Enzo shakes his head. “No. Drew was still unconscious when I went down to the basement to talk with him. I called Liam and explained how things needed to go. He agreed and followed my instructions.” He shrugs. “Simple really.”
“Simple,” I mutter. “Why aremymen followingyourorders?”
“Because they know my solution to this problem—albeit not what we all saw coming—is the only way to keep both of our families from destroying one another.”
“What solution is that, Enzo? I’m not following.”
“First things first. We’re meeting my grandfather and my uncle in Italy to get answers about your brother.”
“My brother?” The words come out in a whisper. “How did you know? More specifically, what do you know?”
His lips tip up, not quite a full smile, but close enough. “The medicine I gave you made you sleepy. You’re very talkative when you’re sleepy.” His smile widens.
“You used drugs and sex to get me to talk. You’re an asshole!” I growl, pulling my knees up to my chest and hugging them to my body.
“I didn’tdrug youin the sense that you’re thinking. It’s a medication used for nausea that can induce sleep. Last night was a clusterfuck of events. I thought it would be helpful. I didn’t expect you to crash out for hours.”
“Bullshit. That was your intention all along, so I’d go peacefully,” I challenge. He doesn’t argue.
Ass.
“Now, what is it I told you exactly?” I prod.
He raises his brow, then crosses his arms, waiting expectantly. “Why don’t you tell me everything from the top, and I’ll fill in anything you might’ve forgotten in the replay?”
“Enzo.”
“Althea.”
“Ugh. Just tell me,” I snap, adding on a slightly nicer, less irritated sounding, “please.”
“When did your brother disappear?”
Oh shit.
I wasn’t expecting him to just cut to the chase. I figured he was going to ask about the man who shot Santo and work our way up to Annanias’s disappearance. I take a deep breath, then let it out. “Annanias was taken when we were five years old. He’s my twin. Someone named Gianni Levanesse took him. At least that’s what The Bishop told me.”
“And that’s why you went to see The Bishop?”
I nod. “A mutual acquaintance …”
“Sebastian Malgeri,” Enzo growls his name as if it pains him to say it. “I wondered why you two met at A Cuppa Comfort that day. But you didn’t seem interested in what he had to say. You seemed annoyed.”
“I was annoyed. Wait.” I suddenly put two and two together. “How long have you been stalking me?”
Enzo answers plainly. “You weren’t being followed that day if that’s what you mean.” I don’t respond, raising my own expectant brow. “I hacked into the security cameras of the café after I saw you that first night. Your guards were assigned the next day.”
“And why were you stalking me? What business was I to you?” Anger simmers below the surface.
Enzo stalks toward the bed. It dips with the weight of his knee as he moves toward me. When his face is so close I can feel his breath on my skin, he locks eyes with mine and says point blank, “You aremine. That makes you and everything about you my business. I take my job as protector seriously, and that now extends to you. From the moment I laid eyes on you, your fate was sealed. You’re mine. End of.”
I swallow. I don’t know what to say to that. On the one hand, I like that he’s so possessive and protective. On the other hand, this all seems like too much too fast. It’s insanity.
“Now, back to Malgeri. What did the asshole want in exchange for information? Sebastian doesn’t do anything for free.”
I shrug. “He wants me to put in a good word for him with Papa. To get him a meeting. I told him I would ask, but Papa won’t give him the time of day. He thinks Bash is a spoiled little shit, and he’s right.”
Enzo grunts, nodding. “What do you know about the man who supposedly took your brother?” A myriad of emotions flicker across Enzo’s face. Anger. Disappointment. Sadness.
