She fucking ran!

Matteo shifted and pinched his thigh under his desk. It had been five days. Five days since he’d had the deepest sleep in years. Five days since he lost her. He tapped his pen on the edge of the table trying to keep his mind in the present. He really did need to stay focused on his company. With the attack on his family, there was a lot of turbulent upheaval happening throughout his operation. He’d lost seven men at different tracks. His ranks were getting antsy. His investors wanted answers. One or two had pulled their funding altogether since

his mother died.

He had to be strategic. No stone could be left unturned. He started typing a response to the track contractor in Austin who was worried

about a zoning issue. As he typed though, Matteo’s mind went back to Gen: the scent of her hair, the soft skin of her wrist, the brightness of her eyes flickering higher as she came around him, the firm bite of her nails into his back as they clutched each other. He recalled how it had sounded for her to call his name right before he pulled another orgasm from her. It plagued him at night. It tortured him during

the day. Fuck. He was screwed.

Luckily, the phone on his desk rang, saving him from another daydream that would only make his suffering worse.

“Hello,” Matteo answered gruffly.

“We found the guy you wanted to speak to. We got him hog tied in the box,” Frankie told him.

A satisfied smirk pulled at Matteo’s cheeks. “Good. I’ll be there in thirty.”

Matteo hung up the phone and gathered the files from his desk. He slung his suit jacket over his shoulder and walked out of his office. His ever faithful assistant, Alexander, immediately jumped up from his chair.

“Sir?”

“I’ll be out of the office for the rest of the afternoon. Reschedule any meetings for Monday. Anything more pressing happens…”

“I’ll call you straight away. Anything else?” Alexander asked, taking the expense reports and signed paperwork from Matteo’s hand.

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Chapter Eleven

“Yeah, call Marco and have him meet me at my car, Matteo said.

“will do, I’ll let Leo know you’re on your way down,” Alexander said, already putting his phone to his ear.

Matteo walked down the hallway and nodded at those he passed. Most everyone kept their heads down though, at least feigning a

supernatural work ethic. He pushed open the door to the stairwell and descended at a jog

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In the lobby everyone quieted as he stalked by. He understood why everyone in the building was on edge. In the lobby everyone quieted as he stalked by. He understood why everyone in the building was on edge. He managed to keep it together when he found out his mother

died. It was harder, but he still managed to drag his ass in to work when he received news about Tony two days later. He had been on a

hair–trigger, ready to fire anyone who got in his path or fucked something up. Then she ran and something within him broke wide open

No one was safe.

“Accardi!” a booming voice called. Matteo glanced over his shoulder but continued walking as Marco caught up to him. I was told you

needed to see me.”

“Ride with me.”

“To?”

“The box, Matteo answered as he pushed through the front lobby doors.

The two walked toward Matteo’s Range Rover, faithfully manned by his bodyguard, Leo. Matteo nodded at Leo who walked to the driver’s

seat. Matteo got in on the front passenger side and gestured for Marco to get in the back.

“Where we headed?” Leo asked.

“George’s,” Matteo said. Leo nodded and pulled away from the curb. “I need you to look at something for me, Marco.” Matteo took the file

he’d brought with him and threw it in the backseat beside Marco.

Marco picked up the file and quickly scanned the contents. “These are numbers for Accardi Industries. You know I’m not supposed to look

at these. Separation is key.”

Matteo found himself rubbing his tired eyes again as he answered, “I’m aware of the rules, Marco. I made them. I think I found something

and I need someone with accounting experience to check my work. So. Account will you?”

Marco let out an exasperated sigh to express his feelings on the matter. “Fine.”

Marco sat back in the chair and started studying the numbers. He was a phenomenal accountant. Matteo had brought him into the family

nearly a decade ago when he first took over the company. Having seen how mixing business with pleasure worked out for his father and

grandfathers before him, he decided there needed to be a clear cut line between his legitimate business and his illegal one. Those who

worked for the Accardi family did not work for Accardi Industries and vice versa. While Marco ran the money and kept the books for the

family, Giovanni kept everything straight as an arrow for the company the government knew about.

Matteo leaned his head back against the headrest as he pulled his cigarette packet from his coat. He put the cigarette between his lips, lit

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Chapter Eleven

“Yeah, call Marco and have him meet the at my car,” Matteo said.

“Will do, I’ll let Leo know you’re on your way down.” Alexander said, already putting his phone to his ear.

Matteo walked down the hallway and nodded at those he passed. Most everyone kept their heads down though, at least feigning a

(supernatural work ethic. He pushed open the door to the stairwell and descended at a jog.

In the lobby everyone quieted as he stalked by He understood why everyone in the building was on edge. In the lobby everyone quieted ast

he stalked by. He understood why everyone in the building was on edge. He managed to keep it together when he found out his mother

died. It was harder, but he still managed to drag his ass in to work when he received news about Tony two days later. He had been on a

hair–trigger, ready to fire anyone who got in his path or fucked something up. Then she ran and something within him broke wide open.

No one was safe.

“Accardi!” a booming voice called. Matteo glanced over his shoulder but continued walking as Marco caught up to him. “I was told you

needed to see me.”

“Ride with me.”

“To?”

“The box,” Matteo answered as he pushed through the front lobby doors.

The two walked toward Matteo’s Range Rover, faithfully manned by his bodyguard, Leo. Matteo nodded at Leo who walked to the driver’s

seat. Matteo got in on the front passenger side and gestured for Marco to get in the back.

“Where we headed?” Leo asked.

“George’s,” Matteo said. Leo nodded and pulled away from the curb. “I need you to look at something for me, Marco.” Matteo took the file

he’d brought with him and threw it in the backseat beside Marco.

Marco picked up the file and quickly scanned the contents. “These are numbers for Accardi Industries. You know I’m not supposed to look

at these. Separation is key.”

Matteo found himself rubbing his tired eyes again as he answered, “I’m aware of the rules, Marco, I made them. I think I found something

and I need someone with accounting experience to check my work. So. Account will you?”

Marco let out an exasperated sigh to express his feelings on the matter. “Fine.”

Marco sat back in the chair and started studying the numbers. He was a phenomenal accountant. Matteo had brought him into the family.

nearly a decade ago when he first took over the company. Having seen how mixing business with pleasure worked out for his father and grandfathers before him, he decided there needed to be a clear cut line between his legitimate business and his illegal one. Those who

worked for the Accardi family did not work for Accardi Industries and vice versa. While Marco ran the money and kept the books for the

family, Giovanni kept everything straight as an arrow for the company the government knew about.

Matteo leaned his head back against the headrest as he pulled his cigarette packet from his coat. He put the cigarette between his lips, lit

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Chapter Eleven

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it and took a drag. All the while but smile taunted hom behind his closed lis

“You should call ” tee said.

Matteo blew out a plume of smoke and opened his even look at the man driving. “I beg your pardon?”

“The girl. Whoever she is. You should give her a cal”

“What makes you think…”

“You smiled.”

“1 smiled?”

07

Leo glanced over at him and a knowing smirk lifted the corner of his mouth before he looked back at the road. “When I dropped the

groceries off for you that morning. When you opened the door, you were smiling

Matteo looked back out the window. “I don’t know what you’re talking about ”

“Right. I just think…”

“Leo,” Matteo warned.

“I just think.” Leo continued. “Being in this line of work is lonely as fuck. It’s hard to from any kind of attachments, sure. But I’ll tell you!

what. When I’ve had a bad day. I mean the kind of day you can’t quite scrub all the blood from under your fingernails and your head’s

pounding and you want to scream into the void… There’s nothing like going home to a good woman who will let you lay your head on her

lap while she strokes your hair.”

“Wow, Leo, that’s poetic. You should write a romance novel,” Matteo said, trying to make light of what he’d said while also trying to quell the nervous jolt in his stomach at how his oldest ally knew that’s exactly what he wanted.

“Just call her.”

“I’m working on it.”

“Holy shut,” Marco said from the backseat.

Matteo sighed and flicked his cigarette out the window. “I was right, wasn’t I?”

“This is… there’s twelve million… gone.”

Dr’s Giovanni,” Matteo said.

“Yeah. I just how did he get away with this for so long?”

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Chapter Eleven

“Great question. One 1 will be looking into.” Matteo pulled his cafiphone from his packet as they deny down a street that forlag

| completely abandoned. The phone rang twice before Frankle answered.

“Get Giovanni

“Giovanni? As in the accountant, Giovanni?”

“That’s the one,”

“Sure thing.”

Matter hung up as the car came to a stop in front of an old steak joint. He glanced back at Marco who was still trying to figure out how

Giovanni had managed to siphon twelve million dollars from their legitimate front.

I need a new accountant. Johnson and Sinclair in Boston. Do whatever it takes to get them to take the account. Mattes ordered

“Totton” Why Boston Marco asked.

Wateen looked at Leo and winked before shoving the car door open and entering the brisk New York air.

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