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“Want some wine?” Enzo asked as he appeared in the kitchen.
Kieran had wandered off into one of the many rooms, while Zane had taken Thomas into another to go over their plan and sort out things with his mom and sister.
Enzo had taken on the role of making sure I was okay, having seated me on the couch and cocooning me in a blanket.
“Not right now,” I said as I stared out the window across the city.
Weststone, the city they ruled from the shadows. A city I’d visited on the odd occasion but never stayed long. Was it because I’d felt the hidden darkness, obscured by flashy malls and a vibrant nightlife? The glitz and glamor of downtown hiding the murder that the city had been built on?
“Vee… do you want to talk about it? Have the doctor come and see you perhaps?” Enzo asked as he strode over and sunk onto the couch beside me, gently stroking my arm.
I turned to him, the knot in my stomach tangling even further.
“No. I’m okay, I know that much,” I whispered, and he just nodded as he pulled my cocooned body into his lap.
“Okay, I won’t push you. I’m here, and that’s all that matters now. You’re safe,” he said gently as he held me to his chest, pressing his lips to my forehead.
The tears welled in my eyes once more, but I closed them, focusing on this moment with him.
I was safe. I’d not thought I’d make it out of there alive, and yet here I was.
“What are you guys going to do now?” I managed to ask.
“What do you mean?”
“The men who took me…” My throat tightened, and I swallowed down the heavy lump that had settled there.
“We got the location from Thomas, he wasn’t too big on sharing it, still not wanting to betray the family fully, but our meeting with Stefano was an effective one, and he agreed to allow us to handle those who’d acted against the Moretti family and gone against the old truce. We’ve sent men to the location, but it’s likely they would have already cleared out as soon as theyrealized you were gone. We’ll find them all, Veronica, I promise you that. This is a crime they will pay for,” he vowed, and I just curled closer into him, soaking up his warmth and presence. The steady thrum of his heart was comforting as he held me, and I focused on each beat.
They were alive, we were okay. Everything was going to be okay.
So why did I feel like a monstrous shadow had descended upon me?
I’d been attacked. I needed to come to terms with that, not pretend like it hadn’t happened.
But I couldn’t do it, I didn’t want to acknowledge it just yet. I just wanted to feel safe.
“How about I show you to your room,amore mio?” he suggested as he nuzzled my head. “Where you can rest.”
I nodded against his chest, moving to rise, but he held me tight as he stood with me in his arms.
“You don’t have—”
“I will do what I want in order to comfort you,topolina. Let me,” he cut my futile protest off.
I didn’t bother to argue, allowing him to carry me down the hall to the first room. I could hear the muffled voices of Zane and Thomas in another room, and I wondered where Kieran had gone.
“Where’s Kieran?” I asked as Enzo carried me into the room and gently climbed on the bed to hold me close.
“Probably painting. He’s got his room set up here for it, too. It lets him get his emotions out in a more creative way,” he stated as he stroked my hair.
“Why would they get so mad? Do you think they… that I’m… ruined?” I whispered the last word, and his arm around me crushed me to him.
“No,amore mio, don’t you ever think that. Zane and Kieran are pissed about the fact you got taken and hurt on our watch. They’re mad at the Morettis who did this, and themselves. I can promise you, they’re not upset with you, they’re hurting for you. And anger and rage is the only outlet we know,” he said soothingly as he continued to stroke my hair, each touch relaxing me more.
“You didn’t get mad,” I mumbled as I buried my head into the crook of his neck.
“One of us had to take care of you. We all should have, but I can’t control my brothers.”
