Page 88 of Enforcer

The room spins as I stand too quickly. “Well, that’s all well and good, Renzo, but I drank far too much to deal with him tonight.”

He chuckles. “Don’t worry about it tonight. Recover, and then we’ll plan how to go forward.”

“Do we loop Slate in?”

“Nah, let him have his honeymoon. We don’t want Daddy killing us because he had to cut his bunny romp short.”

I laugh honestly, feeling the weight of the sadness I was wallowing in slip away momentarily.

“Let me know a plan in the morning.”

“How about afternoon? It is morning.”

I look at my phone. He’s right; it’s three a.m. “Right. Talk later.”

Lorenzo ends the call, and my phone beeps at me.

I check the messages, seeing that she still hasn’t replied, and then I shut the piano and stalk off to bed.

If I’m going to be interrogating this afternoon, I need to sleep off some of this booze.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

ALYSSA

My new apartment is on 81st St. in the Upper East Side, near Brynne, but far enough away to feel my independence like a visceral thing around me. Even now.

Walking through the many people on the walk, I keep my bag on my shoulder and my groceries from hitting anyone as I step onto the stairs leading to the door.

The doorman opens the door, a smile on his face. “Evening, Ms. Roebach.”

Once I’ve unlocked my place, I rush into the dining area and plop all my bags down onto the table, huffing a groan as I look over the red marks the groceries caused on my arms.

I know I could’ve had them delivered, which is likely what everyone in this building does, but I wanted to do it myself.

I also needed to get the hell out of this apartment.

It’s been two agonizing days on my own, and I’m going mad, if I’m honest.

The place is something off of a television movie—a building with only a handful of two-story townhomes. The floors are coldand all a bright white marble. The walls differ depending on which room you’re in.

Light spills into the dining room from a window to the left, facing the street.

Daylight is waning, and soon, it’ll just be me and the sounds of New York bustling through the night again.

I thought once I was here, I could deal with everything that’s gone on since I accepted the position as Brynne’s right hand, but instead, I’ve been wallowing in how lonely I am.

I thought about opening an account on a random dating app to meet up with someone to release some pent-up energy, but instant images of Dante somersaulted through my mind, and I broke down in tears.

Even though I tried my damnedest to keep him at arm’s length, he’s weaseled his way in somehow or another.

I drop onto the dark leather couch in the living room, opening my phone to look at the one thing I shouldn’t be staring at when I’m feeling like this.

Dante’s text message.

I’ve been mulling over texting, but I don’t know what to say.

I miss you, too.

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