Page 13 of The Enforcer

“He’s alive,” the man says simply.

“Calm down,” the older man says, pulling our eyes to him briefly, but no one listens to him. The dark-haired one is ranting in Italian, looking between the older man and the brute, and I go back to giving Zahra the piece of my mind that has been storing up all the annoyance my body can handle since I had to hop on a flight here under duress.

“We all realize you’ve been through some shit, but the least you could have done was let us know you were okay. Especially since there’s a Where’s Zahra blog series in the tabloids.”

“There is?”

“Yes!” I scream. “Ryan came back from Italy without you, and now the papers are trying to turn you into a minor celebrity.” Her face scrunches. “Yes. Exactly. And if you had just gotten back to us, the family could have handled it. That would have been the responsible thing to do.”

“Why do I have to be responsible?” Zahra yells. “Maybe I just want to live my life not in a fishbowl for the first time in years. Maybe I wanted a few more weeks without you and the Aunties watching me like a hawk.”

“Me? I’m just looking out for you. That’s it.”

“But who asked you to do that? Not me!”

“I’m pregnant.” Shae doesn’t raise her voice, but she might as well have. The entire room goes quiet again.

Zahra and I stop fighting and give her all of our attention, but Shae isn’t looking at us at all. She’s staring at the older man with wet eyes and her arms wrapped across her stomach protectively.

“How?”

Zahra elbows me. “Excuse me, what exactly have I missed?”

“Salvo,” the dark-haired man says, and that’s all I understand. The boss doesn’t listen to him anyway. I don’t know how, but he’s somehow managing to look at Shae with more intensity.

“What is going on?” Zahra whines.

“It’s not fun, is it?” I can’t help but say.

She scowls at me.

“Quiet,” the older man says, and the dark-haired man puts an arm around Zahra’s shoulder and pulls her into his side.

I raise my eyebrows at her. “What’s going on?” I mouth in silence.

“Bella,” he says to Shae in a gentle rumble of a voice that gives me shivers.

Zahra and I turn to the corner, where Shae has lodged herself as if she needs something solid at her back. She looks skittish and scared, or sad. I can’t tell, and I can always tell how Shae and Zahra feel normally. We watch as the gray-haired man advances on her cautiously. I can hear the timbre of his voice, but he manages to actually whisper, and whatever he says is only for Shae’s ears. I watch her face for a reaction, ready to step in if she needs me.

Tears fall down her cheeks, and she nods slowly. I hold my breath as his hands move to her neck, his thumbs skim her jaw, and then he pulls her face to his.

“I really don’t know what the fuck is going on here,” I say.

“Me either, but this is super sweet,” Zahra adds. “I mean, Steve is probably gonna be pissed about this, but—”

“She broke up with him,” I say excitedly.

“Hallelujah! Amen,” Zahra says, and I nod along.

“So,” the big one says, “what do you want me to do with him?” Zahra, the dark-haired one, and I turn to the unconscious man on the table.

“Not now,” the dark-haired one says. “Salvo’s busy.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll make sure the carabinieri knows not to raid us right now because he’s busy seducing a pregnant American. I’m sure they’ll understand.”

“The carabinieri?” Zahra says.

“The cops? Alright, cute moment over. What the fuck is going on here?” I yell.

“A lot,” the big one says. And that’s when I hear sirens.

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