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Keep an eye on him? Fly here? I was back on my feet again.
“Why? What’s going on?” It was Ryan this time, and his concerned gaze sharp on her phone did nothing for my sanity.
I checked my texts, praying for the read receipt to appear so I’d at least know Enzo saw my message.
Nothing.
“Enzo received some disturbing news tonight, and I need to investigate it. Make sense of it. That’s all I’m going to share right now. I’ll let him tell you if he wants to.” Constantine and his cryptic words weren’t helping. “Can someone go over to his place and stay with him? He’s not in the best state of mind, and I haven’t seen my brother drink like this since Bianca died,” he added in a low voice, and the blood rushed from my face.
“We’re on our way,” Natalia said without hesitation, holding her stomach as she stood with Ryan’s help.
“Thank you,” Constantine solemnly said.
“Of course.” I was glad my sister was more put together than I was, capable of fluid responses.
Was Enzo drunk? Constantine was right. I’d never seen him have more than one or two drinks. It made sense, though. Enzo hated losing control.
“I’d offer to go alone, but I know you’ll both give me a hard time.” Ryan snatched his truck keys.
“Damn straight we would,” Natalia fired back, and Ryan grumbled something too low for me to hear, and we followed him to the garage.
It was a quiet thirty-minute drive into the city, only the soft tunes of country music to keep us company while I was lost in my thoughts.
The second we were in my building and on my floor, every intrusive what if buzzing around in my head stopped. Anticipation grabbed hold of me, sinking its teeth into my flushed skin.
“I know the navy trained me to be a professional door kicker,” Ryan said once we were by Enzo’s place, “but tell me one of you has a key so I don’t have to knock this thing down.”
“Assuming he won’t answer?” Natalia asked while producing a key before I had a chance to go for the one on my key chain.
“Affirmative,” Ryan gruffly said, accepting the key from her, and then he didn’t bother to knock or ring.
The sight that greeted the three of us once Ryan opened up wasn’t one I’d prepared myself to see.
The living room was dimly lit by a fire, and Enzo stood in front of his wall of windows with one arm propped over his head, gaze set on the city. He had on a pair of black sweats that hung low on his hips, just the white strip from his boxers visible. His back muscles were on full display, showcasing a lone tattoo on his right shoulder. Even though he knew he was no longer alone, he’d yet to move.
“Enzo,” I hesitantly called out, surprised I could get my voice to work.
“My brother shouldn’t have called you,” Enzo returned in a low tone as he slowly faced us, holding a bottle of something at his side. His eyes locked on to Ryan standing by Natalia just inside the living room. “And you shouldn’t have brought her here. I told you to keep her away from me.”
“Wait, what?” I looked to Ryan for an explanation. That wasn’t remotely close to what he’d told me Enzo had texted him at the restaurant earlier. “What’s going on?” I asked, returning my focus to the angry man before me.
Enzo slowly stalked closer to us, bringing the bottle to his lips as he did so. My gaze skated from the ink above his heart, down the hard planes of his abdominal wall, to the vee that disappeared into his black sweats.
Somehow, this was the first time I’d ever seen him without a shirt, and I was taken aback by how strong and hard he truly was. God, the man was positively breathtaking.
We’d never so much as hung out at a pool or beach together, well, not since we were kids. And yeah, he looked a hell of a lot different at thirty-seven than he did at seventeen.
“You need to take your pregnant wife home,” Enzo told Ryan in a clipped tone. “You all need to leave.”
“Something is wrong, and your brother sent us. We’re not going anywhere,” Natalia firmly said. “Talk to us. Let us help.”
The dark laugh leaving Enzo’s mouth had me walking back. “Help me?” He chugged more from the bottle. Most likely whiskey.
“Watch yourself, man,” Ryan warned. “We may be friends, but if you piss off my pregnant wife and upset her, I won’t hesitate to lay you the fuck out.” He stepped before his wife like a shield, and honestly, I had no clue who’d win in a head-to-head match, but I knew neither Natalia nor I wanted to find out.
Enzo only smirked as if he wanted the challenge. “I’m in the mood to fight or to ...” His gaze cut to me, and I heard the unspoken f-word sail through the air and knock the breath from my lungs.
Natalia hooked her arm through her husband’s, and I recognized that as her silent request not to tango with Enzo tonight.
