Enzo
Luca arrived before sunrise. I knew the second I heard the crunch of tires on gravel that whatever he’d come to say wasn’t good. He must’ve hopped on a plane as soon as he heard about the power outage. He didn’t bother knocking. Our gazes collided as he walked up to the door and shoved it open, stalking inside with bloodshot eyes. His jaw was clenched like he’d been grinding his teeth all night.
“You good?” I asked, wondering what the hell had pissed him off so bad.
“Ellia is gone,” he growled without responding to my question.
The words hit with the force of a wrecking ball. “What do you meangone?” I snapped. “Is she dead?”
He shook his head. “No, death would be simple. This is something else. She gave notice at her apartment and took her midterms early too. She packed up just enough shit to look like she was coming back, but I went through that place myself and…she’s not coming back.”
Ren, who had been standing at the kitchen counter with a steaming mug in her hand, went still. She took a few hesitantsteps forward. “Did it seem planned?” Her voice was steady and her blue gaze sharp as a razor blade.
Luca glanced at her and then back at me. “No, that’s the problem. It looks rushed, like she packed in the middle of the night, but her roommate said she mentioned a trip a few days before, but she didn’t know where.”
My jaw clenched. None of this felt right. There was something I was missing, but I knew I wasn’t reallymissinganything. I just didn’t want to admit that one and one was starting to equal betrayal. “You think she left because someone is after her?”
“Did she even know she was being followed?” Ren asked softly.
Luca shrugged, but something flickered in his eyes. There was something he was holding back.
“What is it?” I demanded, slightly annoyed. It was early as fuck, and I hadn’t had nearly enough sleep. Or coffee.
He exhaled hard, scrubbing a hand down his face. “Either that, or one of her parents got her out of the black zone before retaliation starts.”
The words hung in the air, heavy and ugly.
Retaliation was inevitable, butwhodid they expect to retaliate? “Any beat on where she’s gone?”
Luca shook his head again. “Thorn is looking into Lena and David’s favorite vacation spots.” He rolled his eyes. “Speaking of, he used one of his fake identities to rent you a place in Lucky. It’s a ranch, which means lots of land and buildings for security to get around unnoticed. Better news is it’s a Dude Ranch, so there’s built-in security.”
I nodded. “Good. That’s good, Luca. Thank you.” The words were rough on my throat when they came out.
Ren took another step forward. “I, um, need to go into the office.”
We both turned to her, staring.
She finished her coffee and squared her shoulders as if she was preparing for battle. “I texted Toni last night and asked her to have Brady—that’s her husband—look into things.”
Luca frowned. “Isn’t he some kind of game developer?”
She nodded and then tilted her head from side to side. “He’s actually a software developer who specializes in games. His other contracts don’t get as much publicity. Anyway,” she sighed. “He has access to databases I don’t think you do. Sorry if I overstepped, but I had to do something.” She looked at me. “This is all so crazy, Enzo. Clearly, this is someone close to you, and you have to find out who before something bad happens.” She nibbled her bottom lip as she watched us both.
Luca watched her for a long time, studying her for any signs of deception. Finding none, he nodded. “We need all the help we can get.”
I hated how fucking right that was. “Damien will take you and Matteo to your office. Only to the office and straight back here, Ren.”
She nodded. “Of course. I’m only going to get the information, and we’ll be right back.”
I nodded again, slower this time. “Okay.”
She rinsed out her mug and flipped it over before she disappeared into the bathroom.
I found Damien waiting outside with half a dozen other guards. “I need you to take Ren and Matteo to her office. Stay with them the whole damn time. Don’t leave them alone for a second. Understand?”
His expression was fierce. “Understood. I’ll keep them safe.”
By the time Ren and Matteo were ready to go, the sun was shining brightly and the birds chirped like they didn’t know the whole world was unraveling. A tight knot formed in my chest as I watched Ren buckle Matteo in. She glanced back once with asoft smile so full of love that it knocked me back a step. Then she stepped into the SUV and closed the door, her gaze on me until the vehicle disappeared from view.
