After two full days of hanging out in Enzo’s hotel room, it was time for us to leave, and I was surprised to find I didn’t really want to go. I was getting comfortable here, and I could be myself with just Enzo around as I tried to adjust back to a normal life. He never made me feel like a victim or a freak. He held me when I woke up from a nightmare that paralyzed me with fear. He talked to me when I needed to be distracted. And he left me alone when I just wanted to zone out and watch some stupid crap on television and worry about someone else’s problems for a while.
The one thing he didn’t let me do was be without him.
Little by little, I was learning to deal with the things that happened to me. But I still had a long way to go. And sometimes I wondered if this freaked out woman with the roller coaster emotions was just who I was now.
But the thing that really got me? He left things lying around the room for me to steal when my anxiety got the best of me.
At first, I didn’t realize what he was doing. I thought he just decided not to put his watch on one day and left it on the nightstand. Or that he’d emptied his pockets in the bathroom, leaving money on the counter, and forgotten to put it in his wallet.
But the more I watched him, the more I began to understand that Enzo didn’t do anything carelessly. Everything in this hotel suite was neat and orderly. Nothing went without his notice. So it was safe to conclude that he knew exactly what it was doing by leaving this stuff lying around. And he never said anything when I returned the missing items to where I’d found them. He’d just pick the watch up and put it back on his wrist.
I asked him again about my money, and this time he showed me a safe where he’d locked it away, opening it so I could see the tote bag. Pulling it out, I peeked inside, relief flooding through me when I saw the money I’d worked so hard to save up. Enzo waited patiently until I placed it back inside the safe, and then he locked the door and straightened, leveling those intense brown eyes on me. “I have no need of your money, Sera.”
“I know that,” I told him. “That’s not what I was worried about.”
He cocked his head and waited for me to explain.
Fine. He wanted honesty? I’d give him honesty. “I wouldn’t put it past you to take it from me so I wouldn’t be able to leave.”
“And you’d be right. That’s exactly why I took it,” he told me without an ounce of shame. “But I don’t plan to keep it. You can have it back when the time comes.”
“And when will that be?” I asked him.
“I can’t tell you that. We’ll just have to wait and find out.”
I was learning pretty quick that Enzo was nothing if not straight up with me. He didn’t beat around the bush. And he didn’t throw a bunch of pretty words at me. So I believed him when he told me that I would get my savings back when the time came. It wasn’t what I wanted, but it was the best I was gonna get. And I was going to have to learn to live with it or leave without a dime to my name.
“Are you ready?”
I took one last look around the bedroom, checking that I hadn’t forgotten anything. Although, I’d be surprised if I had since I’d never unpacked, and just put anything I’d worn right back into my suitcase in the dirty clothes section. “Yup.”
Back in his work clothes, Enzo was quiet on the drive to Luca’s, which wasn’t unusual for him, but I could sense tension in the air that wasn’t usually there, and it didn’t do anything for my nerves. I was about to meet the notorious underboss who ran this city with a sharp blade and a no second chances attitude. Rumor had it he was about to usurp his father out of his position and take over as boss. I’d heard my father and his cronies talking about it before I came here. I’d also heard them say that Luca’s main competition, his brother Mario, had mysteriously disappeared over the summer.
I turned from the scenery passing by my window as we headed out of the city and toward the lakes. “So, what’s he like?”
Sunglasses in place, Enzo never took his eyes from the road except to check the mirrors every once in a while. “Who? Luca?”
“Yes.”
“He’s an underboss, Sera,” he told me, as though no other explanation was necessary. “But he’s also someone I’ve known nearly my entire life. You have nothing to be scared of.”
“Nothing?”
He knew what I meant, and he didn’t respond.
“Tell me again why I have to go here.”
“Because it’s where I need to be, and you’ll be safer here. With me.”
“But I thought you said you killed the asshole who shoved me in his trunk.”
“I did.”
“Then who am I hiding from? My father doesn’t know I’m here.”
“I told you, Luigi knows. Luca told him before he knew about us.”
“But he hasn’t told my father yet, right?” I knew I was acting like a child, but I couldn’t stop myself.
He glanced over at me, then took my hand as he returned his eyes to the road. “I don’t know what Luigi has done by now. But if he did, you’ll be safe at Luca’s. His home is off the main road and surrounded by guards. No one can get in or out without him knowing about it. Not even your father’s men. It’ll be okay.” I felt his eyes on me. “Hey. Look at me.”
I’d been twisting my hands in my lap nervously, staring straight ahead out the windshield without really seeing anything as he talked. I had the nearly uncontrollable urge to leap from the vehicle and run. But at his command, I took a steadying breath and turned to look at him.
“No one will take you anywhere you don’t want to go.”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak around the bubble of fear rising in my throat.
Enzo reached over and grabbed my hand, lifting it to his mouth and kissing the back. He didn’t let it go the rest of the drive.
A few minutes later, we arrived at Luca’s. Enzo had told me how even his own family didn’t know the location of his home, and the fact that he didn’t blindfold me told me more than words ever could.
Guards greeted us at the gate, opening it immediately when they saw it was Enzo. We drove down a long drive crowded by trees, but between breaks in the branches I could see men with guns patrolling the grounds. We drove on until we came upon the house, a great, sprawling, two-story stone home easily twice the size of my father’s house. A large fountain surrounded by native Texas plants sat in the center of the circular drive, adding to the grandeur.
Enzo pulled the SUV up to the front of the house. Before we could even get out, the front door opened and a man with short dark hair, a closely trimmed mustache and beard, and dead brown eyes came out to greet us. I vaguely recognized him as the man who’d been with Enzo when he came to rescue me from the house in Mexico. At the time, I’d been too out of it to think much about him. But now I realized that I should’ve paid much more attention.
Because he scared the ever-living hell out of me.
“This is Tristan,” Enzo told me as he helped me out of the vehicle. “Tris, this is Sera.”
He didn’t offer his hand, and I was grateful. “I remember,” he told me. I gave him a timid smile. With a nod, he went to the back of the car and helped Enzo with our suitcases. “I’ll get your stuff,” he told him. “Luca is in the kitchen with Veda. They’re waiting for you.”
“Thanks,” Enzo told him. Taking my hand, he led me into the house.
My eyes went wide as we walked into the foyer. It opened onto a great room with ceilings that reached all the way to the second floor, edged with crown molding. Straight ahead, a glass wall overlooked the lake. A small sitting area made up of a few comfy-looking chairs sat directly in front of it. Tiled stairs rose to the right with a beautiful wrought iron banister that extended along the loft-like walkway of the second floor that ran along the entire circumference of the room. Four great, rounded columns helped support it, giving the room a majestic feel.
On my left was a bar made of the same marble tiles as the floor, and just past it was another, larger, sitting area made up of a couch, a few more chairs, and a fireplace.
I was so enthralled that Enzo’s voice startled me when he spoke. “There’s a heated pool you can use year-round, a media room, and a gym downstairs. I’ll show you around once we check in with Luca.”
I realized my mouth was hanging open and slammed it shut. “This house is gorgeous.”
He looked around as though he’d never noticed before. “Yes. It is. I normally stay here at night, monitoring the guards outside and the security cameras. It’s part of my job.”
I immediately felt a sense of loss that he wouldn’t be lying beside me while I slept. “Oh.”
“Along with my other duties,” he added.
“When do you sleep?”
“Whenever I get the chance.” He tugged on my hand. “Come. Let’s go say hello to our hosts.”
He led me to the other side of the room until we reached a couple of doorways. One led into a large kitchen made up of warm earth tones. A man and a woman sat at the table talking quietly, both with light hair—hers an ashy blonde and his darker and sprinkled with gray above his ears. His sharp blue eyes met mine the moment we appeared, and if Enzo hadn’t been holding my hand, my automatic reaction would’ve been to take a few steps back.
This was Luca, the underboss. Even if we’d been in a crowded room, I would’ve known who he was. There was a sense of unmerciful power about him, tempered only by the possessive way he touched the woman with him.
When she saw his attention was diverted, she swung around, and her welcoming smile landed on me and Enzo. It didn’t escape my notice the way her eyes warmed when they landed on the man standing beside me, and I felt a twinge of something cold and hard toward this woman.
It didn’t last long, though, because it was difficult to have any kind of bad feelings toward someone who jumped out of their chair to rush over and give you a welcoming hug so hard you couldn’t breathe.
“Sera, this is Veda,” Enzo said. “Veda. Sera.”
“I’ve heard very little about you,” she told me once she’d released me from her death grip, “but I’m so happy to meet you.”
“Thank you,” I responded. “And I can say the same about you.”
She laughed. It was a strange sound to me coming from a home like this. There was never laughter in my own growing up. Not so happy and carefree. “I like her already,” she told Enzo.
Luca rose from the table and came to stand beside Veda. “It’s nice to meet you, Sera. Please make yourself at home while you’re staying here.” He didn’t offer me his hand either, and I was grateful, for mine were shaking.
“Thank you,” I said. “I appreciate it.”
His blue eyes roamed over my face, sizing me up, as he said, “Veda, why don’t you show Sera where she’ll be staying? I’ll have a few of my men bring up your things.”
“That’s not necessary,” I told him. “I only have a suitcase. And”—I waved in Enzo’s direction—“so does Enzo.”
“Please, allow one of the men to take care of it for you,” he said. “I insist.”
With no other choice, I gave him a nod. “Thank you.”
He turned to Enzo. “Come to my office with me while Veda shows Sera around. I need to get you caught up on a few things.”
Enzo squeezed my hand and released it. “I’ll see you soon.”
I gave him a small smile and followed Veda out of the room.
“Lisa, Luca’s cook and general house servant, will be starting dinner soon. But if you’re hungry or anything, we can scrounge you up something to hold you over after the tour.”
“I’m good, but thank you.” I frowned. “House servant?”
Veda nodded with a little laugh. “That’s what I call her. She’s the only one he’ll allow to work here, so she cooks, buys groceries, cleans, and anything else he needs her to.”
“Oh.”
“Do you like to swim? The pool here is gorgeous…”
Veda rattled on as she gave me a tour of the floor we were on, then we headed upstairs. The house had six bedrooms, each with their own bathroom. She and Luca were in the largest room to the right. Enzo and I would be staying in the one farthest to the left to give us the most privacy.
“But if you need some alone time,” she told me, “just do what I did and move yourself into another room. It confuses them and they don’t know what to do about it.” She grinned, but there was an edge of sadness to it. “Although I have to admit, the couple of times I did stay in my own room, it was because I wasn’t in a good place. Luca let me have my privacy, but only until he decided that time was up.”
“How do you do it?” I asked her quietly. I’d seen the security cameras throughout our tour, and I had no idea if there were listening ears attached to them.
“Do what? Oh, this is your room. What do you think?”
I looked around. The bedroom was decorated in shades of white. White walls, off-white carpet, white molding on the tray ceiling. The bed was also white, the color of the palest wheat, with a dusky blue comforter and pillows and a pale blue leather ottoman at the foot. But it was the wall of windows looking out over the lake on the far wall that drew me past the bed, underneath a dividing archway, and into the small sitting area directly in front of them. The loveseat and lounge chair matched the bed, creamy white with blue pillows. The sun was beginning to set, and the sky was red and pink and orange and blue over the water. It was beautiful.
“The bathroom is right through here.” Veda pointed to a door to her left near the bed. “There’s a full walk-in closet in there too.”
“This is gorgeous,” I told her honestly.
She joined me by the windows and plopped down on the lounge chair as one of Luca’s men carried our luggage in and placed them near the bed. “So, what was your question?”
I dragged my eyes away from the window. “I asked how you do it. How do you live here with him? With Luca,” I whispered. “Knowing what he is.” Enzo had mentioned to me that Veda wasn’t from our world, though he didn’t go into detail about how she’d gotten here.
She glanced out the window as she thought about her answer. “It’s not easy,” she told me in a solemn voice. “But I love him, and he’s not going to change. So it was either accept him for the man he is or live without him. I chose to be with him.” She paused and her eyes became haunted with memories I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to know. “Luca fought so hard for me. And we’re both paying the price. But we have each other.”
“Doesn’t it scare you? I mean, he could get arrested. Or killed. And so could you just for being with him.”
“It terrifies me,” she admitted. “Luca is a powerful man, but he’s not invincible, no matter what he believes.”
“Yet you still stay with him of your own free will.”
“Sure. Now.” She laughed. “But at the beginning, our relationship was much more one-sided. His side. Not mine. And the only reason we even met was because he thought he was kidnapping my twin sister.” A dark shadow passed over her pretty face. “I got caught up in the game being played out by Luca and his brother, and sometimes I’m amazed I survived at all.” She shrugged. “But here I am.”
I should’ve been shocked, but I wasn’t. Not at all.
“You don’t seem surprised,” she said.
“That’s because I’m not. My father is mafia. I grew up in this shit.”
“Well, I guess that’s good. You should have a much easier time adjusting to living here than I did. Hell, I still go to therapy.”
Her smile was back, and I didn’t want to ruin the mood by telling her the truth of my situation. “Are you and Enzo close?” I asked instead. “You seemed happy to see him when we came in.” I hadn’t meant to ask that question, but my mouth seemed to have a mind of its own.
“Mmm,” she made an indecisive movement with her head, “I don’t know that ‘close’ is the right word. Enzo doesn’t let anyone in very much. Except maybe Luca and Tristan. But they have a long history. However, when things were bad with me and Luca, he was probably the closest thing I had to a friend since I came here. He was the one who always had to watch me, and we got to know each other a little bit. And he was teaching me self-defense, so we spent a lot of time together.”
“Oh.” I definitely didn’t like the idea of how up close and personal the two of them would have to be for that.
“He would also die for Luca, and he and Tristan both have taken bullets meant for him. So, how could I not love him?”
I didn’t remember seeing any evidence of previous injuries. But then again, it’s not like I’d ever given his body more than an admiring glance. I’d always been too shy about it. Unlike Enzo, who probably knew every stretch mark and freckle I had after only a few nights together.
“I consider him a friend, Sera. Nothing more.”
I blinked, coming back to our conversation. “Oh. No. I believe you. And it’s fine either way. I was just wondering. That’s all.” The lies flew from my mouth, and I didn’t know who I was trying to convince more, Veda or myself.
I couldn’t grow attached to him. There was no way in hell I was going to end up stuck here like Veda. I wanted to be free.
And Enzo Delligatti could never be free. His world would always be ruled by the family of organized crime. And if I chose to be with him, so would mine.
