Chapter 18 Enzo
Enzo
Mattie was already asleep, and the house was finally quiet. Another long day wound down into a peaceful kind of quiet I knew wouldn’t last long.
Ren and I sat on the sofa with a bottle of wine between us, her feet tucked into my lap like no time at all had passed.
It was like this was any other Saturday night where we’d stay inside with wine and pizza, turning on a movie that acted as background noise while we talked, lost in each other.
She leaned against the armrest facing me, relaxed in a way I hadn’t seen at all since she came back into my life.
Her shoulders were loose and her guard lowered just enough that I could sneak in if I wanted to.
I did. Really fucking badly.
The stem of my glass rolled back and forth between my fingers while I watched her talk.
“The nanny was fresh out of college and eager to prove herself, and I’d just taken on a new family with three kids, all under the age of five.
They were chaotic and rambunctious, but she was determined.
One hour later, I was driving to the other side of Houston to help her out.
” She threw her head back and laughed. “I handled it with what I’d like to say was grace, but the minute I was back in my old office, I cried like a baby. ”
“I’m sure you were the epitome of grace.”
She laughed again, smiling all the way up to those blue eyes that haunted my dreams even now. “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”
I leaned in and listened to her the way I used to, like she was the only other person in the world. I listened to the story as if our time here wasn’t limited. “You love your job.”
“I do,” she sighed, pausing to take a long sip from her glass. “This wine is incredible, Enzo.”
“Thanks, it’s from one of my vineyards.”
Her brows shot up. “One of?”
“Yes. I have two in Napa Valley and one large one back in Italy.”
She watched me thoughtfully. “So you know a thing or two about wine?”
“You could say that,” I replied in a teasing voice.
“Well, it’s delicious. And this is nice,” she smiled and raised her glass. “To a rare moment of quiet.”
I raised mine, too. “To the rare moment lasting longer than a moment.” It was better than reminding her that moments like this were fleeting in my life.
“Is that your way of saying the moment won’t last?”
I nodded.
Ren burst out laughing. “Sheesh, Enzo, you really know how to kill a moment.”
“I’m honest,” I said lightly, though my chest tightened. “That’s all.”
She shifted, curling her toes against my thigh. The contact was casual yet intimate. And dangerous. “You really have changed,” she said after a beat.
“So have you.” It wasn’t just her beauty, either. She had earned confidence, and she was so at ease with herself it made me want to know everything I’d missed over the years.
She hummed as if she was considering my words. “I think I like who you are now, Enzo.”
Her words shocked the hell out of me, and I had no fucking clue how to respond, but there was this feeling deep down that I should say something. I opened my mouth, still unsure what to say, when there was a knock at the door. Three sharp raps cut through the moment, effectively killing it.
Ren tensed and her toes dug into my thighs.
I was already on my feet, unlocking the small drawer on the coffee table where one of my guns was located. “Stay here.”
Ren stared at me, finally nodding when she realized I wouldn’t move until she heard and understood me.
I crept to the door, gun aimed at the center.
I stepped to the side wall and opened the panel that revealed the security video monitors, and I saw Luca staring directly into the camera.
When I opened the door, his expression was tight, his brows drawn together and his lips pressed into a flat white line.
Not a social call.
“Luca.”
He nodded and stepped inside. “I have news,” he said and started toward the living room where Ren sat on the edge of the sofa, palms holding her knees as if she thought they might fly away.
She stared at Luca and jumped to her feet. “I’ll leave you guys to it,” she whispered, already moving around the sofa.
“Stay,” Luca demanded harshly.
Ren froze, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. She nodded slowly and then retraced her steps back to the sofa, sinking onto the edge once more.
“Sorry,” Luca added, his tone softer before he turned to me. “You both should probably hear this.”
Ice slid down to my gut, and I nodded once. “What’s going on?”
Luca stepped around the sofa and dropped onto the plush chair that faced the fireplace, and his eyes flicked briefly to Ren before locking back on me. “I hunted down the footage from around the fish plant like you said. It was the Russians.”
My jaw clenched even though I knew that would be the case. “We expected that.”
“But,” he continued, “we picked one up.” He paused again and flicked another glance in Ren’s direction. “We questioned him, and he said they had no idea what that facility actually did until someone tipped them off. Told them it’d put a kink in DeRossi plans if they took it out.”
“Fuck,” I muttered. The Russians were just the fucking bullet, but someone else was acting as the gun.
Luca nodded. “The cameras showed the Russians parked the bomb in front of the plant and walked off.”
Someone had drawn a fucking map. “Do we know who?” I asked, finishing my wine and setting the glass down harder than necessary.
“Not yet.” He exhaled. “But the info from the nanny agency helped more than we expected.”
Ren straightened. “How?”
Luca turned to Ren. “The dead guy,” he said bluntly. “He used his real social security number. He was special forces, as Damien suspected, and he became a freelance hired gun.”
The weight of Ren’s gaze on me was sharp and steady, but she said nothing. Gave away nothing.
Luca went on. “He worked through his brother, a PI out of West Hollywood who specializes in fraud, embezzlement, and corporate espionage.” He turned to me. “His biggest clientele is husbands and wives who suspect their soon-to-be-exes are hiding cash.”
Ren tilted her head as she refilled her glass and slid it to Luca. “Why do you look like the cat who got the canary?”
He nodded. “Because I am.”
That piqued my interest. “Explain.”
“That PI?” Luca said, shaking his head. “He was hired during a messy divorce about six years ago.”
My stomach dropped before he even finished.
“Lena,” I growled.
“Lena,” Luca confirmed. “She hired that PI when she divorced David.”
The room went still.
“Holy shit,” Ren whispered. “David is your cousin, right?”
I nodded, surprised she remembered. “Any link to the Russians?” There had to be a fucking link.
Luca shook his head. “None that we’ve found. Yet.”
Which meant this wasn’t a clean alliance born of loyalty or even a shared outcome. It was opportunistic.
“Who benefits if you fall apart?” Ren asked suddenly.
Both Luca’s gaze and mine swung to her.
She didn’t even flinch. “If your businesses take hits, the Russians benefit financially, yes? But if you look reckless or if your control slips, who comes out on top?”
Luca let out a low whistle and shook his head before finishing the glass of wine. “She’s sharp.”
“She always has been,” I said, looking at her like I was still the lovesick twenty-something she knew way back when.
“We’re not done digging,” Luca added, his tone sober once again. “But this feels more personal than it seemed at first.”
I had to agree, and as much as I hated it, this wasn’t about territory or money, at least not just about money. Someone wanted leverage—over me. The question was why. What did they want?
Ren looked up and met my gaze. “You think the kidnapping and the Russians are all coming from someone within your organization.”
I gave one sharp nod. “Seems likely.”
Luca sucked in a deep breath. “Thorn is already digging into our top suspects to see who’s had any kind of digital or in-person connection to the Russians.”
“Good,” I nodded. “Let’s see what shakes out.” Whatever happened, I wouldn’t like it, but I would have to act on it. No matter how close the threat was.
Luca stood and smacked his hands together, sighing heavily before he turned to look at me. It was a long moment of silent communication that I understood all too well.
Shit’s about to get real, his gaze said.
I know, and I’m ready, I silently assured him.
“It’s just a matter of time,” he said out loud. “If they don’t find you, they will manufacture a reason to get you to come out of hiding.”
“I’m aware.”
Luca nodded. “I’m going to check in with the guys, and then I’m off.”
I didn’t ask where he was headed because it wasn’t relevant. When this shit was all over, I owed Luca a raise and a vacation. I locked the door and joined Ren on the sofa. “You okay?” I asked once it was just us again.
She nodded slowly and then shrugged. “I mean, yeah? It’s a lot, but I needed to hear it. Thank you,” she said softly. “For looping me in.”
“You needed to understand, and since you’re staying, it was necessary.” There were more reasons, but I wasn’t ready to acknowledge them, never mind voice them.
She nodded. “Sleep might not come easily tonight, but it’s better to know than to be in the dark.”
“I will keep you safe, Ren.”
She lifted her hand and placed it on my chest. She didn’t push or pull, just rested her hand over the calm, steady thrum of my heart. “I believe you.” Her blue gaze stared into me, serious, dark, and heavy.
The moment was charged, fiery, and electric, but neither of us acted on the heat, just the intimacy.
Not yet.
Instead, Ren leaned her head on my shoulder, curling her legs underneath her like our night of wine and conversation hadn’t been shattered to dust.
I don’t know how the fuck I managed, but for the first time all day, I allowed myself to breathe.