Page 27 of His Ruthless Vow

16

ENZO

At precisely 7 PM, I pull up to Kendra's building. The engine purrs quietly as I wait, drumming my fingers against the steering wheel. At 7:03, she emerges through the glass doors.

Something in my chest tightens.

She's dressed simply—dark jeans that hug her curves, a cream silk blouse that drapes across her body like water, and a leather jacket that adds just enough edge. Her hair falls in loose curls around her shoulders, and she's wearing minimal makeup—just enough to enhance what's already perfect.

The simplicity is what grates on me. She isn't trying, and that's the problem. The women in my world spend hours, thousands of dollars, crafting an illusion of effortless beauty. Kendra just... exists, and it's enough to make my mouth go dry.

She slides into the passenger seat without a word, a subtle waft of vanilla and something distinctly her filling the confined space.

"You're late," I say, pulling away from the curb.

"Three minutes." She doesn't look at me, instead focusing on fastening her seatbelt. "I'm sure your schedule will survive."

I don't respond, focusing on the road instead. The silence stretches between us, neither comfortable nor uncomfortable—just charged. I can feel her studying my profile.

"So what's the occasion?" she finally asks.

"Luca needs to meet with me and Skye made him invite me to dinner." A half-truth. Skye really told me that I was taking up too much of Kendra's time and this is my way of giving Skye her fix without losing any of my own claim on her. Not that I'll say it.

"And I'm your plus one?"

"You're whatever I need you to be." I keep my voice cool, detached. "That was the deal."

She turns toward the window, but not before I catch the slight tightening around her eyes. "Right."

Luca's house sits on three acres of prime real estate, a modernist mansion of glass and steel that somehow manages to feel like a fortress. I punch in the gate code and drive up the long, winding driveway.

As we step inside, Skye materializes from somewhere deeper in the house, her face lighting up when she spots us.

"Kendra!" She crosses the marble foyer in quick strides, pulling Kendra into a hug with easy familiarity. "I was hoping Enzo would bring you."

I watch the tension in Kendra's shoulders dissolve as she returns Skye's embrace. "Hey, girl. You didn't tell me you were hosting tonight."

"Last minute thing," Skye links arms with her. "Come on, I need someone sane to talk to. These men have been discussing business all day, and I'm losing my mind."

Luca appears behind his wife, nodding at me before offering Kendra a near smile. It's…unnerving. "Kendra. Good to see you again."

"Hey, Luca." She winks at him and he blinks slowly. I'm not sure he can process emotions not attached to his wife.

Instead, he turns to me and gestures toward his study. "Enzo, a word before dinner?"

I nod, my eyes lingering on Kendra as Skye pulls her toward the kitchen, their heads already bent in conversation. Something about the ease between them unsettles me.

Luca's study is all dark wood and leather, a stark contrast to the minimalist aesthetic of the rest of the house. He closes the door behind us and moves to a decanter of whiskey on his desk.

"Zenon made contact with Armando." He pours two glasses, handing one to me. "He's trying to map our operations."

I take the glass, my mind dividing itself between the threat at hand and the sound of Kendra's laughter drifting through the closed door. "He's getting bold."

"Bold is dangerous." Luca sits on the edge of his desk. "We need to send a message."

I force my attention fully to Luca, but my awareness remains split—part of me calculating the moves and countermoves of this chess game with my brother, part of me attuned to Kendra's presence just rooms away.

"I'll handle it," I say, taking a sip of the whiskey.

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