Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
“You’ve really pissed her off,” Jameson Drake said.
Enzo chuckled. “I know. That was the plan.”
“How is she really?”
“She’s getting there. When I arrived, she looked shell-shocked. I think she was… struggling.”
“That’s why you’re getting her angry,” Drake commented.
“Exactly. The anger snapped her out of it. Now she’s just pissed off, which is much better than being lost and in shock.
She’ll be fine, but I’ll keep an eye on her.
I’ll get her through dinner, and then we’ll see.
I’ll make sure she feels comfortable in her room.
It might be good to have your security just review it with her, so she knows she’s safe. ”
“That’s a great idea,” Drake commented, then let out a long breath. “Thank you.”
“It’s not a problem. Happy to do it. I’ve got nothing but time on my hands these days.”
“How is retired life?”
“Slow,” Enzo replied.
Drake laughed. “You should be happy you are still alive. I imagine not too many people get to retire from the mob at such a young age. At any age, for that matter.”
“Yeah, well, retirement may not be all it’s cracked up to be.
” He’d made it sound like a joke, but it was very much a reality for him.
He was bored out of his mind and totally at a loss about what to do with the next chapter of his life.
He had to keep reminding himself that he was happy to be out of the mob business.
And he was. He just thought he would be busier somehow.
Sitting around drinking wine was only fun for so long, then it was a problem.
Drake chuckled. “Well, let me know if you want a job.”
“I don’t think so, but thanks for the offer anyway.
” He’d already thought of working for Drake and knew his friend would give him any job he wanted, but it wasn’t for him.
It smacked too much of a handout, and there was no way in hell he was going to take any kind of charity at this stage in life.
He’d hated asking for help at any point, but now he supposedly had the world by the tail, so no way would he tell anyone he wasn’t happy.
“I’m going to get back to your sister. Don’t worry—I’ll take care of her,” Enzo said, trying to reassure his friend.
“I’m counting on it.” Drake clicked off the call.
Enzo looked at his phone and scanned a couple of emails—nothing of major importance. He was retired, but still had a few irons in the fire. Nothing mafia-related, but still something. Sadly, those random emails didn’t keep him nearly as busy as he had hoped.
He headed back toward the dining room, glancing around at the crowd. Mostly well-heeled couples, a few families, and one woman sitting by herself at the bar. She shot him a smile. He gave her a nod but didn’t engage further. That wasn’t what he was here for. Besides, she was way too young for him.
He glanced over to Kathleen’s table and realized the table was empty. Restroom, maybe? He walked over to the table and sat down, just as Antonio came forward.
“Um, Signora Drake has decided to have dinner in her room,” the waiter said. “She asked that you let her be.”
Enzo grinned. That minx. He loved it. She was whip-smart, just like her brother, and she had a fiery temper to match. The red hair didn’t hurt either. Kathleen Drake was certainly… interesting.
“No, that won’t be necessary,” Enzo said smoothly. “If you could send mine up with Signora Drake’s, I’ll be joining her in her room.”
“Um…” Antonio hesitated.
Enzo switched to Italian. “Women,” he said with a shrug. “You know how they are. She’ll be fine once I get up there.”
The waiter gave a small shrug of his own and replied, “They are difficult creatures,” before nodding and walking back toward the kitchen.
Enzo got up and started out of the dining room. The woman at the bar caught his attention with a sudden flurry of motion. She looked almost panicked about something. Whatever it was, it wasn’t any of his business.
He headed out of the restaurant and moved toward the elevators.
Whatever had rattled some random woman wasn’t his concern right now.
His attention was focused solely on Kathleen Drake.
A smile split his face. Oh, he was going to enjoy this evening with Kathleen.
It was going to be the highlight of his week.