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“We'll talk about this in my room.” Enzo grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the library. I tried to plant my feet as he pulled me toward the stairs. He walked ahead of me, a noisy exhale wafting toward me from his lips. He motioned toward me. “Keys.”
I handed the ring to him, and he fumbled with the individual keys as his frustration levels rose the closer he got to opening the door. My stomach tightened.
Enzo opened the door and motioned me inside. I hesitated for a moment before going into the room, wincing at the sound of the door slamming behind me.
“Are you out of your goddamn mind, Gia?” Enzo yelled.
“I probably shouldn’t have intru—”
“No, Gia, you shouldn’t have! You could have gotten yourself killed! Shit, it could have even been by my hand!” He gestured toward his gun and paced.
“I didn’t think it would be a big deal,” I said with a deflated drop in my shoulders. He was right, though. I should have known better than to get between him and his father.
“That whole situation in there makes me question how much I can protect you here,” Enzo said as he brushed his hand through his hair. “Silvio has such a hard-on for you. It’s not safe.”
“If you’d just give me my—”
“No, Gia, goddamn it! You aren’t getting your fucking gun! I think we should get you outta here.” His jaw tensed.
The thought of going back home made my stomach and heart equally twist. I wanted to go back to my family and get away from these animals, but I didn’t want to leave Enzo. Not yet. “I’m not going home.”
Enzo met my gaze and walked toward me until our lips were nearly touching. “You have to.”
The sadness in his words created an unexplainable draw toward his weakness, and I rose onto the tips of my toes, laced my hands around his neck, and kissed him. He allowed my advancement for a moment before he grabbed my hands and pushed me away.
“I’m not fucking doing this with you right now.”
I dropped onto my heels and looked up at him, his words ripping through me and squeezing my stomach. “So...itwas really just one night?” I asked, my words catching in my throat.
“That’s what you wanted all along, right?” Enzo walked away from me and removed his shoes. He kicked them aside, unholstered his gun, and set it on the table beside him before walking to the bathroom with a blank expression on his face.
I stared at the gun as I slipped the shirt over my head, letting the recorder fall into my hand. I quickly shoved it into the front pocket of my bag. I changed into pajamas, my gaze still on the tempting weapon.Why would he leave it? Is it a test? If I were him, it would have been a test.
I crawled into bed, letting the blanket envelop me, lulling me with its warmth. Enzo came back from the bathroom, unbuckling his pants as he walked. He stripped off his dress pants and folded them before placing them on the dresser. His fingers worked the buttons off his dress shirt, frustration punctuating every motion. He tossed the dress shirt into a pile on the floor and collapsed onto the couch with a sigh.
As if he suddenly remembered the gun, he grabbed for it, looking at me as he did. His body only relaxed once he realized I never touched it, as much as I wanted to.
“Are you going to act like this all night?” I asked as I turned onto my back and looked up at the ceiling fan. Its chains rattled as it slowly turned.
“I ain’t acting like nothing.” He kicked his legs up, lay on the couch, and closed his eyes.
* * *
Enzo
The tickingof the clock on the table beside the bed grew louder and more noticeable than ever, and the sound of Gia or Atheist snoring drew my attention with every noisy suck of air. Every sound was amplified as my nerves ignited beneath my skin and sent a crawling sensation creeping across my flesh. I reached into the desk and pulled out a cigarette. Once I’d drawn the smoke into my lungs, I finally felt relief from the relentless anxiety that nagged at me. The hot smoke assaulted my lungs and left my body in a long exhale as I kept the cigarette dangling between my lips.
This is bad.I looked at Gia’s shadowy form and rubbed my beard.All of this is bad.I sighed at the realization—my feelings were getting in the way of business. Making me careless. I didn't trust Gia as much as I wanted to. She was too involved in the game to be naïve enough for me. For this life.What we did together? It has to be only one night.
“Enzo?” Gia’s voice was small, still heavy with sleep.
“Yeah, sorry I woke you. I just really needed a smoke,” I said as I exhaled.
She peeled herself out of bed, a long t-shirt hanging to the middle of her thighs, and she walked to the couch with slow and sensual steps. I pulled my eyes away from her, only to feel her climb onto the couch with me. She forced me to scoot over to accommodate her, and I did with a heavy sigh. She nestled beside me, the smell of her shampoo mixing with the stale smell of smoke. I draped my arm over the back of the couch to avoid touching her.
“I wish you’d stop,” she said with a yawn.
“Stop what?” I grabbed the cigarette out of my mouth and tapped the ash into a tray beside me.
