Page 48 of Enforcer

Even though I want to be here for Brynne.

“Oh, girl, you’re spiraling. Don’t do that. This isn’t a normal occurrence,” Brynne adds.

“No, it’s not,” Dante says. “This is because of everything going on.”

Slate nods in agreement. “Yeah, someone’s making a move. They think we’re weak. That our defenses are down.”

“Wrong move,” Dante adds, sitting beside me and squeezing my knee. “You did so good, darling.”

I eye Slate with my cheeks reddening by the second, but he’s turned away, talking to Marco.

Brynne pats my other leg, moving away to give us privacy, but I want to grab her hand and tug her back.

Things with Dante feel a bit too raw tonight. A bit too real.

“How did I do good?” I ask, not looking at him.

My eyes fall on Marco as he’s dragging a body through the middle of the room, leaving a red trail behind him.

My life has become a television drama.

When I leaped at the chance to be with Brynne, I knew this would be our new reality, but I don’t think you understand the truth of something until you experience it. What had shaken me to my core was how worried I was for Dante.

That bothers me more than anything.

My tears were for him.

It feels like once I leave here, I will have to make a choice. Either start peeling away layers, lean into this life with him, or walk away fully, which means walking away from Brynne.

“You listened and stayed safe. This is how I was raised, Alyssa. This is scary, sure. But this is my reality, you understand? I’m a bit numb to it all, where you’re new to my world and the way things are. I told you to hide and stay safe, and you did that. You helped me do my job better because I wasn’t worried about you flying into the fray of bullets.”

His words sink through me like rocks, but they don’t fix any racing thoughts or overflowing feelings.

“I’ll be fine; I just need to take time to...” I wave my hand in the air, grasping for words.

“Process it,” he finishes for me. “It’s a lot. There’s no shame in working through the shock of it all. Shit, I had to the first time I had to shoot my gun.”

“Did you kill someone?” I ask him, finally turning and locking eyes with him.

The slightest bit of blood spattered on his skin makes him look all the more rugged.

He shakes his head, laughing. “I thought I did. I was young, though. I was only eighteen when I wasmade.In my mind, if I shot the gun, I dropped a body.”

I smile only because his is infectious, coaxing my lips to tip upward. “Was it a gunfight like tonight?”

“No. It was scary, but nothing like tonight. Your first initiation in this world is not the norm, so don’t go thinking this is how it is all the time, tesoro.”

“Will you tell me about it?” I ask him, hoping the idle banter will help calm me more.

“Later. Let’s get you home.”

I look around at all the commotion still going on, feeling a bit shitty for having to be the one who leaves when my job is to be beside Brynne.

“She’ll be fine. She told me to take you home an hour ago.”

I nod and gather my wits as he puts his hand on my back, leading us toward Slate to tell them we’re off.

Once we’re in the car, he opens my door, holding it for me. I look up at him as he leans down and works my seatbelt over me, lingering a bit to lean in and give me a light kiss.

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