MATTEO’s POV
Jones walked back and forth in my office, his bag abandoned on the floor. Ben stood by the door, watching him with a concerned look on his face. Jones’ usually attractive features were strained, and I could see the veins in his neck and forehead standing out. He was clearly under a lot of stress, and I wondered what was going on.
Jones let out a heavy sigh, running his hand through his hair in frustration. It was clear that he was avoiding Aria and me, keeping his distance from us. I knew he was afraid of me, and a part of me felt a sense of satisfaction at the thought. I didn’t feel guilty about the way I had treated him. He had brought it on himself.
“If you won’t stop doing that, you can leave”. Jones stopped in his tracks and turned to look at me, his eyes bloodshot and filled with pain. He looked like he had been through hell and back, and I could see that he was exhausted. He opened his mouth to speak, but I wasn’t sure if he would actually say anything.
“I’ve had enough. I want to go back to the States. At least, people think like humans there!”. He shouted, surprised I didn’t flinch.
“Jones…I won’t be going with you”. Ben said from the door.
“Why?” Jones asked, his eyebrows furrowed
“Cause I have work here in Venice and I’d rather have it done than go to the states”. Ben said, his usual gloomy appearance being swept under the carpet.
“If Jones leaves, you leave”. I said
“Oh, so you really want me out of your life. So you could treat her just as miserable as you did when I got here!”. He shouted again, and I was slowly losing my patience.
“And what makes you think she’s not as miserable as she was when you got here?”. I asked suddenly interested in this topic.
“I don’t know if anyone’s told you, but you’ve changed, Matteo. You’re a lot different now you try to listen to her. She’s changing you”. He said, and my eyes widened. The last time I heard those words was when Daya was still here. I remember how much she changed me and how I allowed her to do it because I wanted to be the best version of myself for her. But she left, and all that was gone. I sat back in my chair, the memories of her flooding my mind. I could feel the familiar pain welling up inside of me, threatening to overwhelm me.
“Get out!”. I said in a whisper.
Jones didn’t make a fuss. He picked up his bag and left with Ben trailing behind him. I let out a long, heavy sigh, rubbing my head in an attempt to soothe the ache that was growing stronger.
Just then, Carter barged into my office, his smile quickly fading when he saw the look on my face. “What do you want?”. I asked.
“You don’t have to be grumpy all the time”. Carter’s voice was loud and clear, his American accent standing out in the silence of the room. “I found something”. He dropped some pictures on my desk. “Just outside the store you were at the day you received this letter . There was a man who stood by your car while you were in the store. We found some cctv footage of the man”. I leaned forward, smirking at my victory.
“And where is he?”. I asked.
“That information I can not give to you or you’ll have him dead before I see tomorrow”. He fought back.
“I won’t. I want to find him now I know who’s after me”. I was surprisingly calm.
As Carter placed the documents on my desk, he studied my face, taking in my expression. I could tell he was trying to read me, to figure out what was going on in my head.
“He’s Robert James. American, not an assassin but a common plumber. What I do not understand is how he got himself In all this mess”. Carter said, setting his pen just beside Robert’s photos.
“Why would an ordinary plumber drop a letter like that for me”. I asked
“Maybe he was forced to do this?”. Carter asked
There was a moment as the door creaked open, only to see Charlie by the door.
“Bad timing?”. He asked
“No, actually you came just in time”. As I spoke, I locked eyes with Carter, a look of understanding passing between us.
“Oh, what’s this about?”. He asked after seeing pictures of a shabby looking man spread out before us.
“I got it!”. Carter exclaimed just about when I was done explaining to Charlie what this was about. “This is what he wants. Letting the cctv get him so you could find the plumber, man. It’s all part of his big plan”. Carter said, smiling from ear to ear at his discovery.
“He has a point. I see why he’s your favorite”. Charlie said, taking a close look at the photo before him.
“He does put his brain to good use”. I said
Charlie’s smile dropped, and I squinted my eyes, trying to figure out what was going through his head.
“He looks oddly familiar, but I can’t remember where I’d seen him”. Charlie said, and this seemed to have drawn Carter’s attention.
“What have you done?”. Carter asked, and I gulped. For some reason, my hand began trembling again, but I hid it away under my desk.
“I shot him”. Charlie whispered
“What?!! You did what?”. Carter yelled.
“I shot him thrice in the head”. Charlie whispered again.
“Why?”. My voice was just above a whisper.
“I got a request to have him killed in two days, and they were offering a lot of money for his head. I had to do it and make sure he was actually dead, so I put three bullets in his head”. Charlie said.
I sighed and slammed my fist on the desk
“It’s him again. He’s trying to rile you up. That’s why he did all of this”. Carter said, his eyes wide in surprise.
“He’s worse than I thought. He carries out his plan in a well thought out manner. He’s the direct opposite of you, Matteo”. Carter smiled at his words. “He’s a worthy enemy”. I heard him mumble, a corky smirk plastered on his face.