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“It’s okay. We’re done here.” I peeled Lorenzo’s hands from me as he let out a sigh before he put his impassive mask straight back in place.
Our gazes lingered for a moment, and something tugged at my heart, something strange, something unusual.
Something I had never felt before. Something I feared.
* * *
Hours had passed and the house was eerily silent. Lorenzo and his team were out for the shipment they had been planning. I poured myself a glass of Pinot noir and curled up on the sofa to enjoy my guilty pleasure movie,Mamma Mia. I had adored this movie since its release and usually watched it with my mother, but tonight, I sadly watched it alone.
I must have drifted off to sleep because I was awoken by the sound of the front door. I ignored it because Lorenzo had his keys, fob, and door code as did his men, and I knew they didn’t all forget them. My phone buzzed beside me as I saw a message flash up from Chad.
Chad: Open the door, I’m outside.
I didn’t understand why he was here, let alone how he was allowed up the driveway since Lorenzo warned his men about him. I made my way to the front door, wearing only sweats and an oversized T-shirt I wasn’t sure was even mine, but it was comfortable and that was all that mattered.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, a little taken aback by Chad’s appearance this evening. His clothes were dishevelled, his dirty blonde locks were a mess, and his bright eyes lacked their usual spark.
“Is that anyway to greet your friend?” His face fell more than it originally was.
“Sorry, it’s too late. I wasn’t expecting anyone.” I blocked the distance between the door and doorframe with my body. He could tell I wasn’t impressed with his unexpected visit.
“I know it’s late, and I apologise. I just needed to see a friendly face.” He sighed.
“Why, what happened?” I was worried. He looked as though he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“Can I come in?” he questioned, and I felt uneasy.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Nobody is home.” That wasn’t a lie. I was alone and even though Lorenzo was an ass, I knew he wouldn’t appreciate Chad being alone with me in his home.
“You can’t have friends over now?” he asked his brow furrowing instantly.
“Of course I can, but you and Lorenzo haven’t exactly seen eye to eye since you’ve met, and I don’t think he would appreciate—”
“Since when did you care what he appreciated?” He cut me off mid-sentence as he slammed his flattened palm against the door.
“Since I have to live under the same roof as him,” I defended.
“I’ve had a shit day with your father. I could use my friend right now.”
“Then you have me, but we will remain right here, and you’ll calm the fuck down.” There was no way I was allowing Chad to enter Lorenzo’s home regardless of whether he was here or not.
“I am calm. Your father has hired another man to work alongside me!” He seethed. “Does he not think I’m capable of doing my job?!” He ran his fingers through his hair before fisting them at his side.
“I have nothing to do with what my father does, but I know he thinks the world of you. He is a heavily targeted man, and if he requires more protection, then that’s his decision.” I rolled my eyes before I rubbed at my temple.
“I get that, I do, but—”
“But nothing. He took you in when you had nobody else. He puts the clothes on your back, he feeds you, and pays you a fucking hefty sum. If you don’t like it, then you know what to do.” I was tired, irritated, and ready to go to bed.
“Ana, please. The house isn’t the same since you left. I miss my friend.” His eyes glistened with tears, and I felt a stab of guilt in my gut.
“You knew it was going to happen sooner or later.”
“I didn’t expect it to happen before the wedding though. That wasn’t the plan.” He reached for me, but I stepped back slightly, something I’d never done before but suddenly everything seemed different.
“Sometimes plans change and that’s what happened here.” I sighed. “I think you need to leave.”
“Really? You want me to leave?”
