Chapter 14
JENNA
To say I’m shocked is the understatement of the year.
When I heard noises and came down to the kitchen, the last thing I expected to see was Mr. Oliveira wounded and bleeding.
I’m so rattled that I can’t focus on anything long enough to be of any help to him. So instead, I just stare as he cleans the mess on the island.
I take in the tattoos covering his chest and arms. He also has ink all over his back, but I can’t remember what the tattoo looks like.
The horned beast on his chest screams of evil and violence, and there are battles between angels descending from clouds and demons rising up out of flames on both his arms.
The horned beast must be the devil.
Seeing Mr. Oliveira like this confuses me a lot because it feels like I’m staring at a different person from the one I got to know at the gas station.
Only when a bandage covers the wound on his side, and he picks up his shirt and jacket, do I lift my eyes to his face.
“Hi,” he says, as if none of this is weird.
Hi?
Seriously?
I gesture at him, silently asking what’s going on, but knowing he won’t understand, I dart forward and grab the notepad and pencil.
Mr. Oliveira comes closer to read what I’m writing, and I’m highly aware that he’s shirtless.
Gosh, I thought I’d never see him again, but he’s here!
What are you doing here? You should go to the hospital.
“I’m fine,” he says again, and I shake my head.
I don’t like one bit that he’s hurt.
No, you’re not. Stop saying that!
He takes hold of my arm and leans a little down to catch my eyes. “I’m not going to the hospital, so drop the subject. As for your other question…” He lets go of my arm and places his hand on the side of my neck. “I’m Enzo.”
What?
I gasp, and for the second time tonight, I’m shocked out of my mind. For a moment, I can only gape at him, then I start writing fast.
You’re my employer? Why didn’t Cassia tell me? Where have you been?
“Yes. I wanted you to get settled, and I’ve been around.”
I tilt my head back to meet his eyes, and as I stare at him, it sinks in that Mr. Oliveira is Enzo, the person who’s responsible for all the wonderful changes in my life.
I missed you.
I’m just about to hug him out of pure thankfulness and because I’m so happy to see him again, when I hear a commotion at the front door.
“Enzo!” A man calls out, and when not one, but three men appear in the doorway, I shrink back.
“Foda-se,” Enzo mutters. “What are you doing here?”
“Move, so I can get inside,” I hear Cassia say.
The men step forward, and I quickly wrap my arms around my middle and bow my head, my hair falling like a curtain around my face.
“Jesus,” Cassia snaps, and the next moment she wraps her arm around my shoulders. “You’re all scaring her. Get out!”
Enzo takes hold of my arm and pulls me away from Cassia and right into his chest, then he growls, “You can all leave.”
I feel the heat of his skin, and my brain short-circuits. The only bare chests I’ve ever seen were on TV, and none of them looked anything like Enzo’s
“We just wanted to make sure you’re okay,” one of the men says.
“Now is not the time, Santiago,” Enzo replies, his tone much harsher than when he talks to me. “I haven’t had the chance to explain anything to Jenna.”
“Come on, guys,” another man says. “Give them some privacy.”
They all have accents, and they look very scary.
Cassia comes closer and asks, “Do you want to be alone with Enzo?”
Unsure of what to do, I keep my head lowered and focus my eyes on my bare feet.
Enzo leans down as he places a finger beneath my chin to nudge my face up so I’ll look at him. “I’ll be right back. Stay here.”
He leaves with the other men while Cassia moves closer to me. She wraps her arm around my shoulders again. “Do you want me to stay?”
I lift my eyes to her face, in two minds about what I should do. Tonight has been one heck of a shock to my system.
My employer is the same man I’ve been fantasizing about.
Enzo Oliveira.
I finally know his full name.
And what he looks like without a shirt on.
My cheeks instantly turn bright red, and I quickly look down again before I shake my head. I pull away from her and write her a short message.
I think I’ll be okay.
Gosh, I hope I’m not doing the wrong thing.
Enzo has only been kind to me.
“If you need me, just have Enzo call,” Cassia says. “Or I can give you my number.”
I hold the pencil out to her, and she writes it down on the paper, then she looks at me again. “You’ll be okay. Try not to stress too much. Enzo might come across as…harsh, but he won’t hurt you.”
He’s never been harsh with me, so I’m not sure why she feels the need to say that.
“Cassia,” Enzo suddenly says, his tone brisk.
My eyes snap to the doorway, and I notice he’s put on a clean shirt.
“Yeah-yeah. I’m leaving,” Cassia mumbles as she leaves the kitchen.
Out of habit, I lower my head, and feeling unbelievably nervous, I begin to nibble on my thumbnail.
I hear Enzo move and quickly pull my hand away from my mouth.
“Jenna,” he murmurs, his voice soft and gentle again.
I swallow hard on my nerves and look up.
The corner of his mouth lifts as he comes to a stop, mere inches from me, and just like earlier, he says, “Hi.”
A smile begins to quiver around my lips, and my heartbeat sets off at a crazy pace when I gather all the courage I have to whisper, “Hi.”
A pleased expression settles on his face. He lifts his hand and tucks some of my hair behind my ear. “Let’s move to the living room so we can talk.”
I nod, and as I start to walk, he waits for me to go first before he follows. I have to resist the urge to glance over my shoulder, and when we reach the living room, I sit down on the nearest spot.
Enzo takes a seat on the other couch, and there’s a pang of disappointment because he didn’t want to sit beside me.
Don’t be stupid!
Let’s face it. You’ve fantasized about the man, but that’s all it will ever be.
When he leans back, there’s a flash of pain on his face which I don’t like at all. “I’m sure you have questions–”
Darting to my feet, I hurry back to the kitchen, where I grab painkillers, water, and the notepad and pencil. I return to the living room with my haul and set everything down on the coffee table.
Opening the painkillers, I shake two into my palm before I move closer to Enzo, holding them out to him.
He takes the pills with a grateful smile, and after I pass him the water, I watch as he swallows the medication.
Satisfied, I sit down on the floor near his legs and pull the notepad closer. I pick up the pencil, then stare at the paper.
The last time I saw Enzo, he killed four men and disappeared. I have so many questions, and the only way I’ll get answers is by asking them all.
Why did you kill the robbers?
He leans forward, resting his forearms on his thighs as he reads what I’ve written, then his eyes flick to my face.
“They were a danger to you.”
Oh wow. I didn’t expect him to say that.
I don’t know what he sees on my face, but it has him adding, “I will always do everything in my power to protect you, Jenna.”
I didn’t expect him to say that, either.
Heat creeps up my neck, and I look away as I blush something fierce because that line is something straight out of my K-dramas.
“Look at me.” I lift my head to meet his eyes, then he says, “I didn’t want to unpack everything tonight, but I can see you want answers, so you need to brace yourself because I’m going to tell you things you’re not going to like.”
Why?
He reaches out to me and brushes his knuckles over the swell of my cheek. “Do you understand, Meu anjinho?”
I nod, and before I can stop myself, I lean my head to the side to get closer to his hand when he starts to pull away. His eyes take mine prisoner as he places his palm against my cheek.
“Deus,” he says, his tone filled with worry, “I really hope you can accept me for who I am.”
Suddenly, he moves off the couch and down to his knees, and I’m hauled into a very tight hug in one swift move. Startled, I gasp, and when his arms form steel bands around me, panic trickles into my chest.
His voice is deep near my ear as he says, “The robbers weren’t the first men I killed, and they haven’t been the last.”
‘Tell anyone and I’ll slit your neck and fuck your throat as you bleed out,’ JJ growls in my ear.
As I’m triggered, Enzo drops the biggest bomb ever on me by saying, “I’m an assassin and the leader of a criminal organization in Portugal.
I’m the worst of the worst, and even though you probably want to run right now, you need to know I’ll never let you go.
” He pulls back enough to lock eyes with me as his words rain hellfire down inside of me.
“You’re mine. The choice isn’t yours. It's the only thing I can’t give you.
You’ll never belong to anyone else. You’re mine forever. ”
Hysteria builds up in me as I start to shake my head and push against his chest, but it only makes him tighten his hold even more.
I struggle to link the kind man I met in the gas station to this one, who’s telling me…God, I’m his captive?
Panic and fear pour hot and fast through me while the fantasy I dared to weave around Enzo shatters into a million pieces.
I was stupid.
I didn’t do the right thing. Instead, I walked right into this trap, and now I’m stuck with a killer.
A killer.
Oh my God.
My breaths come faster, and as my anxiety spirals into a very bad panic attack, I’m incapable of stopping Enzo when he presses me to his chest. His hand wraps around the back of my neck while his other arm keeps me locked to him.
“It’s going to be okay. Breathe, meu anjinho. You’re safe with me. I’ll give you the world.”
Even though he sounds sane, his words are absolutely crazy.
He’ll give me the world? Who says that to a person they hardly know?
Crap. Crap. Crap.
“Shh…” He moves back to the couch, pulling me along, and I have no choice when he positions me on his lap, because his arm is locked so tight around me it’s starting to hurt.
Enzo grips hold of my jaw and forces me to look at him again, and now that he’s told me who he is, I see the darkness in his eyes.
It’s different from the evil I saw in my rapists’ eyes. Enzo’s are ruthless, whereas theirs were perverted.
He gives me a pleading look. “I’m going to let go of you, but if you try to run, I will lock you in your bedroom.”
I nod just so he’ll let go of me, and the instant he loosens his hold, I yank back and make a run for the front door. I pull it open as fast as I can, and as I dart out onto the porch, Oscar moves into my way, blocking my escape.
No! The guards work for Enzo.
Just as I change direction, an arm comes around my front, and I’m hauled off my feet. A shriek bursts over my lips, and when Enzo carries me back into the house, no one does anything to stop him.
As he shuts the door, he lets go of me again, and I dart toward the stairs.
“If you lock yourself in your bedroom, I’ll just break the door down. It doesn’t have to be like this, Jenna.”
I come to a halt by the foot of the stairs. My body is trembling badly, and my heart is beating a mile a second, never mind a minute, or whatever the saying is.
Reluctantly, I turn around, and as Enzo stalks toward me, looking like a predator who’s planning on tearing me apart, I shake my head wildly.
I give him a pleading look, and he stops a few feet away from me, his features softening a little.
“I won’t hurt you. Out of everything I’ve told you tonight, let that sink in. You are safe with me. You don’t have to worry about robbers hurting you or some bastard taking photos of you. I’ll protect you from all of them.”
He's insane. Legit, mentally unstable. There’s no other explanation.
Enzo takes two huge steps, and it eats up the distance between us before I can react.
As I begin to turn so I can run, his hands shoot up and frame my face.
Leaning down, his eyes burn into mine as he admits, “I’m in love with you.
That means there’s nowhere safer on this planet for you than by my side. ”
I take hold of his wrists, giving him another pleading look as a sob sputters from me. I try to force the words to leave my mouth, but I’m too distressed for them to come.
He dips his head, and for a split second, my anxiety rockets to hell and gone when I think he’s going to kiss me, but instead, he presses his mouth to my forehead while pulling me into a gentle hug.
“You’re safe with me,” he repeats, holding me as if I’m precious.
Unable to keep it together any longer, sobs begin to shudder from my chest.
I don’t know what to think or do.
Where do I even begin to make sense of this?