Page 22 of Rise of Temptation

I don’t see a benefit to lying at this point. He can always threaten to kill me if I don’t either tell him about the message or unlock my phone so he can read it himself. Resigned, I unlock the phone and hand it to him so he can see the text message from my coworker, Lydia.

Lydia: We’re looking into the Irish as the traffickers. See what you can find out.

Lydia is one of the very few people in my office who know some of the details of my undercover job, but only Jack and his boss know the extent of it.

Enzo reads it, then looks at me. “The Irish?” he asks skeptically. “I don’t think they have the resources to pull off an operation that size. Especially not right under our noses.”

“But you said you think it might be someone framing the Bratva. Do they have the resources to plant evidence to make it look like someone else?”

“Maybe. How well do you know this Lydia?” He hands my phone back to me.

“We’ve worked together for a few years. She’s one of the few people who knows where I am.”

“Do you trust her?”

I don’t know where exactly he’s going with this line of questioning, but I don’t like it, so I decide to provide as little information as possible. “I have no reason not to trust her. What are you getting at?”

“I’m just wondering if your boss has figured out that you’re playing both sides here and not totally loyal to your employeranymore.”

The fucking nerve of this asshole. “Being coerced and threatened doesn’t count as playing both sides. I’m only here to solve this case. I didn’t ask to be locked in your house so you could play sex slave. I made a decision that kept me alive, and you fucking know it.”

“There are no good guys, but apparently you haven’t figured that out yet. There are just different types of bad guys.”

“I’m not going to have a philosophical argument about good and evil with you. Are you going to look into the Irish or not?”

“I’ll look into it, but I doubt I’ll find anything. They’re a small organization with minimal resources. At least compared to us.” He turns to leave, and I realize this might be the first time we’ve been in the same room and not wound up in some state of undress since I moved in. Before he leaves the room, he turns to look at me, but doesn’t say anything.

“What? Is there something in my teeth?” I run my tongue over them but don’t feel anything.

“Did you like it?”

“What? Lydia’s message? If it turns out to be something substantial then I will.”

He rolls his eyes and leans against the door frame, crossing his arms. “Not that. Did you like it when Sal came on your tits?”

My eyes widen. How did he find out? “How did you—”

“There are cameras everywhere in this house,” he interrupts. “He knows that. He knew I’d see.”

“Are you going to kill him?”

Enzo doesn’t respond, and I start to get nervous. I decide to answer him honestly. His friends know him better than I do, and they seem to think he can be persuaded to share. “I did like it.”

He keeps staring at me, deep in thought, and I can’t even begin to guess where his mind is. I really don’t think he’ll killSal. But I also don’t think he’s willing to share his toys either. Nothing in his face or body language is giving away what he thinks of my confession.

Finally, he breaks his silence. “You can’t fuck them.”

I wait, but he doesn’t elaborate. “What does that mean?”

“They know.” And then he walks out the door, slams it shut behind him, and leaves. I can hear him stomping down the stairs while I think about what he said. I can’t fuck them, but can I do other things? Is the “no touching” rule still in place? I feel like I’m back in high school and trying to navigate that stupid base system. Still, part of me is excited that he seems to be loosening the rules a little bit. I can only hope that he’ll come around to the idea of sharing. Now that it’s been brought up, I can’t get the idea out of my head.

Chapter 18

Enzo

Frankie, Sal, and Joey are camped out in my living room with beer and pizza. Normally, I don’t participate in nights like this. I have more important things to do than play video games and eat junk food, but even I have to let loose every once in a while. Relaxing has always been a bit of a foreign concept to me, but it got worse after I took over the Family. Still, it does feel good to just be one of the guys. These three have always been there for me, and that doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon.

Joey nudges me with his elbow. “I like this side of you. It’s much more fun than when you’re the big, bad boss.” He lowers his voice and holds his arms as if he’s suddenly a bodybuilder. He thinks he’s funny, and I roll my eyes.

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