Page 19 of Bound to the Enforcer

That includes him.

I push down my guilt and school my features as I approach them. "Good morning."

"Morning," Matteo responds while he sips his coffee.

I settle into my seat, my eyes avoiding Alessio as I focus my attention on the scones and butter displayed before me. I get to work plating my food while the two men continue to speak.

Alessio is watching me. He hasn't said anything yet, but I can feel his eyes on me, studying every move I make.

I focus on buttering my scone, keeping my hands steady even though I can feel my pulse in my fingertips. The dining room is calm, sunlight streaming through the tall windows, but it feels like I'm under a spotlight.

"You're quiet this morning," Alessio says, his tone casual. Too casual.

I glance up at him briefly and force a small smile. "Just tired, I guess."

He doesn't reply right away, just takes a sip of his coffee, his eyes never leaving me. I hate how he can do that—say nothing but still make me feel like I need to explain myself.

"Didn't you sleep well?" he asks smoothly, but there's an edge to it.

"Not really," I say, shrugging. "I've had a lot on my mind, as you know." That part, at least, isn't a lie.

He nods slowly as if he's considering my answer. "Understandable," he says, but there's something unreadable in his expression.

I reach for the jam, forcing myself to focus on spreading it evenly across my toast. My hand is steady, my breathing measured, but I can feel the pressure in my shoulders.

"You're uneasy," Alessio says.

I glance at him again, keeping my face neutral. "I'm fine," I say, taking a bite of the toast to give myself something to do.

His eyes narrow slightly, just for a second, and then the look is gone. "If you say so," he murmurs, leaning back in his chair.

The conversation shifts after that—something about security updates and a new schedule he's putting together—but I can tell he's still watching me, looking for cracks in my armor.

I nod at the right moments and ask a question or two, but I don't let my guard down.

When the meal is over, I excuse myself, keeping my steps measured and unhurried as I leave the room.

The moment I'm out of sight, I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

Alessio suspects something. I don't know how much, but he does.

I just have to hope he doesn't dig too deep.

Chapter Six

Alessio

Pietro stands in front of me, shifting nervously on his feet. The room feels colder with him in it, though I'm unsure if it's the chill in the air or the weight of the note he delivered. His hands twist together, his head slightly bowed like a schoolboy waiting for punishment.

"You're sure this was sent this morning?" I ask, holding up the copy of the letter he handed me.

Pietro nods quickly trembling. "Y-yes, sir. She first wrote a letter, then she placed a flash drive inside the envelope. I was going to come and give it to you, but when I returned for the envelope, it was open, and the flash was gone. Someone had uploaded it onto the computer and sent it out to Vittorio."

Fuck.

"It was heavily encrypted, and the firewall was hard to get past. The encryption wasn't easy to crack, but it went through to Carlo Vittorio's network, that much I am sure. It's... bad, sir."

Bad. That's one word for it. I stare at the paper, reading the few sentences scrawled there in Sophia's hand. She doesn'tname anyone explicitly, but the implications are clear enough. She's reaching for answers in all the wrong places.

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