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“I’m afraid that ship has sailed.”
“But why?” Luca interjected himself into the conversation.
“While I know the reason behind what you did was honorable, there was just far too much press. They witnessed the gunfight that happened after she was taken. The public would never support a council member with such a violent reputation. There were already rumors about the Venturis but after such a vivid visual...I’m sorry, Enzo. I know that you had your heart set on it.”
Enzo’s jaw set, his mouth pulling into a tight line. I watched intently for his reaction as his chest rose and fell steadily. I reached under the table and took his hand which was balled into a fist on his thigh, and he relaxed enough to lace his fingers with mine. He nodded before forcing a smile.
“I understand.”
“I’m glad, because I do value your friendship.”
“As do I. Now, let’s get back to the game.” Enzo downed his glass of bourbon before refocusing on the new cards that had been dealt.
I barely took my eyes off of Enzo the entire night. I kept waiting for him to snap, to throw his cards down, flip the table, something to show that he was pissed off about losing his chance to be on the council. It wasn’t his own ambition that had pushed him to pursue the position. He wanted to do more for his family, for his don. He was loyal and he would do whatever he could to help them, and I screwed it all up. I wanted to cry for him, to tell him I was sorry, but it was like we were frozen there acting out a part that neither of us wanted to play anymore.
“Enzo?” I whispered in between hands of cards when Ludovic had excused himself to the restroom.
“Hm? Everything alright?” He looked at me as if he’d just woken from a dream.
“How much longer do you think the game will go?”
“Are you getting tired? Would you like for me to take you home?”
“It’s not that, it’s just...” My words trailed off and there was a slight flash of pain in his eyes before he shook it away.
He gave a decisive nod just before Ludovic rejoined us at the table. “Are we up for another game?”
“I must apologize. It seems my girl here is getting tired. I really should get her home.”
“Of course. It was good to see you, Enzo. And again, I am very sorry about how things went.”
Enzo held up a hand as if to wave off the words and we stood. We kept our goodbyes short, and Enzo made a beeline for the car. He didn’t speak, just opened my door for me before the driver could and climbed in after.
“Home, signore?” Franco confirmed.
“I need to stop by the office first.”
“Sì, signore.”
“The office?” We pulled out and I looked quizzically at Enzo.
He nodded. “I need to pick up something.”
“Tonight? Can’t that wait until the morning?”
“No. It can’t.” His words were sharp and gave no room for discussion.
We rode the rest of the way in silence, and I tried to ease the discomfort by gazing out the window, watching the lights of the city going by until we pulled up at the office.
The parking area was empty and there were only a few scattered security lights near the door.
“Stay here. I’ll only be a minute.”
“Okay,” I said hesitantly. I had no idea what he was doing or why the trip to the office couldn’t wait until the morning. I knew Enzo was angry about what happened with Ludovic, hell, I was angry for him. But I wanted him to talk to me, to yell even, to show something other than numbed indifference.
True to his word, Enzo was out quickly and jumped back into the car with a manilla envelope in his hands, but I didn’t even try to ask what it was.
“Take us to my spot,per favore.”
