Page 91 of The Colour of Revenge
And now, there’s another man in her house, sitting close enough to touch her, with my name on her screen.
I watch her for a long moment, my breathing steady, my mind cold and calculating.
Whatever game she’s playing, she’s about to learn something very important.
No one plays me.
And when I’m finished, she’ll regret ever trying.
Carina
“You good?” Enzo’s soft Italian American accent wraps around me like a comfort blanket, grounding me for just a moment.
I don’t hesitate as I toss Nate’s soup into the bin. My heart thuds once—too hard, too fast. What if it’s poisoned?
No. That doesn’t track. If Nate wanted to kill me, he's had months to do it. He wouldn’t need soup to do it. And it’s not like he knows I’m onto him.
Still, the gesture sticks in my chest like a splinter. The idea of him leaving it on the doorstep, respecting my request for space, makes something in me itch.
I shove that thought down. This is a manipulation. Another trick is to make me trust him. That’s all it is.
“I’m fine,” I grit out, forcing the words past clenched teeth. The words taste like a lie.
Enzo watches me carefully, his green eyes narrowed. “Are you sure your boyfriend’s playing you?”
“Yes!” I snap, my temper fraying.
His expression doesn’t change. “You sound really convinced,bella4.”
I stiffen. “He knew.”
Enzo leans against the counter, arms crossed. “Or maybe he didn’t.” His voice is maddeningly calm. “His whole business is built on taking down men like Edward. What if—”
“No.” I cut him off, my fingers curling into fists. “He knew. He had to.”
Because if he didn’t…
The thought slams into me like a freight train, sudden and brutal.
His logic tries to worm its way into my mind, but I can’t let it take hold. No. Nate must know. He has to. It’s the only explanation that makes sense.
What if I’m wrong?
I force that thought down as quickly as it comes, shoving it into the void of everything else I refuse to feel.
I force my breathing steady. I can’t afford doubt. Not now. “Are you on board or not?”
A slow smirk tugs at his lips. “Certo5, bella. You know I’d do anything for you.”
And I do.
Enzo is the only reason I exist outside of my old life. The man who erased me so thoroughly that I became a ghost.
Other than Nate, no one knows me better than Enzo.
“Remember what you were like when we first met?” he asks, his lips curling into a teasing smile.
“Terrified?”
