Page 20 of Damaged & Deadly

Still feeling unsure but committed nonetheless, I dig my phone out of my pocket and dial Cain’s number. Both men watch me closely, and I have to glance away when Cain’s growly voice comes down the line.

“Red, you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Is there somewhere on neutral territory where we could meet?”

He pauses, thinking for a second before responding, “Yeah. Why?”

“Meet me there in an hour. Just the two of you. No weapons.”

“Uhh, yeah, alright. I’ll text you the address. Are you sure everything’s okay?” The fact that he doesn’t demand to know what’s going on speaks volumes. There’s no doubt I will be on his shit list, but even so, warmth fills me at how far we’ve come over the last few months, despite the monumental hurdles thrown our way.

Ignoring his question, I ask, “Do you remember that favor I asked before?”

“Yes.” His tone is much more hesitant this time, guarded.

“Does it still stand?”

“Red,” he sighs, blowing out a breath. I know he wants me to explain, but I can’t. Not now, with the two of them listening in. So instead, I stay silent, waiting him out.

“Fine,” he finally huffs. “Yes. It still stands.”

“Thank you,” I murmur softly.

He grunts and growls out, “I’ll text you the address,” before hanging up.

Pocketing my phone, I get to my feet.

“Uh, wanna let us in on what’s happening, Spitfire?” Enzo quirks a brow and I can tell he’s irritated at being left out, or perhaps he was able to read between the lines of my conversation with Cain.

“Probably best if we wait. I don’t want to repeat myself.” His eyes narrow in annoyance. Meanwhile, Dante just watches me with a curious look on his face, like he can’t quite figure me out. “Same rules apply, though. Just us. No weapons.”

***

Nerves eat away at my insides, making me queasy as Enzo drives us across town. Besides giving Enzo the address Cain sent me, none of us have said anything since we got in the car. Dante appears relaxed, almost unbothered by my secrecy and the fact that he’s going to an unknown location unarmed. I keep looking sideways at him out of the corner of my eye. Has he really placed that much trust in me that he has zero qualms about what I’m doing? Or does he just have such faith in his own ability to protect himself—and in Enzo’s ability to protect him—that he doesn’t need to be worried? The latter, it’s got to be the latter. Although, a tiny part of myself that I refuse to properly acknowledge wants him to trust me.

Enzo, on the other hand, is furious that he’s being kept in the dark. The only other time I’ve seen him this angry was when I disobeyed his orders and showed up at G&T the day the Antonellis blew it up.

“Why did you blow up G&T?” I ask. Now that I’m thinking about that day, I’m curious.

Enzo’s gaze meets mine in the rearview mirror. “The owner racked up quite a gambling debt.”

My lip curls in disgust. “So you destroy his only means of paying you back?”

“He received his fair share of warnings, not that he listened.”

“And what about the innocent people who just happened to be there? Were we just collateral damage?” Tears of anger fill my eyes, blurring my vision. “Poor nobodies, so our lives don’t matter.”

When Enzo’s gaze flicks up to the mirror again, his anger has been replaced with regret, but it’s Dante who speaks up, his angry tone slicing like a knife through the air. “We? What the hell do you meanwe?”

“Santos organized that attack himself,” Enzo explains, the pair of us ignoring Dante and his growing fury. “If we’d had a say, it would have been more… personal.”

I frown. “You were there?” Dante barks, before turning his ire on Enzo. “Is that why you disappeared that day?”

“Yes,” Enzo snaps. “I had to make sure her stubbornness didn’t get her blown to pieces.”

I scoff. “Well, maybe if I thought I could have trusted you, I’d have listened.”

“Oh, ‘cause you’re not keeping your own share of secrets, Spitfire,” Enzo throws back.

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