thing I wanted to do, was protect him. To pull him inside and comfort him.
What did that say about me if I was prepared to act first and ask questions later?
Across the hall was a good guy who wanted me. A good, honest man who could give me a secure, stable future. A man who would be there when I needed him.
Enzo wasn’t that guy.
He dealt in dark deeds and secrets.
Yet, my heart beat harder for him than it ever had for another.
There was no explanation for that kind of connection. No rulebook for why some hearts entwined so deeply when others didn’t.
It just was.
My cell phone started to vibrate, startling me from my reverie. “Hello?” I whispered.
“Nora, thank God. What happened? I heard Nicco tell Matteo that Enzo is at your place?”
“He just got here like five minutes ago.”
“And?”
“It’s bad, Ari… really bad. He was covered head to toe in blood and had this look in his eyes…” A violent shiver skated down my spine.
“You said was covered in blood?”
“He’s taking a shower. I called Maurice, I didn’t know what else to do.”
“You did the right thing. Nicco is just talking to his father. Are you okay?”
“I guess… I mean, God, Ari…” The threads of my control slowly began to unravel as the weight of what was happening began to sink deep into my bones. “You didn’t see how broken he looked.”
“Do you want me to come over?”
“No!” I rushed out a little too hastily. “I just mean… it’s Enzo. I don’t think we should crowd him. I’m sure Nicco will know what to do.”
In hindsight, I perhaps should have called him first, but Maurice was my personal bodyguard. He lived a three-minute walk away, and I knew he’d contact Nicco and Antonio Marchetti.
“Okay, text me if you need anything. And Nora…” She hesitated, and I knew I wasn’t going to like her next words. “Be careful. It sounds like whatever happened was bad… Enzo will be hurting, he’ll be confused. I don’t want you to misread anything.”
“Remember he doesn’t want me, yep, I think I’ve got it,” I said, unable to keep the bitterness out of my voice.
“Nora,” she sighed. “That isn’t what I meant.”
“I’m fine, Ari. You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll text you later.” I hung up before she could impart any more advice on me.
I wasn’t stupid, I knew Enzo was running on autopilot right now. Trauma did that to people. But he’d still ended up at my apartment. I couldn’t just completely ignore that.
I made us some hot chocolate while I waited for Maurice. He showed up ten minutes later, armed with a duffel bag full of clothes for Enzo and cleaning fluid.
“Where is he?” he asked.
“Taking a shower.”
“Good. When he’s done, I want you to give him these and tell him to sit tight. The boss is coming straight here.”
“Antonio Marchetti is coming here?”
Maurice ran a hand down his face. “He needs to speak with Enzo. You going to be okay? I can take you somewhere—”
“She stays.”
I felt Enzo’s deep graveled words all the way to the pit of my stomach.
“Got it.” Maurice nodded. “There are fresh clothes in the bag. I’ll handle the mess outside.”
“Fuck,” Enzo gritted out, standing there with just a white towel wrapped around his waist. Heat flowed through me like lava. “I didn’t even think,” he added.
“Relax, I got it. Just sit tight and wait for Toni to get here.”
Enzo nodded, his eyes icy cold as they remained fixed on my face.
“I’ll be right outside, Miss Abato.”
“It’s Nora,” I called after him, letting out a sigh of frustration as he closed the door without correcting himself.
Silence echoed through the apartment as my eyes once again found Enzo. “I made us hot chocolate.”
It had seemed like a good thing two minutes ago, but now I felt like a child offering the Big Bad Wolf a candy sucker.
“Thanks.” Enzo let out a steady breath, his ink-covered abs contracting with the motion. “I should probably—” He picked up the bag.
“Yeah, okay.” I swallowed, fire rising in my stomach like a tidal wave.
Enzo took off down the hall and disappeared into the guest bedroom. He’d been here before, but it seemed like a lifetime ago. When things were simpler, and we didn’t have so much blood and destruction filling the cracks between us.
I grabbed my mug and got comfy on the couch. But I’d barely settled when there was another knock at the door.