Page 84 of Highball and Chain

Shanna

In any other circumstance,I would have laughed. The two of them, Enzo and Marco, reacted like a couple of children caught stealing ice cream money from their mother’s purse. Unfortunately for me, they weren’t nabbing spare quarters from my wallet. From the sound of it, I’d interrupted a rather heated conversation.

“Well?” I walked further into the room. “Are one of you going to tell me what’s going on?”

They exchanged glances.

Poor Marco turned a weird shade of green. He inhaled and exhaled in such rapid succession I feared he’d hyperventilate. Clearly, I wasn’t going to get anything out of him.

I turned to Enzo. “What’s going on?”

He moved from behind the kitchen island. “There’s no easy way to say this…”

Nodding, I motioned for him to spill it.

“The security cameras were on last night. I’m so sorry.” He pressed his lips together.

Oh God. I covered my gaping mouth. “Who saw?”

Enzo sucked in a breath and stared at the ceiling. When he glanced back to me, I knew what he was about to say.

“No! Your parents?” I wanted to dig a hole in the backyard and bury myself in it, but then again, the freaking security cameras would record my location. Evelyn would know where to excavate. “You said you’d take care of it.”

His frown deepened. “I had a lot on my mind today.”

He’s freaking blaming me for this?I’d heard the expression seeing-red many times, but until that moment I hadn’t believed it physically possible. “Don’t you dare put this on me. I asked you about the cameras last night, remember?”

Enzo had the good sense to dip his chin. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

I rounded on Marco. “And you? What the hell were you thinking barging into the room like that?”

He held up his hands as if to deflect a blow.

“Why are you here? Don’t tell me you flew fourteen hours to tell Enzo your parents have a porno of us by the pool.” Saying the words aloud made my head hurt. How did we let this happen?

He glanced at Enzo.

“No.” I stepped into Marco’s line of vision. “Don’t you dare look at him. Look at me. Why are you here?” I knew I’d taken a detour into Crazy Town, but I much preferred anger to turning into a blubbering mess. The waterworks would start the second I had a moment alone and not before.

“Shanna.” Enzo pressed his chest to my back and wrapped his arms around me. “Marco’s here on business. He’s not the enemy.”

His warmth melted away my anger, but without the armor I felt exposed and vulnerable.

“I’m sorry I barged in on you guys.” Marco offered me a half-smile. “For what it’s worth, I’m scarred for life after seeing Enzo in all his glory.”

“And I’m sorry I yelled at you.” I could see the humor in the situation, even if I wasn’t ready to embrace it. If any of this had happened to someone else, I would have laughed for weeks. “Should I be worried about your mother hiring a hitman to take me out?”

Enzo tensed behind me, and Marco flinched as if I’d struck him.

“Too soon for mob humor?” I pulled out of Enzo’s embrace.

The brothers seemed to have an entire conversation of glances, frowns, shrugs and nods.

I sighed and turned to Marco. “Relax, I put together you guys were involved in the mafia before Enzo confirmed it.”

His frown deepened.

I wandered into the kitchen to put some space between us. “Where’s Hildie?”

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