Chapter 17 Serenity
Serenity
The thirtieth day felt heavier than it should have when it arrived.
It was supposed to be an end point—a line in the sand.
Thirty days with Enzo and Mattie, and then reassess.
Thirty days and I would decide what came next.
Except it didn’t feel like a decision; it felt a lot like an inevitability.
I’d made the decision to stay, yet I still felt reluctant.
I packed everything I would need to put in a full day at ENS, which mostly consisted of files, my laptop, and notes I’d scribbled over the past thirty days of things I wanted to accomplish.
I’d stayed on top of social media, job postings, and training memos.
I was ready to get back to my normal life, even if only for one day.
Enzo insisted on joining me—not as security, he’d made that abundantly clear—because he didn’t want to be separated from Mattie, and Mattie wanted to see my office.
I didn’t argue because what would be the point?
Enzo would still end up where he wanted to be.
So we all piled into his SUV and drove to the city together, listening to Mattie as he happily chattered in the backseat.
He gave a detailed summary of his new favorite book, his voice bright and unbothered, exactly how it should have been.
I envied children and their ability to exist fully in the moment, to be shielded from outside dangers.
It was a blessing he deserved and one I wished for, more these days than ever before.
At the office, I put Enzo and Mattie in one of my two conference rooms, shutting the door behind them.
It was odd, the two different parts of my life intersecting so visibly.
Seeing Enzo there in my space, his tall, broad-shouldered body so out of place in the sleek, utterly feminine decor, was jarring.
It was such a clear contrast, such a blaring siren screaming at me that he didn’t belong here.
Not here in the existential sense, but just that anyone who was watching would notice how much he stood out. Let’s just hope that no one is watching. Before I could process that thought further, a knock sounded on my office door and Toni strolled in.
“Good morning, boss lady.” She grinned and her brows wiggled as she took the seat across the desk from me. “So. Are we pretending nothing interesting happened while you were gone, or—”
I cut her off with a look.
She sobered instantly, but her lips still smirked. “Okay. Not nothing, but we’re not talking about it.”
“I’m staying on,” I said quietly. It was best to just say the words quickly and let them hang in the air.
Her eyes widened. “Staying… staying?”
I nodded, ignoring my racing heart. “Yes,” I exhaled. “Until this is over.”
“And how long is that gonna be?” There was an edge mixed with worry to the question.
“I have no idea,” I answered honestly. “It’s open-ended, but if I can swing it, I plan to come in once a month to keep everything on track.” I hadn’t talked to Enzo about that, but as long as the danger didn’t escalate, I was sure he wouldn’t have a problem with it.
Toni leaned back in her seat, arms folded over her chest, legs crossed at the knees, her gaze studying me a little too hard. “This is still dangerous?”
I nodded. “There is a looming threat,” I offered vaguely. “So far, nothing has come of it.”
“But it could,” she said instead of asking.
I nodded again.
“Serenity,” she sighed.
“I know,” I said, holding my hands up. “That’s why I had to take this job instead of anyone else.” That’s what I kept telling myself.
Toni thought about it for a long moment before she nodded and met my gaze again. “What do you need from me?”
My shoulders relaxed, and I realized I’d expected her to throw her hands up and tell me I was on my own. “I just need you to be careful, Toni. Really and extremely careful. If anything feels off, tell me about it. If people start asking questions they shouldn’t, tell me about it.”
“Yeah, I can do that.” She nodded again, slowly, before she sat up taller. “Actually, there is something. I thought it was weird, but then I figured I was just imagining things, but…” she said, and the rest of that statement trailed off.
“What?” I asked, my pulse ticking up to a full gallop.
“A couple came in about a week ago. They wanted to hire a nanny, but they were very vague about it and didn’t even bring the kid. They didn’t have a lot of details, and they never followed up.” Her red brows crinkled as she thought about it.
“That happens sometimes,” I said, though unease prickled at the base of my spine. Sure, we did have people who didn’t follow up, but given everything, this seemed important.
“Yeah, I know, but it just felt off. Then last week,” Toni continued, “a woman came in alone to apply as a nanny, and I swear it was the same woman.”
I stared at her. “You’re sure?”
“Not positive, but I’m pretty sure,” she answered and then snapped her fingers. “Hang on.” She exited my office and returned a minute later with two folders, setting them side by side on my desk.
I picked up one folder and then the other with cold, shaking hands. As I opened one folder, I was feeling pretty smug about keeping Enzo’s paperwork with me instead of inside the ENS offices. “Thank you, Toni.”
“Yeah, of course,” she said, still standing with her arms folded as she watched me closely. Too closely. “Are you okay, Serenity—I mean, really okay?”
“Yes,” I answered easily, but I realized it was a lie and corrected myself. “I know this is a lot to process, Toni—everything—but I am well aware of this situation, and I am committed to seeing it through for Mattie’s sake.” And maybe—just a little—for Enzo’s.
I finished off my checklist, which included payroll, printing checks, scheduling direct deposit payments, and new placement approvals.
Muscle memory carried me through most of the tasks while my mind fixated on the couple and the nanny applicant.
I didn’t have any concrete answers, only wild speculations, and by the time the day ended, I was a wreck and felt on the verge of an anxiety attack.
Enzo and Mattie were still inside the conference room, and I stood on the other side of the door, gripping the handle without moving.
Just do it, I commanded myself before taking a deep breath to steel my emotions.
And then I opened the door. Mattie was curled up asleep on one of the chairs from the lobby, and his father stared at me with the intensity of a man with demons.
“We need to talk.”
He gave one short nod, his gaze never leaving my face.
I laid out both folders on the table with the applications and photos of the couple and the nanny applicant. Then, in dramatic fashion, I laid two surveillance images Toni had retrieved on top. “This couple came in looking for a nanny, and then this woman applied to be a nanny.”
He studied all the images carefully, his face an unreadable mask. “That’s them,” he said, his voice cool and certain.
I thought so too, but hearing him confirm it made me feel better and less crazy. “The hikers, right?”
He nodded once. “That’s them.”
Anxiety bubbled inside my gut. “So they weren’t hikers.” It felt good to know my instincts weren’t wrong, but fear niggled that danger had been so close.
“No,” he said gently, his gaze softening when our gazes collided. “The man is dead,” he said plainly.
Dead. That word landed hard, but it wasn’t the fact of the statement—the man was dead—it was the way Enzo said it, in that flat and controlled voice, as if it didn’t matter to him.
I reminded myself that he told me I would see this side of him and I might not like it. This is his world, I told myself.
“Do you think the woman is still around?”
“Yes,” he answered quickly. “I need to figure out who hired her.” His jaw clenched as if that one fact was causing him anxiety.
I pulled the small pink USB from my pocket and laid it right in front of him. “This is everything they submitted—applications and photos.”
His lips twitched. “It’s all probably lies, Ren.”
My jaw clenched. “Maybe so,” I conceded.
“But my system weeds out most bullshit early in the process. If even a shred of it holds up, it might be worth looking into.” I watched him, waiting for him to doubt me again.
He didn’t. “Also, they filled it out digitally and sent it through the ENS database, so maybe have your people look into it.”
His brows rose. “My people?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “Hackers, henchmen, muscle, enforcers, and bagmen. People.”
He laughed softly, but his eyes crinkled at the corners, and once again, I saw a glimpse of the man I used to love. “When did you get hip to mob lingo, Ren?”
I crossed my arms and lifted my chin. “I watch movies,” I insisted.
His smile faded into something more serious. “Thank you, Ren. This matters.”
“You’re welcome. Ready to get out of here?”
He nodded and started gathering Mattie and his belongings while I found Toni near the front door.
She hugged me tight. “Take care of yourself, Serenity. You matter too.”
I squeezed her back and nodded. “I promise I will. I’ll also be in touch regularly.” I watched Toni slip into the passenger seat of a sleek black SUV that I knew her billionaire husband demanded carry her to and from the office. I was suddenly incredibly thankful for his foresight.
Enzo settled Mattie in the backseat while I fastened my seatbelt in the passenger seat, and then we were on our way back to Lucky.
The house came into view as the sun dipped low, light spilling through the trees. It felt like home.
That realization unsettled me because I wasn’t sure how, or when, it happened.
And I wasn’t sure what it would cost to make it true.