Page 94 of SINS & Temptation

The crowd’s roar crescendos, the buzzer sounds, and the ref drags me to my feet and raises my hand in the air.

My eyes drop to Mullvain’s.

He’s gone.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

KENNEDY

For most of our flight, I’m a total basket case.

And not because of my fear of flying—Enzo cured me of that—but because of the sick, gnawing feeling that no matter what I do, I’m about to lose him.

Every time I take a breath the video replays in my mind, squeezing my heart so hard, there are no tears left.

Da is gone, ripped from my life all over again by that damned video.

And Riley is who knows where. Knox assures me she’s safe, so I slide my baby sister to the back burner and deal with the issue at hand.

Enzo.

My wounded beast of a husband. And the love of my life.

“We’ll be in Monaco soon,” Dante reassures me. I force a weak smile, my gaze flickering to Smoke, Dillon, and Mateo.

“Are we sure he’s there?” I ask, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice.

Smoke nods. “He’s there, all right. Checked in yesterday and took an entire floor—three penthouse suites.”

“Why?”

Smoke scoffs, amused. “Oh, in case you didn’t know, Enzo hates people.”

Mateo glances at his phone, his expression grim. “Our guys have intel on him. He’s due in the high roller’s room at the casino soon, betting big and crazy. Probably trying to lure out Uncle Andre.”

“Thanks,” I say, smiling meekly. I understand the dangers of having all the D’Angelo brothers in one place. Enzo once mentioned that Smoke’s wedding was the first time they’d been together in years, all of them. And I know putting them at risk isn’t what Enzo would want.

But they nearly came to blows trying to decide which ones were going and who’d stay behind. So, instead of wasting time letting them kill each other, we figured it was better to preserve their strength and save all that D’Angelo brute force for Enzo.

And, from what I understand, we’re going to need it.

“I still don’t understand,” I say, drained and exhausted. “Enzo is going to gamble his life to get more of these”—I hold up the photos—“away from Uncle Andre?”

The weight of the photos feels like a ticking bomb. Each one shows me in twisted, pretty dresses, none of which I can recall.

“Not just of you,” Dante replies, his voice low and grave. “Our sister, too. Uncle Andre’s weaknesses are gambling and cocaine. Enzo’s weaknesses are the women in his life—you and Trinity. He’ll do anything to destroy every last photo, if we even know how many our uncle has.”

“And he can’t get to Andre directly. The fucker’s too heavily guarded. The only way is for our uncle to come to him,” Dillon adds. “The problem is Enzo’s sort of an all-or-nothing guy.”

I study the images again until they blur into a confusing mess. Something’s off. I just can’t figure out what. Ugh. All I know is Enzo is about to put his life on the line for them, and I can’t let that happen.

Get killed, don’t get killed—hey, buddy, you’re married now. Wifey has a say.

The flight feels endless, seeming to stretch on for days. I’ve called the girls twice, but I have to call once more before gearing up for the battlefield.

Lili shows me her twirl, and Sofia presents a tray of Italian cookies she baked quote-unquote “all by herself.” “Will Enzo read to us tonight?” Lili asks, worried, and she and Sofie wait on bated breath.

I want to say yes, but what if he doesn’t? The double-edged sword of disappointment looms over my answer as Dory cuts in. “Who wants to go to the zoo?”

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