welcoming Antonio Marchetti, boss of the Marchetti crime family Dominion, into my apartment.
My home.
Totally not how I saw tonight ever going.
Chapter 15
Enzo
I watched Nora disappear into her bedroom. I’d heard Maurice suggest she go someplace else, heard Uncle T mutter the same thing when she answered the door and invited him into her home. And I’d told him the same thing as I’d told Maurice. Nora stayed.
I’d already made a colossal fuck up by coming here. I wasn’t about to put her at any more risk by sending her off somewhere I didn’t have eyes on her.
No, it was better she was here, with me. Where I could keep her safe.
“Gino?” I asked, satisfied Nora was out of earshot.
“He’s gone, son. I’m sorry.”
“Fuck.” I scrubbed my face, feeling the weight of Gino’s death heavy on my shoulders.
“Don’t do that,” Uncle Toni said. “Don’t carry this too. Gino knew the risks of the life. We all do. He died for this family and when the time is right, we will honor him into the afterlife. But first I need to know what the hell happened down there?”
“He sent you the photos?” Uncle Toni nodded and I continued. “Gino got a lead on a guy holed up at a warehouse in a disused industrial area along the river. We thought it was Dominic Alejandro. Marc and Dixon staked out the place overnight, we took over and spent the entire day watching. No one came or went.” I grabbed one of the bottles of water Nora had left out for us.
She was fucking good at this stuff, so cool and composed. Most girls would have slammed the door in my face or called the cops when they saw all the blood. But not Nora. She was made of different stuff. Strong and sassy and so fucking selfless.
“Enzo, son… I know it’s late, but I need to know everything.”
Of course he did. There would need to be cleanup, a plan for the next steps. Uncle Toni would have guys out there within minutes of giving the order to look for the asshole toying with us.
“He finally left the warehouse, so Gino wanted to go check out his nest. We watched him drive away, made sure the coast was clear, and broke into the building. That’s when we found the photos and the dead body.”
“Bodies.” Uncle Toni’s expression turned grim. “Three in total. All stuffed in lockers.”
“Gino said it was Alejandro.”
“It looks likely.”
“Do we know who the others are yet?”
“No, but I have guys working on it. Michele is already on his way to Providence.”
“Is it safe?”
“He’s taking precautions.”
I nodded.
We were Marchetti. We didn’t cower from our enemies. But when they had an inside edge, the rules were different, and everyone felt the pressure.
“He knows us, Uncle T. Like personally. When he attacked us, he said surprise.” I’d forgotten until now or blocked it out. It had been a crazy couple of hours.
“He knows me. How is that even possible?” I stared at my uncle, hoping he had the answers I’d yet been able to find.
“I don’t know, son. But I give you my word, we’ll get to the bottom of this. What happened after he attacked Gino?”
“He took off. I gave chase until about five miles out of Verona. I lost him at a gas station.” He must have taken the first exit and disappeared on the underpass. By the time I realized I’d lost him, it was too late, and I’d kept on driving.
“You should come home with me and—”
“Actually,” my eyes flicked toward the hall, “I think I’m going to stay here.”
He gave me a sharp nod and stood. “Niccolò is very fond of Miss Abato. Arianne too…” He left the words hanging. He didn’t need to say it. It was only what everyone else thought—that Nora was too fucking good for a guy like me. But I couldn’t leave her, not tonight. Not until I knew she was one hundred percent safe.
“I want round the clock security on this place,” I said.
“It’s already done.” Uncle Toni waited for me to stand before pulling me in for a hug. “We have faced worse, Lorenzo. We will get to the bottom of this and Gino will be avenged, I swear to you. La Famiglia prima di tutto.” He gripped my shoulder tight in promise. “Now go be with your woman. I have a woman of my own waiting for me at home.”
His hearty chuckle filled Nora’s apartment. It was good to see him