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Wow. So my mom was right. We did both have a “type.” But unlike Mom’s ex, Enzo was a good man.
“Enzo told me this morning why you’re really here with him.” Her tone was soft, a whisper of apology in her voice. “You’re here to keep him from going off the deep end. And seeing the way he looks at you,” she said while letting go of the crucifix, “makes me feel like there’s still hope for all my boys. Hope they’ll all settle down and fall in love one day.”
Oh, wow. Um. What was I supposed to say to that? I was barely awake, and I didn’t trust myself to not trip all over my words.
“From mother to mother, thank you for teaching my boy how to feel more than hate and anger. Teaching him how to love again.” She reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “I’m sure he’d like to see you now.” And then she left, as if she hadn’t just tilted my world, shifting it off its axis for a moment.
It took me a few deep breaths before I could unglue myself from my position and search for him.
I found him with Constantine downstairs in the study. Constantine was focused on a laptop. Enzo was in black sweats and a black tee standing off to his side, a hand on the desk, studying whatever was on Constantine’s screen.
I remained in the doorway, relieved to see him. He lifted his head, gaze shifting to me, and the harsh lines of stress disappeared. His face relaxed before his lips twitched into a slight smile.
“Hi.” I tossed my hand in the air for the second nervous greeting that morning, and his smile broadened before he stood tall.
Enzo rounded the desk, and I couldn’t stop myself—I ran to him and jumped into his arms, wrapping my legs around his hips, and he captured me and held me tight, his mouth working fast to find mine. “Tesoro,” he whispered against my lips between soft, reassuring kisses.
He was okay. My man was okay.
There was a deep throat clear a few moments later, but it came from behind me, which meant someone else had joined us in the room.
I slid free from Enzo’s arms, and once my feet found the ground, I turned to see who was there. Enzo snatched my hips, holding my back to his chest as if unbothered by the fact his father had caught us kissing.
“Anything yet?” their father asked, eyes on Constantine.
“Should have the list downloaded in five minutes,” Constantine spoke up. “I had to write a new program to decode the damn thing. This type of encryption is even a few levels above what the Agency uses.”
“The list?” I asked, turning back to face Enzo, hoping he’d clue me in. I still had no idea what happened last night other than the man they were after died and things had been “dicey.”
“Enzo, the less she knows the better.” His father’s warning coated my skin in chills, and Enzo never broke eye contact with me despite his words.
“She knows enough at this point that hearing the rest won’t make a difference,” Enzo remarked, and my shoulders relaxed at the fact he wasn’t planning to keep me in the dark. He took my hand and tipped his head toward the door. “Come on, let’s take a walk.”
“Be back in five,” Constantine said. “I’ll have the answers then.”
We faced Mr.Costa, and he hesitantly moved aside so we could leave, but the sharp, almost disappointed look he gave Enzo didn’t exactly do wonders for my nerves.
“Is he mad at you?” I asked once we were in the hall.
“He can get over it.” He tightened his hold on my hand, and we went into the room one door down. It was a movie theater. Rows of leather recliners in front of a massive screen.
He shut the door and set his back to it, one hand on my hip, his gaze on me. An exhausted, pained look in his eyes.
“Did you get any sleep?”
“Enough, don’t worry.” He brushed his knuckles over my cheek, his brows slanting.
“Hard not to worry about everything right now.”
“I’m so sorry.” His hand moved to my arm, and he gently squeezed. His eyes fell closed as if harsh memories from last night pulled at the edges of his mind, and he was probably worried how to share them.
I set my hand over his heart, finding it thudding hard and fast. “What happened?”
“The CIA officers who picked up the cleaner from border control were crooked. From what Jesse’s team determined, they grabbed him to get the list and silence the cleaner before he could talk to anyone else,” he finally shared. “They may have even killed the cleaner before the ambush.”
Ambush?
“There was another team there when we arrived. Jesse and I managed to get inside the cabin before their team could, and we found a USB on one of the officers. The cleaner’s client list.”
