Chapter 21 – Althea
ALTHEA
The sound of Enzo’s gruff voice arguing with someone wakes me. I’m tucked up under the warmest comforter, surrounded by a very familiar scent, but something about the bed is not right.
The last thing I remember is being in Enzo’s bed at The Mansion, restrained while he played my body like an instrument, edging me. Annoying me. But this isn’t his room or The Mansion. This room is much smaller, and there’s a faint humming sound coming from somewhere. I’m not sure where.
“I know Naz. I know. But it was the only way to benefit both sides and prevent war,” Enzo says.
He’s sitting slumped over at the foot of the bed with his back to me.
His shoulders sag. “I’ll call you when we land.
” Enzo hangs up his phone and drops his face into his hands.
His voice sounds tight and tired. I want to reach out and wrap my arms around him, but with my hands ti…
I take inventory of my body.
I’m not tied up.
My ankles are free. My head feels foggy, and my limbs are heavy, but wherever we are, Enzo doesn’t feel the need to restrain me. And suddenly it all clicks into place.
“Motherfucker!” I shout. “You drugged me!” My voice comes out scratchy, and my throat is dry. “Did you … did we?”
My mouth is so dry. Enzo must realize this because he’s quick on his feet and brings me an unopened bottle of water. I take it hesitantly.
“Drink, baby. There’s nothing in there but water. Look. The seal’s not broken,” he urges.
Logically, I know he didn’t tamper with it, but forgive me for being a little leery of the sneaky asshole. I twist off the cap and down half the bottle, panting when I put it down. “Thank you.”
Enzo nods.
He turns to look at me. “And for the record, I wouldn’t have to drug you to fuck you, Althea. We both know that. But to answer your question,” he pinches the bridge of his nose and lets out a long, tired-sounding sigh. “No, I didn’t fuck you. We have shit to get sorted before we do that and …”
“We’re not doing that.”
His eyes snap to mine, and the cocky bastard smirks. I pull myself into a seated position to create some space between us. He’s quick, and I’m exhausted. That’s when I notice I’m wearing a black hoodie and a pair of gray sweatpants.
“Where did these clothes come from?” Not just any clothes, but my clothes. I cross my legs and tuck my hands into the front pocket of the hoodie.
“Liam brought them to The Mansion. I dressed you before we left for the plane.”
“Liam?” I’m confused. “Why did Liam bring you, my clothes? How did he even know where I was? Drew?”
Enzo shakes his head. “No. Drew was still unconscious when I went down to the basement to talk with him. I called Liam and explained how things needed to go. He agreed and followed my instructions.” He shrugs. “Simple really.”
“Simple,” I mutter. “Why are my men following your orders?”
“Because they know my solution to this problem—albeit not what we all saw coming—is the only way to keep both of our families from destroying one another.”
“What solution is that, Enzo? I’m not following.”
“First things first. We’re meeting my grandfather and my uncle in Italy to get answers about your brother.”
“My brother?” The words come out in a whisper. “How did you know? More specifically, what do you know?”
His lips tip up, not quite a full smile, but close enough. “The medicine I gave you made you sleepy. You’re very talkative when you’re sleepy.” His smile widens.
“You used drugs and sex to get me to talk. You’re an asshole!” I growl, pulling my knees up to my chest and hugging them to my body.
“I didn’t drug you in the sense that you’re thinking. It’s a medication used for nausea that can induce sleep. Last night was a clusterfuck of events. I thought it would be helpful. I didn’t expect you to crash out for hours.”
“Bullshit. That was your intention all along, so I’d go peacefully,” I challenge. He doesn’t argue.
Ass.
“Now, what is it I told you exactly?” I prod.
He raises his brow, then crosses his arms, waiting expectantly. “Why don’t you tell me everything from the top, and I’ll fill in anything you might’ve forgotten in the replay?”
“Enzo.”
“Althea.”
“Ugh. Just tell me,” I snap, adding on a slightly nicer, less irritated sounding, “please.”
“When did your brother disappear?”
Oh shit.
I wasn’t expecting him to just cut to the chase.
I figured he was going to ask about the man who shot Santo and work our way up to Annanias’s disappearance.
I take a deep breath, then let it out. “Annanias was taken when we were five years old. He’s my twin.
Someone named Gianni Levanesse took him.
At least that’s what The Bishop told me. ”
“And that’s why you went to see The Bishop?”
I nod. “A mutual acquaintance …”
“Sebastian Malgeri,” Enzo growls his name as if it pains him to say it. “I wondered why you two met at A Cuppa Comfort that day. But you didn’t seem interested in what he had to say. You seemed annoyed.”
“I was annoyed. Wait.” I suddenly put two and two together. “How long have you been stalking me?”
Enzo answers plainly. “You weren’t being followed that day if that’s what you mean.” I don’t respond, raising my own expectant brow. “I hacked into the security cameras of the café after I saw you that first night. Your guards were assigned the next day.”
“And why were you stalking me? What business was I to you?” Anger simmers below the surface.
Enzo stalks toward the bed. It dips with the weight of his knee as he moves toward me.
When his face is so close I can feel his breath on my skin, he locks eyes with mine and says point blank, “You are mine . That makes you and everything about you my business. I take my job as protector seriously, and that now extends to you. From the moment I laid eyes on you, your fate was sealed. You’re mine. End of.”
I swallow. I don’t know what to say to that. On the one hand, I like that he’s so possessive and protective. On the other hand, this all seems like too much too fast. It’s insanity.
“Now, back to Malgeri. What did the asshole want in exchange for information? Sebastian doesn’t do anything for free.”
I shrug. “He wants me to put in a good word for him with Papa. To get him a meeting. I told him I would ask, but Papa won’t give him the time of day. He thinks Bash is a spoiled little shit, and he’s right.”
Enzo grunts, nodding. “What do you know about the man who supposedly took your brother?” A myriad of emotions flicker across Enzo’s face. Anger. Disappointment. Sadness.
Shame?
“Just his name and that he was married to Maurice’s daughter. Shots were fired before I could figure out much more than that,” I tell him. “I know his wife was pissed about it and supposedly told Maurice.”
“And then what?” Enzo urges.
I pull my legs in closer, not sure if I should tell him. What if he already knows? What if once I tell him about Annanias being made a soldier for his family, he finds the reason he needs to end me?
“What else did The Bishop say to you? What did he tell you about Gianni Levanesse?” Enzo says fiercely.
“He told me Gianni was low on the totem pole and wanted to gain respect and a higher rank by orchestrating a deal with Papa. But Papa laughed at him and made his refusal known in front of everyone. Papa humiliated him. Gianni retaliated by taking my brother and sending him away until he was old enough to …” I trail off, not sure if I should tell him, but somehow, I muster up the courage.
You’ve come this far. You need to know the truth.
“To what?” Enzo puts his hand in mine, giving it a squeeze.
“He said that Annanias was put in a special academy and was plucked out when he was old enough to join the Venatti ranks as a soldier. He’s now working for your family somewhere in Texas. It was the confirmation I needed that he’s still alive.”
“And what are you planning on doing with this information?” There’s suspicion and, if I didn’t know better, I’d say genuine concern on his face.
“I don’t know. I hadn’t thought that far. My only plan was to find Annanias. I’ll figure out the rest from there.”
“I’m afraid that’s not acceptable,” he growls. “How will you explain to Caspien that you found his son? The same son he’s thought was dead all this time. And oh, by the way, he’s been living at the Venatti Academy and working for them ever since? You know what he’ll think. What will happen.”
“Well, what would you have me do? Because I’m not keeping my brother’s existence a secret from them, Enzo. They’ve suffered enough. They deserve to know the truth.”
“You’ll start a war between our families. Is that what you want?”
“No. Of course not.” I sigh. “But what am I supposed to do, Enzo? My parents mourned a child they never truly lost. Am I supposed to keep it a secret? No, absolutely not.”
“All right. Then we’ll tell them. Together. But first, we need to get married.”
What did he just say?