Page 54 of Ruined By the Enemy
“That’s all?” I face the private investigator I hired.
He nods. “For now, sir. He’s maintained a low profile since his brother died fifteen years ago. Although he has a couple of companies, he only owns majority shares in one.”
Enzo Bellini. I zero in on one of the pictures—he’s sitting in front of the cafe, a cap drawn too low over his head to avoid being recognized. But the woman seated across from him makes it impossible to keep the attention away.
Even if I didn’t have eyes on him, Sophie’s auburn hair lights up like a halo.
“Is there anything specific you’re looking for?” he asks.
I lace my fingers as my elbows rest on the desk. “I don’t know.” I’m still in the dark about Sophie’s true intentions and how she plans to execute them.
Is she here because she wants to finish what her father couldn’t? Is there something she’s been asked to find?
More importantly, the car accident. Raffaele hasn’t found anything new, even with the connections within the police force.
All we know is that it was premeditated.There were no signs that the truck hadspun out of control,and it was found abandoned an hour from the accident scene.
The plates were also fake, and the vehicle had been reported stolen some days back. Someone knew Sophie would be on that road at that time, or they’d been watching her and waiting for the right moment.
“It’s impossible,” I mutter under my breath. I would’ve spotted it from a mile away if someone was after her.
Unless…
I had considered it before, but I dismissed it. Now, it’s returned as the only plausible explanation.
“She planned it.”
“You—what?”
I lift my eyes to find the investigator staring at me quizzically. I shake my head. “It’s nothing. Ignore that. Get me everything you can find on Enzo Bellini. I don’t care if it’s a traffic ticket or a receipt he threw away on the road. If you can find it, bring it to me.”
He nods briskly. “Noted.”
As the door closes, I lean back with a heavy sigh. Sophie. The one factor I didn’t want to consider was that she set herself up. The incident could’ve been fatal if she hadn’t avoided it at the last minute, making it less likely that she would put herself in harm’s way.
Then again, she’s workingundercoverunder a fake name at a company where every move she makes is scrutinized.
Would she really risk her life to keep her cover?
God knows I’ve seen people do worse for less.
Still, no matter how much I try to piece the logic together, it doesn’t explain the fear I saw in her eyes when I rushed into the hospital and how she fought to hold it in. The look in Sophie’s eyes felt familiar, as did the rush in my chest… the urge to protect her.
She might’ve had a brush with death—but it feels like I’m the one on the fucking edge.
A brisk knock jolts me from my thoughts. I sit up, pressing a hand to my face as the door swings open without waiting for permission.
“Morning,” Raff says, already halfway inside before he speaks. “You look like hell.”
“I feel worse,” I admit without a thought.
“Is it weird if I say that I’m enjoying this?” he grins, dropping into the chair opposite me without an ounce of shame. “I’ve never seen you drive up the walls for someone else. Not to mention taking her into your home.”
I shoot him a look. “Do you ever knock?”
“I did. You were too busy brooding to notice.”
Busy thinking about Sophie. It’s been two days since the incident, and she’s still in my house, in my space. I’m not sure why I haven’t let her go—the injuries or to keep an eye on her every move.
