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“Shit. Can you keep digging?”

“Already on it. One more thing. I did some digging around about Brycen Grennar. According to my contacts, he definitely was into some heavy shit. Word was that he was sleeping with two Vitale brothers, and on top of that, he was working as an informant.”

My stomach flipped. Enzo was telling the truth? I gripped the receiver a little harder.

“What else?”

“Get this. Because of Mr. Grennar, things went sideways with the Vitales. Giancarlo Vitale ended up being in prison for a little while, their business was thrown into chaos, and a friend of theirs or at least an associate was killed. They had to pay the family a huge sum of money to cover the cost of the funeral and to take care of his family because he was the provider. And that’s when Brycen disappeared.”

That’s when Enzo had to kill him.

It made sense now why Benito had made him kill Brycen. Too much had gone into a spiral when he worked with the police. My throat felt tight. Enzo hadn’t been lying. However, now that I knew the truth, fear ran up my spine.

If Brycen was killed because of so little, what would the Vitales do to me? I was more than an informant; I was a cop. I shuddered, thinking about it.

“Thanks, Chelsea.”

“I’ll update you as soon as I have more.” She paused. “Be safe out there.”

“Always.”

I hung up the phone and stared at the computer screen. Everything was becoming more complicated by the day. Glancing up, I looked around the bullpen. Is it someone here? I’d overheard Enzo and Giancarlo talking about Ramada. Did he have something to do with this before he was killed?

My teeth sank into my bottom lip as I thought about my colleagues. Who could be working with the Vitales?

* * *

Blaringmusic and thrashing bodies bumped into me. All of it was nothing more than background noise to me as I looked for the one man I needed to stay away from. Fuck, I’m an idiot. Every instinct in me screamed to turn around and leave. I’d been smart staying away from Enzo. Reaching up, I touched the bandage on my cheek. The rush of emotions was a tornado of confusion and shame. My mother hadn’t stopped calling me, but I couldn’t talk to her yet.

I spotted Enzo, making my blood pressure shoot through the roof. He walked around the bar with a frown on his face. A man stepped into his path. Enzo reached out, grabbed the man by his collar and yanked him forward until they were face to face. I stalked forward before stopping myself.

What am I doing here? Am I turning into a stalker now?

I needed to turn around and disappear. However, as much as I told myself that, I was still standing there, staring at him as his fist connected with the man’s face. Giancarlo pulled him away, making him stumble back. Enzo stared at the man like he was ready to take off his head. As he lunged forward, he turned in my direction and froze.

Shit. Can he see me?

Blu was dark, but it wasn’t pitch black. I yanked my hood up over my head and turned away. The part of me that wanted to see Enzo was overruled by logic. I hadn’t seen Enzo in what felt like ages. He didn’t seem like the kind of man that would forget a slight. What was it he’d said? He always kept a knife on him.

I stumbled out into the darkness, too many drinks in and wobbly. Glancing over my shoulder, I tried to spot him, but he was nowhere in sight. I turned back around and headed for the alleyway like I’d done before. Ducking down one and turning left at another, I exhaled deeply. I’d gotten away. As much as I hated it, Enzo hadn’t caught me.

My back slammed against a wall. I blinked. How much did I have to drink? A pair of shoes stepped close to me. Confused, I looked up to find Enzo glaring at me, his thick eyebrows pinched. Before I could say a word, his hand wrapped around my throat.

“Why are you here?” he growled.

That voice, mixed with his swirling anger, made every last nerve in my body ignite like Christmas lights. I opened my mouth, but his hand tightened, cutting off my air and ability to speak. Still, I didn’t stop him from what he was doing. It felt good dancing on the edge of a live wire, not knowing if he would end it all.

God, I need this.

“You should have stayed away.”

I know. Trust me, I know.

My body lifted toward his automatically. Even now, he was too far away. I was desperate to feel his touch, to drown in the way his mouth tasted as the scent of his cologne blanketed me and made me feel… safe. I wanted to laugh. When I was near him, I was both safe and terrified. How was that normal?

Enzo’s dark eyes searched my face. I saw something in his eyes, something dangerous and dark. He could kill me. The rage was right there, waiting to be unleashed. But I wasn’t ready to die.

His lips crashed against mine, stealing what little air I had left. The world spun, spots of blackness coming and disappearing from my vision. My body shoved forward, seeking him out. I’m going to pass out if he doesn’t let it. I grabbed his arms and yanked straight down. His grip slipped, and I used the opportunity to raise my knee, driving it into his stomach. I coughed as he recoiled, trying to drag a breath into my tight lungs.