Page 98 of Unspoken Promises

Rio nods. “We planned for that.”

I nod, hoping something else will come to my brain that I can say to delay actually typing out this text.

Enzo threads his fingers through mine. He feels me shaking so he takes my other hand and holds them both in his. He stares into my eyes, drawing in a deep breath in such a way as to guide me to do the same.

I do. The oxygen calms me slightly.

“You don’t have to do this,” he says, repeating the option for the third time tonight.

He doesn’t want me going. He thinks I’m walking into a trap.

“I know.”But I need to do this.

Anton meant too much to me. I can’t let his trust be met with the end of a barrel. Not even if it means I meet the end of one myself.

His reassuring gaze fills me with determination, but I’m still so nervous his words almost send me to tears.

Rio reassures me. “This isn’t the first time we’ve been involved in a sting. We have experience. We’ll take care of you, Ava.”

“All right.” I nod and bounce my body almost like a boxer before a match. “I got this.”

I unlock my cell.

ME

I can meet you the day after tomorrow. 9am. Grant Park.

It doesn’t take long for Anton to text me back, and we arrange to meet. I don’t know how I’ll sleep tonight. Thank God it will be next to Enzo.

But first, I already told Penelope I’d meet with her tonight to be another set of eyeballs on her latest manuscript before she has to hand it in to her editor at midnight. She’s been unsure about this one, telling me it’s going to flop. I don’t want to let her down. She needs my support. I already told her I could only spend an hour with her tonight instead of the evening due to my own work obligations that have now become a red alert.

It feels like a dick move to cancel on her completely.

I really should have told Enzo about the text days ago. We could have had a head start. I hope I don’t live to regret that lapse in judgement.

Still, pressing as it is to examine the new data breach, and even see if somehow it’s linked to the old hacks, Enzo has more people looking into this from the team now. I’m not the only one, just the only one who knows how close the danger might be.

The expression on Enzo’s face when I said I didn’t want to cancel on Pen was stony. He doesn’t want me to go. But in two days, my whole life is going to change. The sting is set. I’ll go to Pen’s for an hour then head back to the stable offices to see if I can help Enzo, Rio, and the people they enlisted to help from GhostEye. Figuring out the recent data breach could give us important details. Is it too much to hope we find Father first?

Rio stands and says to Enzo, “Meet you at the stable office to work on this more. I’ll grab some rations from the Pig on the way back. Want anything?”

“Just caffeine,” he responds, then throws a questioning glance in my direction to see if I want anything for later.

As if I could eat.

Rio salutes us and takes off.

Enzo and I stand, and he pulls me in tightly.

He kisses my forehead. “You okay?”

“As okay as I’ll ever be.”

I glance up at Enzo and close my eyes, press my lips to his. In this moment, I want to drown in his touch and escape this all… because when his skin is on mine, all else ceases to exist. Our tongues tangle, my body melts into his, and his hand tugs my lower back against him so hard we might just fuse.

I wish we could fall to the floor right now and make love until morning. But we can’t. The work at GhostEye needs to get started.

His hands are still strong around my waist, but his gazeis reluctant. “I know you need a break before working, but you can have that with us over at the ranch.”

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