“She’s in on all of this, Enzo. We have witnesses to say they saw her with both our enemies,” Naz says. “You’re the enforcer, Zo. She’s your problem to deal with.”
Fuck.
Did Naz actually issue an order for me tokillmy woman?
Althea wouldn’t betray me like this. I try to reason with myself, but the fact is, she doesn’t owe me her loyalty. She’s mine.
But she doesn’t believe she’s mine.
Which means her loyalties could lie elsewhere.
Fuck.
“He used me as a human shield!” Althea shouts. “You can’t possibly think I’m in on anything with him!”
“We have witnesses that say otherwise,” Nazario snaps. “The shooter inside was one of Mesias’s men. He’s been watching you all night. It seems your newplaythingwas sent to fuck us over.”
The way Nazario speaks about Althea has me wanting to put a bullet in him myself, which speaks to the level of insanity my feelings for her have brought about. I can’t react to his words. I can’t show him what she means to me, but I also can’t let this go. I need to know the truth.
Is she the enemy?
“You’re making a mistake, Nazario,” Althea crosses her arms, shielding herself. Quite the opposite of the fierce little devil I know her to be. But maybe that’s why she’s so good at what she does. She appears frightened and angry, but in reality she’s trying to get our guards down so she can strike.
Nazario matches her stance. His face is the picture of calm, but I know he’s a hair trigger away from losing his shit, which has me on edge.
“So, you’re saying Mesias’s man is lying?” Naz asks. “You justhappento be in the same shitty-ass strip club as the man who shot my brother, and the motherfucker who has been stirring up shit for my businesses all over fucking town? And you also just happened to be inmy clubfucking my enforcer the night my brother was shot?”
“Naz.” It’s a warning. One I shouldn’t issue, but all rational thought I have is currently hanging on by a fucking thread.
Nazario turns his glare on me, his finger pointed in my face. “No!You and I both know if you hadn’t been led by your dick that night, you would’ve been there and my brother wouldn’t have been shot! This is on you just as much as it is her!”
“Naz, come on, man.” Mauro steps in. “That’s not fair, and you know it. Even if Enzo was there, there was no way he could’ve stopped a fucking sniper on the roof.”
“But we fucking should have!”Nazario roars. Stalking over to me, his finger now in my chest. Althea looks ready to strike. I feel her hand on her blade in my back pocket. I reach back and grip her wrist firmly, holding her to me. If she pulls that knife on Naz, there’s no way I’ll be able to save her.
If there’s even a reason to save her.
Fuck.
“If you don’t handle this shit, Enzo …I will.” Nazario turns on his heels and walks across the street to where Ang and our men are waiting.
Once they’ve gone across the street, I pull Althea’s hand from my back and switch my grip, pulling her firmly against my chest.
“Enzo,” she pleads softly. “I have nothing to do with that asshole who shot Santo. I wasn’t … I didn’t …”
Althea’s argument dies on her lips as I lean down, resting my forehead against hers as I fight to gain some kind of control.
“You have to believe me.” She tries again, and I fucking snap.
I grab both her wrists, spinning her until her back is to my front and her hands are firmly pinned behind her back. Drew takes a step toward me, but Stavros clicks, which reminds him to stay put, halting his progress. Althea shakes her head at Drew.
“I’m fine,” she says softly. She is anythingbutfine. Althea has no idea of the danger she’s put herself in—putusin.
“If you didn’t have anything to do with him, then how did you know he was the one who shot Santo?” I growl in her ear, keeping my voice low.
“I heard him talking about it.” Her tone is cold, and her body rigid beneath my touch.
“And?” I push, needing her to tell me what she knows but not wanting to know the truth. If she was involved in the hit put out on Naz and Santo, I’ll have no choice. Our laws are set in stone. Though we don’t harm women usually, if she betrayed the family and tried to kill the Don and his brother, justice will have to be served. And I’ll be the one to have to serve it.
