Chapter 10
Enzo
Ren’s question wouldn’t leave me alone. It followed me through the house at all hours.
It was there while I sat through meetings and endured security briefings.
It lingered in the back of my mind as I went through the books.
In the quiet moments when the property felt almost peaceful.
Her words didn’t come from fear or judgment or accusation.
And how does threatening a child accomplish that?
It was a damn good question that forced me to take a step back and think. The Russians didn’t operate that way, and they never had.
They kidnapped and they disappeared people. They made examples for the world to see. These threats were sloppy and amateurish, meant to scare instead of control. And fear without any kind of follow-through was…useless.
Fucking useless.
I’d been turning those words over in my head since Ren asked the question, and now that I had Luca’s ear, I confided in him. “There’s a chance we have two enemies,” I finally blurted out.
He looked up from the tablet on his lap, brows creased and lips pursed in a frown. “Two?”
“Yeah,” I nodded, explaining the conversation with Ren, word for word.
“She’s right. What do the Russians get out of threatening to kidnap Matteo?
The Russians don’t threaten to kidnap; they kidnap.
” The question had slapped me right where I needed it to, and now I can’t stop thinking about it.
“Ever since she asked, I can’t shake it. ”
Luca leaned back, thoughtful as usual before he spoke. “That’s not…wrong.”
“And if this isn’t them,” I started, “then someone wants me distracted and afraid. Reactive.”
Luca nodded, his expression shifting from easygoing to deadly serious in a flash. “There’s something else, Enzo.”
“What?” My heart sped up so quick and so loud, I barely heard his next words.
“Your cousin, David,” he sighed. “His kid, Ella, was threatened last week.”
My jaw tightened. “David is a fucking accountant, and he doesn’t even work for the family.” He was the one who got out properly, never had to dirty his hands even though he got the benefits of being a DeRossi.
“Yeah, but he is a DeRossi,” Luca replied. “And Ella made an easy target, a freshman living off campus in the big city.”
It was the right play if you wanted to force someone’s hand, but it still didn’t feel right. “That doesn’t make sense, though. Does it?” Leverage and pressure were the name of the game, but there was a piece missing. “The Russians haven’t made any demands.”
“Yet.”
“You don’t find that ass-backwards?”
Luca nodded. “I do, and I’ll look into it. I promise.”
“Yeah, all right. In the meantime, let’s put extra protection on Ella. Tell no one and have them report directly to you. Only to you.”
“Got it.”
We sat in silence for a beat, the weight of it all settling between us. A potential traitor in our mix or an unknown enemy.
Then Luca smirked. “So. How are things going with Serenity?” His grin went even wider. “She’s still hot.”
I rolled my eyes, but there was an unstoppable smile on my face. “She’s fucking gorgeous, grew up even better than I guessed. But,” I sighed heavily, “she still hates me. Less than yesterday, but her feelings are still squarely in the hate column.”
He laughed. “That’s progress.”
“It’s something,” I agreed. “I told her the truth,” I added. “All of it. Somehow that made things better and worse at the same time.” I understood where she was coming from, and I thought she understood me too, but that didn’t translate into forgiveness. At least not yet. “It’s fine,” I lied.
“You’re a horrible fucking liar for a mob boss.” Luca shook his head, laughing at me in a way very few men could. “Look, Enzo, you still have it bad for Serenity. You always did.”
“Luca,” I warned, but he held up a hand to stop me.
“No disrespect, but it’s the fuckin’ truth. I told you back then to bring her into the fold, and you didn’t listen. You were miserable other than at the birth of Matteo. Don’t even try denying it.”
I wouldn’t. I couldn’t.
“This is your chance, so lose the fucking suits while you’re out here in the middle of nowhere. Throw on jeans and a t-shirt, the shit she remembers you in. Play that up and remind her how amazing you were together.”
I barked out a laugh. “Are you a dating guru all of a sudden?”
“Who says it’s sudden?” He grinned. “Women love me. I love women. You should listen.”
“I’ve got other things to worry about.” Like the Russians. The unknown threat to Matteo. Being in close quarters with the love of my life.
“Sure,” he said easily. “But not twenty-four hours a day. Lots of long, lonely nights out here in Lucky.” He wiggled his brows. “Just sayin’.”
I rolled my eyes, but I was smiling despite myself. “I’ll take it under advisement,” I said diplomatically. “You staying for dinner?”
His expression brightened. “Definitely. I need to go get the security guys settled though. There’s a guest property about a mile to the south. They can see the property,” he explained. “Just press six on any phone and it’ll connect right to them.”
I nodded. “Thanks, Luca.”
“Anything for my brother.” He grinned and left me alone with my thoughts, so full of Ren and the looming danger.
My mind was too full of Ren to do anything but seek her out, and I found her and Matteo in the kitchen, which smelled heavenly. “What smells so good in here?”
“It’s just vegetables, Papa.” Matteo’s voice was so full of disappointment I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Vegetables are important if you want to get big and strong like your papa,” Ren teased. “Don’t forget to stir.”
My son stood on a stool beside Ren at the stove. They wore matching aprons and smiles as they cooked. “Like this, right?”
“Perfect, Chef.”
He giggled.
“Will there be enough for Luca? I invited him for dinner.”
She nodded. “These gross vegetables are going into a lasagna,” she said more to Matteo than to me. “You’ll love it, and that’ll be all the thanks I need.”
The door opened and Luca strode in wearing a satisfied grin that usually came after he did something mischievous. “Evening, Serenity. Boys.” He patted his belly. “It smells amazing in here, Serenity. Marry me?”
She grinned and rolled her eyes. “So easy,” she teased.
He shrugged. “It was worth a shot. But since I can’t possibly be here with that kind of rejection sitting between us, how about me and you go have dinner with the guys, Mattie? They’re having pizza.”
His eyes lit up, darting from Luca to me and then to Ren.
“Go on. I’ll save you some lasagna,” she said, flicking a gaze to me. “If it’s okay with your dad.”
“It’s fine,” I sighed reluctantly.
Matteo hopped off the stool with an excited grin, removing his apron and grabbing Leo in one hand, taking Luca’s hand in the other. “Let’s go!”
“Real smooth, Luca,” Ren said, laughing as they disappeared.
Luca winked at me before they left.
Meddling asshole.
I waited for Ren to make up a reason to get away from me, but she didn’t. Instead, she moved silently, finishing up the sauce before she layered the lasagna, covered it, and popped it into the oven. “The second-best part of making lasagna is the wine you drink while waiting for it to cook.”
I took the hint and opened a bottle of red, pouring two healthy glasses. “For the chef.”
She grinned as she accepted the glass, removing her apron before she flung herself into one of the seats. And then she surprised the hell out of me. “So,” she said, swirling her wine, “what is it exactly that you do, Enzo?”
I met her gaze. No deflection. No performance. “I’m the CEO, so to speak. I oversee multiple businesses and broker deals. Keep the peace. Do whatever’s necessary to make the organization thrive.”
She nodded. “Do you like it?”
“I don’t think anyone has ever asked me that before.
” For that reason, I gave the question careful consideration.
“I don’t dislike it, but it’s not what I had in mind for my future.
It’s not what my father wanted either.” I paused, thinking of the parts of the job I had to learn in real time.
“It’s mostly the same elements as the business world with a bit more brutality. And a slight bit more illegality.”
She laughed softly as she sipped her wine.
“Are you disappointed in me, Ren?” It mattered to me what she thought, even all these years later. I couldn’t stop the question, so I braced myself and prepared for her answer.
She sighed thoughtfully before she looked up at me, studying my face with a soft expression.
“I’m not disappointed in you, Enzo. I am disappointed for you.
It’s not what I would’ve chosen for you,” she answered gently.
“But I do think it’s admirable that you stepped up to protect your family and your employees. ”
I blinked. “Employees?”
She nodded, her shoulders shrugging. “If you are the CEO, then they are your employees. They depend on you, and you considered them when you made your decision. That matters, Enzo.”
My heart squeezed tight in my chest, that feeling so powerful it stole my breath. Hope swelled, wild and foolish and carefree, and I knew it wasn’t going away anytime soon. It was here to stay.
And for the first time since I crashed back into Ren’s life, I believed that maybe there was still a chance for us.