Chapter 37
Enzo
F rankie still hasn’t fully accepted that Elise is on our side. I’m not sure about the other two, but Frankie will take the longest; there’s no doubt in my mind about that. At the risk of them not caring as much as I do, I’ve called them all in to discuss a concern that’s been weighing on my mind.
“I’m worried that Elise living here is going to put a target on her back. If they haven’t already, my enemies will realize she’s… Well, they’ll assume that she must be important in some way.”
“Important to you,” Sal clarifies, speaking the words I was avoiding.
“That will be the assumption, yes,” I respond, still not able to admit it out loud.
“You could let her go,” Joey offers.
“Not a chance in Hell.” My stance on that is firm. Even once we solve this trafficking issue, she’s not going anywhere. I haven’t figured out exactly what that will look like, but I’m sure of it nonetheless.
The other three exchange a knowing look that I want to slap off their smug faces.
“We could kill her,” Frankie says, and I glare at him.
“No one is hurting her.”
“Except for you, right?” Sal asks, and I turn my glare in his direction. “Last night. When you insulted her and stormed off. I assume you haven’t apologized?”
“I don’t owe you an explanation,” I say, my voice hard and cold. Even if I had one, I wouldn’t share it with them. I know I was unnecessarily cruel last night, and I might’ve ruined my tenuous relationship with Elise by fucking her in lieu of an apology. I don’t have an excuse; I’m just an asshole, and she deserves better. But I’m what she has, if we can all survive and bust this fucking trafficking ring. “None of this matters if someone kills her. We need to keep her safe.”
“What do you suggest?” Joey asks. “She’s already locked in this house day in and day out.”
“An armed guard?” Sal suggests.
“Guards can be bought,” Frankie says, and I nod in agreement. “It has to be one of us. We just need to make sure she’s never alone.”
“If you’re alone with her, will you kill her?” I ask.
It’s Frankie’s turn to glare at me. “I might ask her some questions. If she’s as trustworthy as you say she is, she won’t mind answering them.”
“Fine. So one of us will be in this house with her at all times.” I smirk when I realize how much she’s going to hate that. “But I’m not going to tell her. If she knows, she’ll do everything she can to make us leave her alone.”
“She’s going to figure it out,” Joey says. “Don’t you think it would be better to tell her?”
“I don’t want her to be worried, but I also don’t want her to get mad and try to leave. That would be the perfect opportunity for something to happen to her.”
None of us say it, but I think we’re all thinking about what the worst possible outcomes would be. Anyone could take Elise and kill, torture, or rape her, which would already be bad enough for me to burn the world down. But they could also use her as bait to lure one or more of us into danger. And while we’re criminals, the fact of the matter is that we are the best option to run this city. Without us, the unforgivable crimes that we try our best to eliminate would run rampant. No one would be safe.