Chapter Forty-One Enzo
Chapter Forty-One
Enzo
It was one in the morning by the time I arrived at Lila and Tiernan’s house. All the lights were on, with four luxury cars parked out front. I added the Lamborghini to the assortment of McLarens and Range Rovers and hopped out, showing myself inside.
I proceeded straight to the kitchen, the heart of the manor, to find Lila, Tiernan, Achilles, Tierney, Tristan, and Sofia sitting at the table like it was two in the fucking afternoon on Thanksgiving Day.
At the sight of my sister-in-law, I lit up.
She looked great. Slim as always, even with her pregnant belly, which was rounding nicely.
I don’t think anyone realized just how pretty Sofia was.
Sure, she didn’t have Tierney’s distinct vermilion hair and emerald eyes that awarded her otherworldly exquisiteness, the kind that demanded a second and third look.
And she didn’t look like a human Barbie like Lila—molded to the exact proportions of some perverse, manufactured ideal from the fifties.
But, if you looked closely, she was just as pretty as her friends. Her beauty was quiet, but it was there.
Still, no one talked about the slope of her nose, which was so small, so flawlessly symmetrical, it looked hand-drawn by an artist.
Nor did anyone discuss her heavy, curly lashes that fringed her fawn-like, dewy eyes resembling those of a cute Disney animal.
No one spoke of her elegant limbs, athletic bone structure, or the way she carried herself with effortless grace.
Her hair was the longest, the thickest, the shiniest. And she had that gummy Julia Roberts’ smile.
The kind that lights up the entire face and opens it completely, and which I hadn’t seen in a very long time.
While Lila and Tierney were starkly different in personalities, in many other ways, they were two different sides of the same coin.
Feminine, fashionable, and fanciful to a fault.
They tied scarves to their hair when they drove their vintage cars with the tops down.
They wore high heels, designer dresses, enjoyed sophisticated cocktails, and nested like there was no tomorrow.
Sofia was a tomboy. She was wild, curious, bold, and not even a little bit concerned about her femininity. She did not wear makeup, nor did she need to. She never felt the urge to compete with anyone—another thing she and her husband never had in common.
“Sofi.” I collected her into a hug, rubbing her back. “How are you doing?”
“I’m doing well, Enzo. And you?”
I’m falling the fuck apart, about to announce that I’m gay to everyone I care about, canceled my wedding, and will likely go to prison for life in the next month or so. If the Bratva doesn’t kill me first, that is.
Instead of giving her an unfiltered answer, I simply said, “Never been better.”
“I managed to make her visit me.” Lila laced her arm through Sofia’s.
“That’s great. Where’s Luca?” I looked around.
“Should be here any minute—I just got a notification from the front gate that he arrived.” Tiernan held up his phone.
Sure enough, the front door opened and in breezed my older brother.
He wasn’t alone.
The entire room sucked in a breath.
Was Luca out of his damn mind? It seemed that way, for he’d brought over Azzurra Albanese.
Azzurra was Luca’s number one fangirl. A Milan-based hair stylist. Her dad had begged my late father to make the arrangement that they would marry.
Vello had deemed the Albanese too insignificant for our alliance, but that had not stopped Luca from indulging in bedding Azzurra sporadically over the years.
I hadn’t seen them together since way before Luca married Sofia, and my guess was that this was a ploy to make his wife jealous and finally give him some attention.
Azzurra looked the part of a fallen woman, wearing four-inch Louboutins and a minidress so short I could see the pattern of her underwear. She clung to Luca’s arm, her half-exposed tits rubbing against his bicep through his suit.
Everyone was silent, torn between pissed off and shocked he’d hard-launch his mistress in the middle of this shit show, knowing his estranged wife would be here.
I glanced at Sofia. She was the only one who didn’t offer any reaction. She seemed completely unbothered by this turn of events, her expression as smooth as marble.
“Sofia.” Luca stepped toward her, shaking off Azzurra. His fingers twitched longingly. He didn’t dare touch her, but he wanted to. “You look”—he swallowed hard—“good.”
“Thank you, Luca.” She served him a lenient smile, running a hand over her belly protectively. “Wish I could say the same about you.”
“I did what you said.” The voice that came out of him did not sound like my brother at all. I arched an eyebrow. What the fuck was going on?
“And?” Sofia sounded like a patient teacher.
“And it didn’t work at all.”
She patted his cheek. “That’s too bad, Luca. At least you tried.”
“How’s the bab—”
She turned to my baby sister and Tierney, who were standing beside her like two bodyguards, and gave each of them a hug. “Lila, thank you for having me. I can’t wait to meet again soon. Do come over next week. You have to see the new stables.”
“Sofia,” Luca pleaded.
She strolled right past Azzurra, not sparing her a single glance, chin angled high.
The silence stretched a few more moments before I decided to break the ice.
“Ciao, Azzu.”
Tierney and Lila snapped their gazes to me, staring like I’d just dropped a dump in the middle of the vintage carpet.
“Hey, we can’t just pretend she doesn’t exist.” I shrugged.
“You’re right. Imma”—Lila turned to her housekeeper, putting a hand on her shoulder—“please make sure to clean every surface Miss Albanese sits on and get rid of the utensils she uses.”
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
My baby sister did not have one nasty bone in her body. For her to throw such an obvious dig at Azzurra was not only a pledge of alliance to Sofia, it was the equivalent to falling on a sword for her.
Luca’s eyes snapped to our baby sister’s. He opened his mouth, but Tiernan stepped forward before he could tell her off, protectively looming over Luca and shielding his wife with his body. “Yes, Luca? Is there a problem?”
“Your wife needs to learn to stay quiet.”
“My wife has been silent most of her life, thanks to your idiotic family. She has a lot of catching up to do in the talking department, and she can say whatever she wants, whenever she wants, to whomever she wants. Try to intimidate her, and the Bratva will be the least of your problems.”
Luca’s jaw locked in fury.
“Good, good.” Tiernan patted his shoulder, a chillingly cold smile touching his lips. “I knew we’d reach an understanding.”
Azzurra had the dignity to shrink behind Luca in embarrassment. This only amplified her presence in the room. The wrongness of it.
Achilles let out a chuckle. “You’re such a fucking idiot, brother. I gotta say, nothing brings me more joy than seeing your love life burning in a dumpster fire.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Luca snapped.
“Knock it off,” Tristan ordered coldly. “The apocalypse is upon us and you two idiots are exchanging barbs like preschoolers.”
Tiernan’s features drew together tightly, like an arrow. “Tristan’s right. You have much bigger problems than Luca’s inability to get his woman to notice his existence. Enzo, do you want to tell them?”
Shit. How much did he know?
Tiernan had Alex on speed dial and considered him his dearest friend and business partner.
Their respect for each other ran deep and long, carved with poison and mutual trauma.
Tiernan would never love anyone or anything like he did Lila, which was how I knew he’d never betray the Ferrantes.
However, he was well versed in everything that happened inside the Bratva.
“We have a lot of catching up to do.” I cleared my throat, heading to the table. It was laden with delicacies, coffee, and refreshments. Imma fussed around it, adding more small cakes, biscotti, and zeppole, like a bird bringing twigs to her nest.
“Imma, I’ll have some whiskey, please,” Tierney singsonged.
Imma’s eyebrows slammed together disapprovingly. “Ladies don’t drink spirits.”
“Bless my luck that I’m not a lady,” Tierney chirped. “Make it a double, please. On the rocks.”
Achilles gave his wife a hard kiss, combined with an adoring smile, before turning his attention to the table. “Luca, this is a family meeting. Your whore needs to go outside.”
Azzurra stopped before her ass hit the chair.
“Who?” Luca frowned, seemingly remembering she was here for the first time since he walked in, “Oh, Azzurra, go wait in the living room.”
“My husband said outside,” Tierney highlighted. “She can admire the backyard. Lila did wonderful things with the rosebushes.”
“It’s winter.” Azzurra paled. “The flowers aren’t in bloom, and it’s cold.”
“Your coat looks warm enough.” Lila poured Achilles some coffee, murmuring softly. “Use it.”
Two little savages. I shook my head, smiling.
“Luca?” Azzurra screeched. Her eyes watery with humiliation. “Are you going to let them treat me this way? You’re the don.”
“And you’re the fucking bait,” he deadpanned. “You knew I’d never touch you in a million years. You served your purpose. Now act your part and disappear.”
Azzurra stomped her way out. I glanced at Luca, who seemed to be craning his neck to try to peer through the window to see if Sofia was still there.
Tiernan drew out a chair for Lila. “You can go to bed if you are too tired, Gealach.”
“And miss out on all the drama?” She signed, flashing him a scandalized look. “I’m pregnant, not critically wounded.”
“But someone else is about to be if people don’t sit the fuck down so we can start this meeting,” Luca scoffed.
After much commotion, my clusterfuck of a family was finally seated and staring at me expectedly.
“Well?” Luca asked. “What was so fucking important you got all of us out of bed in the middle of the night?”