Page 14 of His Win (His Obsession 3)

He gave me a questioning look.

"Her name is Sammy."

"I'll make sure Sammy is okay."

"Thank you," I told him sincerely.

The entire time we had this little conversation, I'd watched Enzo constantly scan the parking lot and street. "Alright. We need to go."

He put me in the car, standing nearby with his hand inside his jacket until I started the engine and locked the doors. Then he jogged over to the familiar SUV parked near a side door. I waited until he pulled up near me, and then we were off.

Enzo followed me all the way back to Sammy's apartments, and luckily, whoever had been tailing me earlier didn't make another appearance. Or maybe I'd overreacted and no one had been following me at all and I'd just freaked out over nothing, just like I'd told Luca.

I parked Sammy's car in her spot while the SUV idled behind me. When I got out of the car, so did Enzo.

Pointing up at Sammy's apartment where I could see lights on within, I said, "My friend is home. And it looks like one of her roommates is, too."

"I'm coming upstairs with you," he told me. "Just in case."

After a pause, I nodded. "Okay. I'd appreciate it."

I took him up to Sammy's and let myself in with the spare key she'd given me. Enzo followed me in as far as the living room. Taking off his sunglasses, he checked every corner, listening to Maddie having an animated conversation with someone in her room. Either she had a guest, or she was on FaceTime, but either way, everything seemed normal.

He turned to me. "What are your plans now?"

"I plan to say hi to Sammy and go to bed."

"No, that's not what I meant. What are you going to do with your life?"

Oh. That. "I don't know."

"You should listen to Luca and get out of town, Veda. Especially after what happened tonight."

I wasn't sure if he was talking about the car tailing me or my run-in with Luca. Hands on his hips, he stared down at me. Not for the first time, I noticed he had beautiful brown eyes, à la Johnny Depp. Eyes a girl could easily lose herself in. But they weren't intense blue glaciers that stripped me bare without touching me and set my blood on fire. "I promised my parents we'd do a memorial for Nicole. I have to stay for that so I can be there for them. And then I'll figure out where I'm gonna go." If my mother could stand to be around me that long.

"It would really be safer for you if you got out of town now. Tonight."

"Yeah, I'm not doing that. Not yet. I need to be there for my dad."

"Veda, please listen to me. To Luca. He wants you to be safe."

"If he cared at all, he wouldn't have chased me out of the fortress he lives in. But he did. And he wants nothing to do with me other than a quick fuck against his office door." My mouth twisted in disgust that was aimed only at myself. "He doesn't care about me, Enzo. He threw me to the wolves."

Done with this conversation, I started walking toward the door and he followed. "You're wrong, Veda. Luca is angry, and whatever your intentions were, he feels like you betrayed him. But I know him better than he knows himself sometimes. He won't come after you. So please, call if you need us. He'd never forgive me if anything happened to you, no matter what you think or what he says."

He stared at me so hard I finally gave in. "I promise," I told him. And I meant it. Despite the fact he’d sent me straight to Luca tonight, I knew Enzo was right. Alone, I was no match for a man like Mario. Or even one of his thugs. I didn't have the trust in Luca that Enzo had, but I knew he truly believed what he said. "Thanks again for making sure I got home."

He glanced around the kitchen and then back at me. "This isn't your home." Moving past me, he opened the door and walked out into the hallway.

Closing the door and locking it, I went to the window and watched until I saw him get into his car and pull away, trying not to think about his parting comment. I knew what he was insinuating, but it wasn't true.

No matter what I may have begun to secretly hope for once upon a time.

Double checking the locks on the front door, I went to go find Sammy. Maddie must've been on the phone earlier. I only heard the television in her room as I walked by.

I found my best friend sitting up in bed, her laptop on her legs with an open book beside her and a few more spread out on the bed. "Hey," I said.

She looked up. There was a pen between her teeth. She spit it out into her hand as soon as she saw me in the doorway. "Hey. How'd things go with the parents?"

---