He kisses the side of my head, lips soft and gentle on my skin. "Merry Christmas,Cuore mio.”
22
Branded In My Memory
The kids at my new school are so boring. They don’t laugh at my jokes the way you do. —Missing you, Enzo
Izzy
Theconsigliere’swordsechothrough my mind, over and over on a never-ending loop.
He’s refusing to sign. You’ll have to take him to court.
Or kill him.
Though he didn’t actually say that last part, it was implied.
It’s something I expected. I didn’t really think he’d back down withouta fight.
Lucas wants my money; it’s the only reason he married me. It’s still hard to wrap my head around the knowledge that he knew the entire time. Why go along with it? It’s not like he’s some impoverished man in desperate need.
Enzo’s touch against my elbow is gentle, but it sets off a fire inside me, alighting my every nerve. All my feelings for him from when we were kids are still there but multiplied tenfold. Add on the sexual attraction and knowing how good he is with his tongue? How he fucked me so hard I saw stars? I’m a goner.
“You good?”
I nod, mumbling something that sounds like, “Yeah.”
Things are still a little strained between us. I don’t know how to be around him anymore; for the first time in our friendship, it’s not comforting to be close to him. I want more. Ineedmore. But I’m too cowardly to go after it.
It’s been a week since everyone left after staying for St Stephens Day. We devoured leftovers and got ridiculously drunk, requiring Enzo to carry me to bed after I tried getting Kai to join in with Karaoke (he didn’t).
New Year’s Eve was spent with just the two of us. Things were a little awkward to begin with. But we ended up watchingStar Wars: A New Hopeand timing the explosion of the death star to the ball drop. It helped. Made things more normal. It seems we’ve crossed a line, but neither of us is willing to take any further steps forward or back.
This news that Lucas is still digging his claws in hits hard. The plan was supposed to be simple, seduce him, then take him down. But then he proposed. And while Phoenix gave me the option to say no, I didn’t really have much choice.
I thought getting close to him would help our cause. But in the two years I was with him, I barely learned a thing. And anything I did learn was from my snooping, not anything I found specifically because of the ruse.
That makes the bitter pill even harder to swallow. Because it was all for nothing.
And now I’m left with burning rage, and a husband who won’t quit.
Enzo’s voice snaps me from my thoughts.
“Want to join me in going after Xander tonight?”
The name slices through me. My hands tighten into fists, knuckles turning white.
“Tonight?”
Enzo nods. “Yep, I’ve had someone tailing him. It’s time.”
If Enzo’s going after him tonight, then it’s time to spill some blood. No one takes this from me this time.
I clench my jaw. “I’m in.”
Enzo
I hand Izzy a gun before we leave—she’s proven her ability to shoot. She takes it, removes the magazine, locks the slide back, inspects the chamber, then flicks on the safety once she’s satisfied. More proof that she’s a professional. I just don’t know how yet. Part of me wants to dig further into her history—my snooping over the last twenty years has clearly been surface level—but something is stopping me. I don’t know what it is; usually, I wouldn’t hesitate to gather intel.
