AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her eyes sparkled in the little light the streetlight gave in the darkness.
"You could adapt as well."
"And let you seethe in peace? Out of the question."
By now, I knew what she was aiming at with her spontaneous provocations, and it would probably be a lie if I claimed I didn't like it. If only it weren't so exhausting to keep this damned woman in check.
She never pulled herself together. She was everywhere and nowhere, nonchalantly claiming my full attention whether I wanted it or not.
I was quiet. She was loud. I was intimidating; she was the type of golden retriever who also liked to turn into a biting terrier when needed. We were opposites who attracted and complemented each other, at least when we gave each other the space we needed.
"And you're still wondering why I won't let you sleep in my bed," I muttered, my eyes fixed on her legs moving up and down rapidly.
She snorted but didn't give me an answer. So I turned on the radio, pulled out my phone, and took a short break from keeping a constant eye on the house – except for the few seconds I spent looking at Amedea.
Emilio had sent me a quick message because he was sitting on some new deals with the French. Dario had forwarded me the third supposedly funny video of the day and was waiting for me to respond appropriately. I sent him laughing smileys without even opening the video.
Dea's hand landed on mine.
"Enzo," she murmured.
I looked up, followed her other hand, and saw a young woman rush out of the house, an infant in her arms.
At first, I didn't see anything wrong, but then I noticed how the guy came out too. And his movements did not indicate that he was sober nor had good intentions.
I gritted my teeth. If we intervened now…
The decision was taken from me because Amedea had already torn open the door and rushed toward the young woman.
I also got out of the car.
"Hey. It's been ages since we've seen each other. I didn't know you had a kid now. It's yours, isn't it? How small the world is! When was the last time we saw each other? In elementary school?" She just started talking as soon as she reached the woman. Not a single word of it was accurate, but the young woman seemed relieved and willingly acquiesced.
Still, our target was only kept at bay for about twenty seconds before stepping up next to the woman and grabbing her upper arm. "Nice reunion. But we have something to do," he said gruffly, almost pushing Amedea away in the opposite direction.
All this time I had stayed in the background but now I stepped forward, right next to Dea. "Is there a problem here? Why do you feel the need to push my wife?"
I would have loved to let it be known that I knew every one of his dirty secrets, down to the smallest detail.
"That's none of your business," he growled.
I tilted my head. "I'm afraid it is."
I didn't want this to escalate. But it would be very convenient for me if he gave me a reason to thump my fist in his face.
"We're leaving now," he announced, yanking the woman's arm as she vehemently braced herself.
Amedea reached out, fished the infant out of his mother's arms, and did the right thing for once: she sought some distance.
"It seems to me that she doesn't want to go anywhere else," I commented, my eyes fixed on the hand that was much too tightly around the woman's upper arm. "I'm Vincenzo, by the way," I added after a second.
Nothing went as planned. Actually, we should not interfere in matters like this. Usually, however, I did not witness how these men treated their victims. I didn't have to ask myself whether I would have intervened in a different situation where Amedea was not present. Because the answer was definitely yes.
"Maria," she said in a trembling voice.
The guy was getting angrier and angrier, which didn't help to calm down the whole situation.
"I suggest you let go of her now,amico. Otherwise, we'll have a problem, and it won't end well. For you, just to be clear." What would he do? Call the police? Then he might as well take himself to the nearest jail because once they possessed his DNA… he seemed to notice it very slowly. He released his hand from the woman's arm, who immediately ran to her child after she was freed.
