“Be safe.” Emotion rushed up my throat, making my eyes sting. I didn’t want him to go. I didn’t want him to be in harm’s way. And I didn’t want him to have to hurt anyone, even if they deserved it. But this was what it meant to love a mafioso, to stand by their side. If I wanted to be with Enzo, I had to accept that.
He disappeared into the bedroom to retrieve his weapons, and I watched with strange fascination as he added them to his person. The deadly looking knife strapped to his ankle, a pistol holstered to his chest, and brass knuckles stuffed inside his jacket.
He was an armed soldier and it wasn’t supposed to be such a turn on, but I couldn’t help the heat pooling in my stomach at the sight of him.
“Promise me that no matter what happens you won’t leave this room unless Maurice says it is safe for you to do so.”
“I-I promise.” I gulped over the lump in my throat.
Another sharp nod and Enzo slipped out of my apartment leaving the room cold…
And my heart empty.
“Anything?” I asked for the hundredth time. Maurice shook his head. “It has only been thirty minutes.”
Really?
It felt longer.
It felt like forever.
I hugged myself tighter, staring at the clock of the wall, willing it to move.
It was going to be a long night.
The vibration of my cell phone startled me from my reverie, and relief spread through me as I grabbed it off the coffee table hoping to see Enzo’s name.
But it wasn’t Enzo at all.
I know this is probably not a good time… but I’m kind of in a bind and I don’t have anyone else to call…
“Nora?” Maurice asked and I held up my finger, calling Luca’s number.
“Luca, what is it? What’s wrong?”
“I… uh…” he sounded a little breathless. “So funny story, I decided to take a shower after drinking my body weight in tequila and I tripped—”
“Oh my God, are you okay?”
“I’ll live but my face took the brunt and I have a pretty gruesome cut on my forehead… and I’m not very good with blood…” he trailed off.
“Luca?” I shrieked. “Okay, hold on… I’ll—”
“Don’t even think about it,” Maurice shot up.
Crap. Yeah. Enzo would lose it if he knew I’d stepped foot out of the apartment, even if it was only to go across the hall.
“I’m going to send you help, okay? Maurice, he’ll—”
“Need you,” he breathed, and I didn’t like how out of it he sounded.
“Maurice, go to Luca’s, now!”
“Miss Ab—Nora, I had strict orders to stay—”
“I know, which is why I’m asking you to go and check on him.” I gave him a pointed look. “If you don’t, I will.” Maurice hesitated and I let out an exasperated breath. “He’s hurt, Maurice. Please just go over there and check on him. I’ll lock the door behind you, I swear.”
“Fine.” He got up and moved to the door. “I’m going to radio downstairs and tell security you’re here alone.”
“Maurice, I’m not alone, you’ll be right across the hall.”
“Just stay put.” From the furrow of his brows, I knew he wasn’t happy about leaving me. But I couldn’t just ignore Luca’s plea for help. He slipped out of the door and I went and locked it.
What I really wanted was to check in with Enzo and make sure he was okay, but I didn’t want to appear clingy.
To distract myself, I made myself a mug of hot cocoa with marshmallows. Despite the way I’d left things with Luca, I really did hope he was okay. I knew he probably felt like I’d led him on, and I guess I had. But I hadn’t done it out of malicious intent. Luca was a good guy. He was easy to be around and he made me smile. But he didn’t make my heart beat hard the way Enzo did.
A smile played on my lips just thinking about how overprotective and growly Enzo had been today. Some girls would have hated his alpha routine, but I loved it.
By the time I’d finished my hot cocoa I was growing increasingly worried about Luca. Maurice had been gone almost fifteen minutes.
I snatched up my cell phone and called Maurice, but it rang out.
God. What if it was worse than I thought? What if Luca needed medical attention?
I decided to call Luca. It rang out but then right before I hung up, he answered. “Nora?”