Chapter 27 Serenity
Serenity
“He’ll be here soon.” David sounded almost giddy as he paced the studio, checking his watch for the third time in as many minutes.
The gun never wavered from where it was aimed, straight at my chest. It was such a casual move, despite the deliberate nature of every move he made.
He wanted to force Enzo to imagine exactly how I would die the moment he arrived.
“You really think he’ll give you what you want?” I kept my voice steady. Mocking him felt dangerous, but silence felt worse, so I settled for something in the middle.
“He won’t have much of a choice,” David said brightly. “Not if he wants you to live.” That pleased him. I could see it in the way his smile stretched and the flicker of joy in his eyes. This wasn’t about power alone. He wanted to punish Enzo, to make him suffer. All of this was revenge.
I really didn’t want to antagonize him, but I had to distract him. “If Enzo wanted me more than the family business,” I said, “he had seventeen years to prove it. He didn’t.” The words stung me too, but I pushed through it. He needed to doubt himself and his ridiculous plan.
David scoffed. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I laughed a laugh I didn’t feel. “I think I’m the only one here who knows what she’s talking about. This was all a fluke, David. He didn’t know I was here, and he didn’t come here for me. I’m just watching Matteo.”
“Bullshit,” he snarled. “Even if it was just an accident, there’s no fucking way you two are under the same roof and nothing happened.”
He was right. “That’s water under the bridge,” I said, trying for casual.
“I guess we’ll find out.” He crossed his arms, chin lifted high and defiant.
He was determined, I’d give him that. But still, I wanted answers. “Then what happens,” I pressed, “if you’re wrong? If he tells you that he doesn’t care about me at all?”
His jaw clenched and worry flickered, but it was gone quickly. “He won’t.”
“But what if you’re wrong?” I tilted my head. “What then, David?”
For just a moment, his mask slipped, and beneath it, I saw the scared, pathetic man he was.
He was sure of his plan, as long as no one questioned it.
But the way his lips curled angrily, I knew he wasn’t thinking clearly.
“Then I will kill you both.” The anger faded, replaced by an oh-so-pleased smile.
My stomach churned at the ease and the joy on his face. I knew killing was part of life for the mafia or the mob, but I kept my expression impassive, nodding. “So what’s the plan, then?” I asked. “You make Enzo step down, and then what?”
He frowned. “Then everything is mine, obviously.” His frown darkened. “What do you mean?” The spark of interest in his eyes gave me hope.
“Well,” I began slowly, choosing my words carefully. “Removing Enzo is only the first hurdle. He’s the leader. A friend. A foe. The boss. He’s garnered loyalty and respect over all this time. Do you think you’ll just be able to step into that role?”
Fear flickered in his eyes. And worse than that, uncertainty. He recovered fast, but not fast enough. “I have men,” he snapped. “Men who’ll back me.”
That much was true, I was sure. There were plenty of men and women who would help for the right price. “Men like the ones hiding throughout this place?” I asked, each word calm and gentle.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said a little too quickly. His words were completely unconvincing, but I let the lie ride.
“Okay.” Weeks of living under constant protection and nonstop surveillance had trained my ear, and I knew I wasn’t wrong.
He’d raised the gun again, making sure I couldn’t take my eyes off it. Alarm flickered in his gaze, but he was too angry to give it much weight. “Don’t worry about any of that. Just sit there and look pretty. Do your fucking part and you might make it out of here alive.”
I wanted to believe that, but this man was an unhinged liar, and nothing he said could be trusted.
“Now, sit tall and look pathetic. He’ll be here any minute now.” He took a few steps forward and raised the gun until my eyes crossed from looking at it. “Don’t do anything stupid. I won’t hesitate to kill you, especially knowing how much it’d gut my cousin.”
Yes, you will, I thought but once again kept it to myself.
The large metal door opened, followed a moment later by the sound of footsteps echoing against the walls. My heart slammed against my ribs.
Enzo walked in alone.
Where is his security? Why isn’t Luca with him?
I sat up taller and took in every detail I could.
He looked exhausted, like he hadn’t had a moment of peace since last night.
His jaw was shadowed with stubble, but he was still devastatingly handsome in a dark suit with no tie.
He wasn’t the businessman today; he was the mafia leader.
He was the man I loved wrapped in designer clothes and lethal calm.
His gaze found mine instantly, emotion flashing there for half a second before disappearing behind iron control. “You okay?” he asked quietly.
I nodded. “Getting to know your cousin.”
“Enough,” David snapped, waving the gun at me. “Enough with the reunion bullshit.” He kept the gun on me, but his gaze went to Enzo. “We need to talk.”
Enzo folded his arms. “I’m listening.” He looked calm and relaxed, which should have been the first clue that this wouldn’t go how David thought it would. But he was too drunk on power to notice.
He opened his mouth to speak, but I interrupted.
“David wants your job,” I said simply, stealing whatever speech he’d been about to unleash.
David glared at me.
“Sorry?”
“Keep your fucking mouth shut!” David shouted loudly, jabbing the gun closer to my throat.
I held his gaze, unflinching even as my heart raced like crazy.
Earlier, I was mildly afraid of him, but now that Enzo was here and that crazed look had returned to David’s eyes, the fear was genuine.
My hands were suddenly cold even though his attention was fully on Enzo now, which was exactly where I wanted it.
“The family business is mine,” David declared. “You step down, and you both walk out of here alive.”
Enzo smiled. It was slow and dangerous. “Is that all you want?” he asked mildly.
David nodded eagerly. “Yes.” He wanted it so bad his body vibrated with it.
“Done.”
David blinked in confusion. His earlier pride had deflated—disappointed he hadn’t gotten the fight he desperately wanted. “Don’t fuck with me, Lorenzo.”
“I never wanted any of this,” Enzo continued, his voice eerily calm as his gaze landed on mine. “I only wanted Ren. You know that.”
My chest tightened. The sincerity in those words was undeniable.
David groaned. “Yeah, we all knew how much you wanted her.” He rolled his eyes.
“So,” Enzo sighed, “does this mean we can go?”
David hesitated, seeming to consider if this was genuine or a trap. Then, he nodded. “You hand everything over, and yes.”
Enzo crossed the room and knelt in front of me, carefully cutting the ties at my wrists.
Blood rushed painfully back into my hands.
I shook them instinctively, gasping as the tingles brought my fingers back to life, and Enzo immediately wrapped his big hands around my wrists, rubbing gently until all I felt was his touch.
“You okay?” he asked again in a soft, tender voice.
I nodded, leaning into him as he pulled me into his chest. His arms were solid. Real. The hug was exactly what I needed in that moment, the real sense of belonging to this man, of handing my heart to him. Again.
My eyes slid closed for just a second while I let myself savor being here with him again. I wasn’t sure it would happen, and it felt damn good, even though I was incredibly aware of the way David watched us.
“Keep walking,” Enzo whispered against my hair. “No matter what.”
I nodded silently, swallowing down my fear and anxiety before I pressed my palm to his when he took my hand. We made it about halfway across the room before David spoke again.
“Looks like you were wrong, Ms. Masters. You are much more than the nanny to him.” His words were punctuated by the sound of the gun clicking.
I froze dead in my tracks and turned slowly.
The barrel was aimed straight at me. Again.
“It’s too bad I can’t let him walk away with that kind of happiness,” David groaned, shaking his head. “Not after everything.”
My heart galloped in my chest. Fear, real and visceral, enveloped me, and I squeezed Enzo’s hand tighter.
Enzo, for his part, looked like a man who was unbothered by the drama. “You don’t want to do that, David.” His words came out simply, as if he were warning a child against something harmful but mildly so. Each syllable was a warning I didn’t think David would heed.
“Yeah,” he laughed. “Why is that?”
“Because,” he answered slowly, “I have two men in Puerto Rico.”
I didn’t know what that meant, but David did because his eyes widened. The fear from earlier was back, but it was more intense. “You wouldn’t.”
“Do you really want to find out?” Enzo asked the question with the same terrifying calm. “Lower the gun.” Those words were wrapped in danger. “Now.”
David snarled. “Don’t tell me what to do!”
“You went after my kid,” Enzo said. “You fed intel to the Russians regarding our operations. You are not thinking clearly. Somebody needs to tell you what to do.”
“I’m thinking clearer than ever,” David snapped. “You’re not leaving here alive.”
Enzo smiled as though he’d just heard a slightly funny joke. “Your men were dead before I walked in here.” The words landed like a hammer.
David laughed nervously. “You’re lying.”
“No,” Enzo said. “I’m just better at this than you are.” He shook his head. “You never were good at the details, David.”
The cousins stared each other down for a long moment.
“Two men at each door. Down the halls and on the roof. All counted. All dead.” He shrugged. “You always forget the details.”
I looked at Enzo and saw this other side of him, and I wasn’t repulsed. I wasn’t scared. If anything, it was a thrill to see the other side of him in action. He was so controlled, like a tight coil ready to strike. He was well aware of the damage he could do, and that was why he held himself back.
David shouted for his men, but no one answered. The silence was deafening, and then the panic set in. He called out several more times, each one growing more frantic. “Where the fuck is everyone?” David lifted the gun again, this time taking aim at my head.
Before I could swallow my fear, Enzo pulled out his gun and shot him. Three times in quick succession. Two to the chest. One to the head. It was lightning quick, done before fear could take over. Again.
I gasped, the sound tearing out of me as David’s eyes went wide, and then he crumpled to the floor.
“Don’t look,” Enzo ordered me, pulling me against his chest before his arms wrapped around me. I happily buried my face in his broad chest, locking out the rest of the world for just a moment.
Men, at least a dozen of them, armed with guns, rushed inside and looked around the room in search of danger. They moved in perfect, choreographed steps around the studio until the whole place was clear. When they found nobody else, they lowered their guns and looked to Enzo for direction.
I couldn’t make out their words; everything sounded like it was underwater, but eventually, Enzo shuffled me out of the studio and into a big black SUV. His arms never left me as the engine started and the car slowly began to move.
I waited for the emotions to hit me. The fear. The relief. The anger. Anything.
But nothing came. The numbness was all that was there, other than Enzo’s steady hold, which reminded me that I was alive.
I was alive, and for now, that was enough.