Page 18 of Enzo

"I've never run to Matt, and I won't start now. Tell him I'm off the market. I'd rather be alone than be with him."

He leveled a gun at her. "Why don't you tell him yourself."

"Deja, camire, why did you leave? I told you I was coming."

"I knew you would catch up." She gave him a playful wink while trying to stay on her feet. She was a little bit tipsy.

"Who's your friend, camire?" Enzo walked up to her and pulled her close to his body. He dipped his head and kissed her nice and deep, drawing a moan from her before he let her go. He looked like he had just been in a fight.

"Enzo," she touched his wounds.

"Aww, you should see the other male. I believe Cole had to drag him out."

He looked into the car and took a deep breath, scenting the male sitting there.

"You must be a friend of Deja's I haven't met yet."

"You don't want to do this, Deja; Matt has waited patiently for you."

"Who's been patient with her and what does he want? Maybe I can help him out. Tell him Deja has a special someone in her life and it would be better if he slipped back into the woodwork he came from."

The man in the car grinned. "I'll be seeing you when you're eating dirt."

"Enzo, you shouldn't have done that." Her hand was on his chest, her fingers fisting his shirt as she watched the car drive off. "I could take care of myself."

"Yes, in your half-drunk state."

"I'm not drunk."

"I know, tell me about him."

Are you crazy?

He's an animal. Run.

He won't ever hurt you. The monster in her head said as she slipped into the driver's seat.For once, Deja didn't fight her.

She leaned against him as they walked towards her apartment. "The guy in the car is Don. He works for this guy; his name isMatt. I saw one of his thugs trying to sell drugs to a baby, and I mean a baby. Maybe the child was eleven with more money than a child should have. I stopped it. A couple of days later, there was a knock on my door. It was Matt. He told me I owe him for interrupting his business. I could pay him by sleeping with him. I said no, and he has become more insistent. Wants me to be his piece on the side." She laid her head down on Enzo's arm. It was beginning to throb.

"I might have to beat Cole for allowing you to drink like this."

"I'm sorry I left, but I was having hallucinations, you know, from the alcohol." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I thought you turned into this huge alien cat or dog or something." That was some powerful rum. Was he here to tell her that since she couldn't hold her alcohol not to bother showing up tomorrow?

She wanted to ask him, but now they were in the hallway of her apartment building, and there was a crease in his forehead, and his lips were drawn up in a frown as he looked at the floorboards.

"What's happening here?"

"They're kicking me out. Gonna fix up the place and rent it out to yuppies, buppies, or whoever the up and coming are."

"Where are you going to go, camire?"

"What does camire mean?" She closed her eyes as she leaned totally into him.

"Beautiful."

How she wished she could be beautiful to someone. "I'm going to sleep at the park two blocks away. The dog park is up the hill. I even found a place to hide my stuff during the day. I just have to remember to be up by six am."

"You work until two am."

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