Page 10 of Enzo

“I brought you here. Found you past out in a bathroom of a frat house. You have no idea how lucky you got last night, how close you came to becoming a statistic,” he says. “You really should be more careful with who you take drinks from.”

My mouth drops open and then snaps closed. I was… drugged. I’m careful. I’m always careful. I don’t remember much of anything from last night—well, nothing more than walking into a party and seeing Enzo hit some guy. Then I remember getting a drink with Pacey.

“I am careful. Why would you bring me here?”

“Because I wasn’t about to leave you on a bathroom floor for a bunch of deviants to do with you as they please. I don’t know where you live or what your name is. Where else was I supposed to take you?”

“Is that your thing? Being a white knight?” I fire back at him. “Saving girls at parties?” I know he’s not. The Valentinos aren’t good people. Honestly, I’m surprised I’ve made it this far in his presence without a scratch on me.

“I’m no white knight, piccolo ladro. Believe me. I just happen to have morals and a little thing called a conscience from timeto time,” he says. “Come on, you need food and I made you breakfast.”

I watch him brush past me and can’t manage to do anything but stare after him. What the hell is happening? Did he really just say he made me breakfast? As I’m contemplating this, I’m mesmerized by the muscles in his back. It’s a sin that something so damn pretty can be so rotten underneath.

Then his words hit me.Piccolo ladro. Little thief. He thinks I’m a thief. What the hell does he think I stole? Better yet, how do I get out of this alive? I’ve seen what men like him do to the people they think stole from them.

“I’m not a thief. I don’t know what it is you think I’ve stolen, but I assure you it wasn’t me,” I tell him. “Thanks for the… help. Last night. But I really need to go.”

“I’ll take you home after you eat. And trust me, you most certainly did take something that wasn’t meant for you,” he says cryptically. “But don’t worry. I didn’t need it anyway.”

Chapter Seven

She has no idea what she stole from me. I’ve seen this happen to other members of my family. The moment they meet their person, the one who takes their heart instantly and completely.

I’m not supposed to fall for someone like her. A cop. A fucking FBI agent with a hard-on for putting my ass behind bars. My heart doesn’t belong to her, and yet she’s taken it anyway. Iknew there was something about her the first time I saw her. It was clearer last night when I saw some fucker putting his hands all over her in that bathroom.

The rage I felt, the way my stomach turns at the thought of something happening to her. That doesn’t mean I’m any less determined to be the one to destroy her. There is nothing I won’t do for my family. Breaking my own heart is a sacrifice I’m willing to make. I’ve gone my whole life without knowing true love. I can continue on without it just fine.

And let’s be honest. Up until last night, I wasn’t a hundred percent sure my heart even worked. I love my family, beyond measure, but these odd feelings my little thief is bringing out in me are foreign and I can only assume it’s what I see in all the relationships within my family. My parents, my aunts and uncles, my grandparents. They all have that storybook love, the once-in-a-lifetime kind of love that only happens in movies.

A man like me, though?

Like I said, I can live without it. It’s probably for the best. Love makes people do stupid shit. Take my little sister, for instance. Right now, she’s sacrificing everything in the name of love. At first, when I heard about her plan, I was against it. I’d do anything to bring her home. But now, I think I get it. I still don’t like it, but I get it.

I don’t look back to see if Kayleigh is following me. I have a feeling she will. She wants intel. The best way to get that is to actually spend time with me. She’s not getting shit out of me, of course, but she doesn’t know that. Yet.

“This is a nice place. How exactly does a college student afford a place like this?” she asks while her bare feet pitter-patter behind me.

Straight into interrogation mode, I see.

“I made a deal with the devil.” I chuckle. Little does she know, Iamthe fucking devil. At least when it comes to her.

“Riiight. There’s no shame in being a trust fund brat,” she says, her voice teasing.

“I’m not ashamed of my family or where I come from.” I shrug.

“What’s your major?”

“Business, you?” I pull two plates down from the overhead cabinet. When I turn around to look at Kayleigh again, she’s staring right back at me, or at my chest at least.

“That’s an interesting design. What is it?” she asks, pointing at the colorful ink that fills my right pec and shoulder.

“It’s the aurora polaris, the sun and the moon,” I tell her. “It’s symbolism for my little sister. Her name is Aurora. And, well, you could say she keeps my life colorful.” It’s the truth. I should have made something up, but it’s no secret that I love my sister.

“You must be close with her. Your sister, I mean. Does she go to NYU too?” Kayleigh is trying to appear nonchalant. She’s failing. She’s practically frothing at the mouth, thinking she’s prying intel out of me.

“I am very close with all of my family. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them. What about you? Do you have siblings?” I turn the conversation back to her, while avoiding her questions about my sister.

“I’m an only child,” Kayleigh says.

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