Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Enzo sat at the table, gazing at the staircase long after Kathleen disappeared upstairs.
The next three days would be endless. He had to remember to keep the beguiling woman at arm’s length.
Jamie would kill him if he did anything else.
That should have been enough to keep his thoughts in check…
but it wasn’t. She was beautiful. Funny.
Smart. And God, he loved that attitude of hers.
Sharp and unyielding, quick with a comeback, and not the least bit intimidated by him.
She appealed to him in more ways than he cared to admit.
But she was Jamie’s older sister. He had to remember that.
He glanced at his phone, thinking back over the call he’d just finished.
Giuseppe had tracked down the thief. Enzo had called him, arranging to meet the man and, apparently, his partners tonight, which was both a blessing and a curse.
It gave them a plan, but it also gave him hours to think, and Enzo hated sitting still.
He’d asked Giuseppe for more details on the thief, but all Giuseppe knew was the guy worked with two others.
A man and a woman. They were discreet and very good at what they did.
Stealing was just part of their repertoire.
Apparently, they were what could be called problem solvers.
No killing, but they would help with just about any other problem that needed solving that was on the wrong side of the law.
Enzo grabbed another slice of bacon and took a bite.
He’d chosen Milano for a reason. He had connections there, people he could trust if things went sideways.
Doing the exchange in Switzerland had crossed his mind, but he’d dismissed it immediately.
He didn’t know Lugano the same way, didn’t have the same network, and calling in extra people here would only make things messy and draw attention.
No, Milano was safer. Closer. Cleaner.
He’d deliberately left the exact meeting spot vague when he’d spoken to the thief. He’d suggested a general area but nothing more, knowing the other man would counter with his own location. It was a dance Enzo had played before… Offer flexibility while retaining the advantage.
If the thieves were smart, this would be simple.
They’d get Ernie back, Enzo would get Kathleen clear of the mess, and that would be the end of it.
But if the bastard decided Kathleen was a liability, if he worried that she could identify him, talk to the cops, or cause trouble later, that was where the risk came in.
And Enzo did not like risks involving her.
Still, it was the cleanest solution they had, and Jamie had agreed with his assessment earlier when they’d gone over the details. It was the best way forward.
Now all Enzo had to do was get Kathleen to relax… and trust him enough to do what he said. Of everything in this little operation, he suspected that was going to be the hard part. If she fought him on everything, the way she had so far, this was going to get complicated fast.
He exhaled slowly, dragging a hand over his jaw, and made himself a plate from the breakfast spread. Might as well eat while he could. Tonight, things were going to move fast, and he’d need every ounce of focus to keep her safe.
Enzo steered his car out of the hotel parking lot.
The drive was a short one normally, an hour and a half or so, but he intended to take a more circuitous route…
just in case. If anyone was looking for them, they would check the highway.
Using the less-traveled roads gave them a bit of cover.
Plus, it was early, and they had the whole day ahead of them.
Kathleen seemed nervous. Her hands were clasped so tightly in her lap that her knuckles were a little white.
“Nervous?” he asked.
Her hands fluttered apart, and she flexed them. “No. No, not nervous.” She sighed. “Okay, maybe a little. This whole thing has just thrown me.”
“I imagine it’s a little intense for you.”
“What does that mean?” she asked quickly.
Enzo could’ve kicked himself, but there was no shying away from it.
It was time to admit the truth. “Jamie told me about what happened to you. About being in witness protection, about the moves and the problems with your ex. I’m so sorry that happened to you.
I can only imagine this situation brings up a lot of bad memories.
” In another scenario, he could have been the mobster involved, rather than her ex.
But he’d never do anything to hurt someone as vulnerable as Kathleen.
Even at his worst, he’d never been that kind of monster.
Kathleen said nothing, but as he glanced at her, he saw her jaw tighten.
“It hasn’t been easy,” she admitted. “But that’s behind me.
I’m determined to just enjoy life, make up for what I missed.
This vacation, for example. My son is away at college and everyone seemed busy, so I decided to come on my own.
I realized recently that I am often surrounded by people but somehow always alone, if that makes any sense. ”
He made a noncommittal sound, but understood exactly what she meant. For all the sycophants who typically surrounded him, the number of his friends was much more limited.
She frowned. “Anyway, I wanted to get out, and explore on my own, keep my own schedule, and see what I want to see. After this is all over, I’m determined I’m going to enjoy the rest of my vacation.”
Enzo commented, “That sounds like a great idea. I hope you get to see everything that interests you. If you want some suggestions for Italy, I’m sure I can come up with some things you might like.”
Understanding helped him keep it light. They were kindred spirits in being surrounded by people, yet always alone.
She had been in a similar situation. The people he’d surrounded himself with were work acquaintances more than friends, and considering the business he was in, he trusted very few of them.
Kathleen’s voice broke into his thoughts. “I have to say, I find it hard to believe Ernie is causing such a commotion. He is the ugliest little statue.”
Enzo smiled. “I have to agree. I wouldn’t even put him in my garden.”
“Do you think he’s worth anything? I just can’t imagine it.”
Enzo opened his mouth to reply when his phone went off. He recognized Jamie’s number and hit the talk button on his steering wheel. “Jamie, what’s up?”
Drake’s voice came through the car speakers. “How’s Kathleen?” He sounded concerned.
“I’m fine, Jamie,” she confirmed.
“Good. I’m calling because I have news on the statue.”
“Really?” Kathleen asked. “It’s so ugly. I was just saying I didn’t think it would be worth anything.”
“You’re right, it’s not,” a new voice said. “Hi Kathleen, it’s Alex.”
“Hey, Alex. How are you? Are you back from your honeymoon already?”
“Er…no. Drake has just patched me into the call. Mitch and I are still in the Caribbean.”
Kathleen glanced over at Enzo with a raised eyebrow. “I’m sorry he disturbed you. I’m sure it’s nothing, really. Go back to your honeymoon.”
“It’s not nothing,” Jamie growled.
“Um, I can tell you a bit about the statue,” Alex said, cutting off Jamie.
“I was asked to…retrieve it from the MET in New York, but someone got there before me. The statue itself is not worth anything monetarily speaking, but supposedly, it is highly sentimental to someone. I have a call in to Leo, who originally asked me to retrieve it. I want to see if I can get any more details.”
Enzo cleared his throat, “Ciao, Alex. I’m Enzo Valardi.”
“Hey, Enzo. Drake told me about you. Nice to meet you.”
“Alex, do you think that the person who beat you to Ernie is the one who is trying to get him back?”
“Ernie?”
Kathleen laughed. “Sorry, that’s what we’ve been calling him. He just seemed to need a name, and he looked like an Ernie to me.”
Alex chuckled. “Ernie. I like it. Yes, I’m assuming it’s the same person.
I guess they didn’t want to take the risk of getting Ernie out of the country.
If it’s any consolation, the guy didn’t seem overly violent or anything, and he could have been.
As a matter of fact, he kind of looked like Gage. ”
“Huh. Okay, well… good to know,” Kathleen said. “I am hoping all this will be over tonight once we return Ernie to…whoever it is.”
“I hope so too,” Alex agreed. “I’ll reach out when Leo gets back to me with more details. Until then, enjoy your vacation and good luck tonight. Nice to meet you, Enzo,” Alex added right before she left the call.
“You still there, Jamie?”
“Yes,” he said, but sounded distracted. “I’m going into a meeting. Please keep me updated.”
“Will do.” Enzo pressed the button on the wheel to end the call.
“Well, that’s interesting. Ernie was in the MET. More valuable than we thought?” Kathleen asked.
“No, not according to Alex. Honestly, people donate a lot of crap to museums, and the museum ends up accepting it, because the junk usually comes from good donors. They don’t want to upset their patrons. I would guess that’s what happened with Ernie.”
“Makes sense,” Kathleen agreed and then yawned. “This isn’t the normal route to Milan, is it? We’re not on a highway.”
They were winding their way along a quiet road, glimpsing farms, fields, and occasional glints of water along the way.
Enzo glanced over at her, “No, I thought it might be nice to just take a leisurely drive, if that works for you.”
“Works for me.” She yawned again. “I might take a nap, though. I thought I got a lot of sleep last night but jet lag must be catching up with me.”
“Go for it. We have some distance to go yet. You might as well take advantage.” He glanced at her to find her eyes already closed.
They fell into a companionable silence, and before he knew it, Kathleen was fast asleep in the seat beside him.
The sun shining in made her hair look like it was on fire.