Page 47 of Titan

I wasn’t so sure about that. Verona would probably hate it, but she hated everything and everyone. She’d been a bitch to Ari the first time they’d met, but Zayn’s girlfriend had put my cousin in her place. My first impression of Ari had been cemented that day. She was outspoken and wasn’t afraid to give anyone hell for trying to give her a hard time. And it was exactly what our family needed… not that I would ever admit it to Zayn.

“Good. Well, that settles it then.” He turned to Arlo. “I trust you will investigate everything thoroughly and find out what’s happening. I’ll leave you and Martina to arrange details.”

“Of course.” Arlo stepped around to the other side of the desk. “Martina, shall we?” He waved towards the door.

She stood up and followed him out. I was left looking at my brother, who had levelled his gaze on me.

“How are things?”

I dug my hands into my pockets.

“Fine. Is that all you needed?”

He leaned back in his chair.

“You’d tell me if something was wrong, right?”

Was I going to tell Zayn about the shit I was dealing with?

No. Not in a million fucking years.

“If I need you, I’ll ask for your help.”

I wasn’t going to lie, but this enabled me to skirt around telling him the truth. He’d told me I wasn’t going to be his puppet. He needed to let me do things my own way.

“Fair enough. Have you spoken to Enzo recently?”

“I saw him over the weekend. Why?”

He let out a sigh before reaching up to rub his temples.

“Ever since I told him the truth aboutMamá, he’s been driving me up the fucking wall. I understand he’s hurting, but I don’t know how to get through to him.”

I shrugged, unsure of what else Zayn expected. Enzo didn’t want our help. I’d learned a long time ago my little brother would do as he pleased, regardless of my intervention. Besides, I was relatively sure he was suffering even more without Alissa, Arlo’s sister, who’d been his best friend their entire lives. She was refusing to speak to him. I had no fucking clue what he’d done, but knowing Enzo, it couldn’t have been anything good.

“Enzo is going to do whatever he wants, Zayn. That’s who he is. We can’t hold his hand if he doesn’t want us to.”

He looked away. Family was one of the few things that got Zayn worked up. He rarely let anything rattle him, but when it came to me and Enzo, Zayn couldn’t hide behind a wall of indifference. He cared about us too much.

“He’s lost.”

“I know.”

My brother shook himself before placing both hands on his desk. Enzo wasn’t the only one who was lost. I was too, but I couldn’t admit it to Zyan.

“I can count on you if I need any help with Martina and the girls, yes?”

“Of course.”

“Good. I have other things to get on with. I’m sorry this was so short, but I wanted to keep you in the loop.”

I nodded at him before I left. Family always came first, even before the mafia.

As it was during the day, I wasn’t expecting to see anyone I knew in the club. However, the door to Liza, Zayn’s club manager’s office, opened at the same time I walked out of Zayn’s. Theia strolled out. She was in jeans and a slouchy jumper. When her head turned and she saw me, her eyes widened.

“Oh… hi, Gil.”

I abruptly shut Zayn’s door, not wanting him to overhear my conversation with her. Then I walked towards her, making her eyes widen even further. The urge to be close to her drove me.

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