filling the air. I wasn’t about to lose this guy for anything.
I just hoped no one called the cops before I got to him.
Chapter 14
Nora
I’d just climbed into bed when a knock at my door rang out through the apartment.
God, I hoped it wasn’t Luca. I wasn’t ready to see him again yet, not after last night. I’d crept back into my apartment in the early hours of the morning after waking in his bed, his warm body tucked against mine.
My feelings for Luca were confusing. I was confused. So I’d taken a day off classes to spend time on some self-love. There wasn’t much that a day of slumming around in lounge pants couldn’t solve. I’d binge-watched some mindless TV, eaten my bodyweight in snacks, and enjoyed a homemade face mask, manicure, and pedicure. I felt shiny and new, even if my emotional state was still a mess.
Gingerly, I climbed out of bed and pulled an MU hoodie over my pajamas. It barely covered my legs, but it wasn’t anything Luca or Maurice hadn’t already seen.
But when I checked the peephole, my world imploded.
“Enzo?” I yanked open the door and stared at the guy who had left without so much as a word. “Oh my God, what happened?”
He was covered from head to toe in blood. A dark prince with death on his shoulder.
“Enzo?” I said again when he didn’t reply. He just stood there, still and silent, his eyes soulless.
“Come on.” I gently pulled him inside, noticing the way he flinched when I touched him. I ignored the pinch of dejection though. He was here and by the looks of him, he needed me.
I checked the hallway, noticing the splatters of blood. Crap.
“Wait right here,” I said to Enzo as I went into my bedroom and retrieved my cell phone.
“Who are you—”
I held up my finger at Enzo, silencing him. “Maurice,” I said the second he answered. “It’s me.”
“Miss Abato, what can I—”
“I need you at La Stella now, there’s been a… Enzo is here.”
“Lorenzo?”
“Yes.”
“Is he okay?” Concern laced his words. “Are you safe?”
I smiled at that. If only he knew.
“Yes, I’m quite safe. Enzo won’t hurt me.” My eyes found Enzo’s across the room, but his cloudy expression barely flinched. “You might want to bring some cleaning fluid and a fresh set of clothes.”
Maurice sucked in a sharp breath. “I’ll be right there. Whatever you do, do not let Enzo leave. Not until I’ve spoken to Mr. Marchetti.”
“Got it and thank you.” I hung up, dropping my cell phone onto the sideboard.
Enzo tracked my every move as I slid the safety chain into place and went to the kitchen drawer and grabbed a trash bag.
“You should probably take those off and take a shower,” I said. “Maurice is bringing you some clean clothes. There are towels and a robe in the bathroom. You can use whatever you need.”
“Why are you doing this for me?” His lip twitched.
“The same reason you ended up on my doorstep and not anyone else’s.” I smiled weakly. “You know where the bathroom is. I’ll give you some space.”
Enzo stared at me intently, as if he was seeing me for the first time. I wanted to take that feeling and run with it, but I wasn’t some naïve little girl. I knew from the state of him, whatever had gone down tonight wasn’t good. And from his detached mood, I knew he was probably in shock.
For as much as I wanted to believe that Enzo being here changed things, I refused to let myself go there.
“You should go get cleaned up, you’re a mess.”
Blood caked his hands and face, smeared up his neck and soaked through his clothes. The sight was terrifying, but it didn’t change the fact Enzo Marchetti was still one of the most beautiful men I’d ever laid eyes on.
He opened his mouth to speak but no words came… and that small flash of hope inside me flickered out.
This doesn’t change anything. I had to remember that.
Enzo snatched up the bag and stalked off down the hall, leaving a trail of bloody footprints. I wasn’t even sure he was aware of just how blood-soaked he was.
I released a shaky breath and then set about cleaning up. When I was done, I threw the towel in the basin and braced myself against the counter. This was life with a mafioso. Bloodstained clothes and late night clean up jobs. Yet, the second I saw Enzo standing there on my doorstep, the only