Chapter 42 – Amanda #2
His big, warm hand slid up my calf, bending my knee. He slipped the pump onto my foot and with a reverent stroke of his thumb, he set it down. I squeezed every muscle in my body to balance as he repeated the process on the other side.
Tipping his head up, he gazed at me.
There were many unspoken things in that look. Longing and desire. A sense of calm warring with chaos. I felt like I was falling, even as my body didn’t move.
“Thank you…Enzo.”
Dipping his chin, he nodded once.
“Come on.” He rose, swiped his helmet off the counter. “Maybe I’ll teach you to drive the bike before winter comes.”
My eyes felt like they were going to fall out of their sockets. “Um, excuse me! Do you remember what happened last time?”
Vincenzo smirked and held the door open. “We were seventeen. Neither of us knew what we were doing.”
The floodgates opened and memories poured out. The hollow place in my chest pulsed with the faintest beat of life. It scared me how good that felt. As if the ache that nearly killed me wanted to rise from the tomb and start healing.
But, because I was a coward, I ducked my chin, zipped my lips, and scurried past him. The elevator ride was silent, and when the industrial door banged open in the parking garage, I pulled the helmet on to hide from him.
If he knew what I was doing, he didn’t say.
The garage was full of exotic cars. There were a few regular models, but from my limited knowledge of vehicles, it was clear they’d been modified.
Thousands of dollars’ worth of changes. The residents of this complex were wealthy and liked to show it.
I didn’t have much experience driving, since there’d never been a need, but as I stared at a particular red coupe, I wondered absently if it wasn’t time to change that.
It would be so fun!
I gave myself a little shake. Being around this man again was messing with my head. He made me want to step out of my comfort zone, my strictly set routine, and live on the wilder side of life.
Yeah, the place where you enjoyed yourself.
But I knew what was down that path. Heartache. Soul-crushing destruction. Loneliness. It was better to keep my rigid control than find myself in that frozen, bitter place again.
Fully awake and aware, I straddled the bike behind the mobster. The close proximity was overwhelming. Each point of contact buzzed with an electrical current.
This man was life itself.
When he was sent to prison, I thought I was going to die. It took far too much work to build a life without him.
And where did that life leave you?
The bike careened around a corner, and I clutched Vincenzo. I was breathing hard as we shot out of the parking garage and into the traffic.
Every decision I made was to build a life where I was standing on my own two feet. Now that it had crashed around me, I was surprised to find myself remaining, almost unscathed, in rubble.
That was what being with Vincenzo tempted me into. An unknown future where nothing was certain. But as we wove through cars and barreled down streets, I considered it. I really did.
This was what freedom felt like. No impossible accomplishments weighing me down. No standards that I would never live up to. Just a boy, his bike, and me.
But the ride came to an end, and I let the daydream slip away.
Reality was a harsh taskmaster.
Looking up at the building, I frowned. Vincenzo stared down the street at the Boston Commons, his gaze searching for I didn’t know what. I tapped his shoulder, and he shook himself.
“What are we doing?” I asked after lifting the visor.
He jerked to the café directly beside us. “Grabbing breakfast.”
“And then?”
A smirk was my only answer.
“Enzo, come on, just tell me.” I gripped his hand tight as he helped me off the bike.
One long leg slung over the sleek bike. “Can’t a guy just take his wife out for the day?”
Warmth bloomed in my chest. “I suppose.”
Vincenzo gave me a soft smile before pulling out his phone and tapping out a message on the screen. He slid the device into his pocket a moment later, hesitated, then fell in step beside me. We made it a few paces. My jaw worked back and forth, molars scraping.
Oh, screw it.
I grabbed his arm, looped it over my head, and tucked myself against his body. I couldn’t walk by this man and not have his arm draped over my shoulder. The familiarity was instantly soothing.
That big, hard body seemed to relax—as much as a predator could relax while being constantly alert.
Vincenzo watched the people passing on the street as he opened the door.
His gaze swept over the interior of the café.
He didn’t stop his surveillance as we placed our order.
Going to a table along the far side, he sat with his back against the wall.
Always vigilant.
I took a tentative sip of my cappuccino. The foam dusted my upper lip, and the piping hot liquid slid down my throat. Those black eyes snapped to me, and I was suddenly the center of the monster’s focus.
“You said you’d tell me your plan,” I said, mostly to distract myself from the rush of warmth coursing through me that had nothing to do with the scalding beverage.
Vincenzo leaned forward. His thumb swiped over the corner of my mouth. A sharp tingle of electricity sizzled through me. The buzz of his phone distracted him before he could act.
I cupped my mug, shot a lazy look over my shoulder, and studied our surroundings. When the barista called out the breakfast order, I slid out of the seat to collect it. No sooner was the tray in my hand than energy crackled behind me.
“Grab the sandwich, fiore,” Vincenzo murmured roughly. “We’ve got to go.”
A wordless protest huffed from my lips, but he’d already hooked his arm under mine, capturing my elbow. I had to scramble to keep up with him. A tomato slice slid from my breakfast croissant, falling to splat on the threshold as we exited the café.
“Enzo,” I protested, adjusting my grip on the slippery parchment paper before I lost the whole sandwich.
“Come on.” He hurried down the sidewalk and went to the next door to the left. The glass panel swung open, revealing an atrium to a swanky collection of offices.
“Which way?” he clipped out.
“How the hell should I know—”
“Not you, Mandy.” Vincenzo shot me a look. I realized he was speaking into a wireless headphone and rolled my eyes.
“Got it.” Vincenzo tugged me to the stairwell, pushed through the door, and began to climb.
“What the hell is going on?” I hissed.
“We’ve been followed.”
My stomach dropped. The warm food in my hand no longer smelled appetizing. It made me feel sick.
“Who?” I demanded as we paused on the third landing.
“Just a second.” Vincenzo tipped his head, nodded once, then approached the thick door. The security box blinked green a moment later. He pushed through the door. Below, the sound of the stairwell entrance clanged with a brutal shove.
The door fell shut.
The security box on this side flicked to red.
It seemed…magical. But clearly, Vincenzo had backup supporting him from a distance. I didn’t have the energy to ask. It was all that I could do to breathe.
None of the overhead lights were on, and the office rooms were empty. This place was waiting to be rented. Vincenzo took us to the furthest office, ushered me inside, and then stood waiting behind the glass door.
“They can’t get in,” he said, speaking to me. “We’ll be safe until it’s dealt with.”
Dealt with….
I arched a brow. He caught the silent demand and sighed.
“Your dad sent some of his friends to collect you.”
That statement sent me stumbling. Vincenzo reached out to catch me, but I backed away, going to the wall. I braced myself against the sturdy structure.
“Sent people? Who?” I gasped.
“Mercenaries. We’ve been monitoring him, and my guys just cracked the encrypted transaction.” Vincenzo shifted, casting a quick glance down the hall before refocusing on me. “They were hired to transport you abroad.”
“You’re joking.” I gripped the wall, squishing the sandwich. “Why? Why would he do that?”
“I’m not. I’ll show you the transaction,” Vincenzo growled. “But that doesn’t matter. You’re safe, Mandy. I’m not letting them take you.”
Take me.
Kidnap me.
“Why?” I croaked. My knees gave out, and I slid down to the floor. “He hasn’t called. He said—he said I had time.”
Vincenzo studied me. Something shifted in his hard black gaze, and then he crossed the few feet and crouched in front of me.
“It’s not going to happen.” He peeled the squished sandwich from my fingers, tossed it to the side, then wiped my hand on his thigh. “Boston is my city.”
I shook my head.
“You, Mandy, are my woman.” He placed his hands on my knees, rubbing away the chill that was determined to freeze me.
Not here! I was not having a panic attack. But fighting the oncoming disaster took everything I had. I forced my lungs to expand. Then release. Vincenzo was right there. I let him ground me.
“Do you have a cigarillo?” I whispered, knowing I needed something, and wishing there was alcohol to silence the panic that threatened to drown me.
His voice was velvet. “I don’t smoke.”
Closing my eyes, I tipped my head back and tried to fight back the suffocating defense mechanism my body seemed to think was appropriate. “Pity.”
His hands lifted.
I wanted to beg him to put them back on me. This man, this twisted, dark angel, steadied me.
The smell of tobacco hit the air a second later.
My eyes flashed open. I scowled at the imp. Vincenzo let out a short laugh as he breathed life into the slim cigar between his smirking lips.
“Your hands are shaking.” He pulled the cigarillo from his mouth and looked at it. “Here. This will help.”
“I’ll be fine,” I grumped.
“I know you will.” He didn’t pass the flaming stick to me but rather set it between my lips.
I sucked. Weakly. The taste of the smoke curling over my tongue brought warmth.
Pull yourself together!
This was not how I wanted to handle the situation. I hated just sitting here. Feeling powerless. But a low pitch buzz rang in my ears. Every muscle was locked with fear. The need to find control overwhelmed me. I plucked the cigarillo and exhaled.
“This is too real, Enzo.” I dragged in another inhale, fighting to keep the panic at bay. The delicious tobacco made the suffocating sensation ebb.
“I know it’s a lot, but I’m here. Ready to help.” His hands returned to my knees.
The confession fell from my tongue before I could stop it. This was the monster I knew—the boy I once loved. “I’m not scared of you, Enzo.” I’m scared of having you, depending on you, losing you.
He leaned back, giving me space but not moving from the protective stance. “I’ve got you.”
I ran my right hand through my hair, while taking another taste of the smoke. “I don’t understand my father. I said I would go through with it, but doesn’t he know that there are other ways?”
“He’s scared.” Vincenzo shrugged. “Here, watch this.”
He pulled out his phone, put the phone call that was still live in his ear to the background, and sent me an attachment. He took the cigarillo from me so I could grab my own device.
With shaky hands, I opened the text message and clicked play on the video.
It was Steven in a boat. The quality was surprisingly good given that it was night and they were clearly on the open water.
There was no background noise. The video wasn’t pixelated.
Vincenzo was off camera, but his interrogation was clipped and to the point.
Steven killed his brother to become the next earl.
My dad helped cover it up and was accepting payments for me to marry the murderer.
Dad was going to let that demonic playboy take me.
I never thought….
I never suspected….
Steven? It was all a front. The harmless rich boy was actually a vile creature.
I shook my head, trying to adjust my perception of the aristocrat to the man in the video confessing his crimes.
“In case you are thinking of calling your father, don’t.” Smoke plumed from Vincenzo’s mouth.
If I was shaky before, I trembled now. Trying not to focus on the fact that my dad sent people after me in the present, I let out a wry laugh. “I can’t believe you let him live.”
The monster smirked. “Surprise.”
“You must have scared him good.” I put my phone away and took the cigarillo. This time, the rich smoke gave me the steadying buzz I needed to get a grip on the situation.
“Naturally.” Vincenzo shot a glance to the door and then stood abruptly.
I looked past him to where Bill sauntered down the hall.
“All good, V,” Bill called out when Vincenzo opened the office door. “Clean team is on its way.”
I was glad I hadn’t eaten. I would have had trouble keeping the food down.
There were bodies. Dead people. I gagged. Good lord above, these mobsters were too casual when it came to death.
“Wonderful.” Vincenzo extended his arm to me. “Sorry for the interruption, fiore, but let’s go. We’ll still make our appointment.”
“Appointment?” I pushed myself off the floor, forcing my body to move. The numb muscles protested. My pumps felt like they were too unstable to hold me.
“What? You thought breakfast was all there was?” Vincenzo’s grin went wide.
Just breathe. “We were just…we were just chased.”
“And now the problem is gone.” Vincenzo moved close to drape his arm over my shoulder. I instantly felt steadier. “Come on, let’s take your mind off it.”
Yeah, like that was how it worked.
I didn’t feel like heading back into Boston. Clearly, I wasn’t safe. I had to figure a way out of this before I was caught and forced.
Or…I could trust Enzo to take care of me.
Rubbing my arms, I tried to chase away the raging anxiety coursing through my veins.
The monster’s grip tightened around my shoulders.
That indomitable strength leached into me.
It wasn’t that Vincenzo wasn’t capable. A Made Man like him ruled his territory with an unforgiving control.
I just struggled with the idea of giving up mine.