“Anything?” I asked eagerly. After his call this morning to inform us that there had been no developments overnight, I was hoping they would have something by now.
“Nothing. Not even a sniff.”
“Fuck.”
“Just hang tight, son. He’ll show.”
“Maybe he’s waiting for me to—”
“Lorenzo.” He clucked his tongue. “Listen to me and listen good. I know you want in on this, but until we have no choice, I don’t want you here, doing something you might later regret. Stay at the cabin. Leave the hunt to us.”
“And if he doesn’t show?”
“He will, son. They always do.” He inhaled a long, steady breath. “You know, Enzo, your father—”
“Don’t.”
“You need to hear this, son. Your father, pezzo di merda, lost his way. He was blinded by greed and power. What happened with Vincenzo will haunt me forever because I was his brother. I should have seen the signs. I should have noticed. Me. That shit falls on my shoulders, Lorenzo. Not yours.”
“It just makes no sense,” I confessed. “He would have died for you.”
“A wise man once said, ‘greed makes a man foolish and blind, and makes him an easy prey for death.’ Vincenzo knew what he was doing, and he paid the price. But I refuse to lose you to misplaced guilt, Lorenzo.”
I scrubbed a hand over my face. He was right. I didn’t want to pay for the sins of my father, but how did you escape his legacy when his DNA flowed through your veins?
“Go be with your cousins. I’ll be in touch soon.”
“Yeah, okay.” I wanted to argue, but I knew there was no point. He was the boss as he’d so aptly pointed out more than once.
But when I stepped back into the cabin, I immediately regretted it.
“What the fuck?” I grumbled, watching as Nora danced with the girls, the three of them falling over each other and giggling hysterically.
“Guess who snuck a bottle of wine into their room.” Matteo let out a strained breath. “Next time we need to lock that shit away.”
“Oh relax, big brother.” Bella poked her tongue out between her lips. “We’re having fun. You should try it some time.”
“Somebody make it stop.” Matteo buried his face in his hands, but Nora strutted over to him and grabbed his hands.
“Bella’s right, Matt, don’t be such a spoilsport. We’re stuck here… we may as well have some fuuuun.” She staggered back and he leaped up, steadying her.
“You're halfway to being toasted.” His eyes flicked to mine and I ground my teeth together, going to the kitchen. I was going to need something stronger than tequila to get through tonight.
The music went up a notch and the heavy beat of The Weeknd filled the cabin.
“I love this one,” Sia yelled.
“Keep an eye on them,” Nicco said as he pulled Arianne toward the hall leading to the bedrooms.
“Really? You want me to babysit while you two go fuck like newlyweds?”
Arianne winced at my harsh words.
“Just don’t let them drink anymore,” he said, cutting me with a hard look, “and make sure they drink a glass of water before bed. Oh, and make sure Tristan stays the fuck away from them.”
“Tristan?” I balk. “What the fuck?”
“It would appear the girls have developed quite the crush on my cousin,” Arianne explained.
“On Tristan?” Disbelief coated my words.
“Stranger things have happened.” Nicco shook his head. “Just watch him.”
“Nicco, Tristan would never—”
“Fine, watch them then. Just watch them. All of them. Nora included. She’s drunk and she’s hurting.”
“Hurting? What the fuck are you—”
“One day you’ll realize, E, and it’ll probably be too damn late,” he said, guiding his wife down the hall.
Nora was hurting?
She was the one who pushed me away last night, not the other way around. If anyone was supposed to feel dejected, it was me.
You called her a whore. I shut down the memory. I didn’t mean it; it had just spilled out in the heat of the moment.
I watched her dancing with Matteo, the two of them laughing and joking. He was so fucking different to me. He found it easy; being around girls, charming them with his goofy smile and big heart. It didn’t actually get him a lot of pussy. He was too picky when it came to who he let into his bed, but he could have had any girl who laid eyes on him.
Including Nora.
Fuck, they looked good together as he spun her around, reeling her in and then flinging her back out. Tristan watched on, sipping a beer and