David nodded eagerly. “Yes.” He wanted it so bad his body vibrated with it.
“Done.”
David blinked in confusion. His earlier pride had deflated—disappointed he hadn’t gotten the fight he desperately wanted. “Don’t fuck with me, Lorenzo.”
“I never wanted any of this,” Enzo continued, his voice eerily calm as his gaze landed on mine. “I only wanted Ren. You know that.”
My chest tightened. The sincerity in those words was undeniable.
David groaned. “Yeah, weallknew how much you wanted her.” He rolled his eyes.
“So,” Enzo sighed, “does this mean we can go?”
David hesitated, seeming to consider if this was genuine or a trap. Then, he nodded. “You hand everything over, and yes.”
Enzo crossed the room and knelt in front of me, carefully cutting the ties at my wrists. Blood rushed painfully back into my hands. I shook them instinctively, gasping as the tingles brought my fingers back to life, and Enzo immediately wrapped his big hands around my wrists, rubbing gently until all I felt was his touch. “You okay?” he asked again in a soft, tender voice.
I nodded, leaning into him as he pulled me into his chest. His arms were solid. Real. The hug was exactly what I needed in that moment, the real sense of belonging to this man, of handing my heart to him. Again.
My eyes slid closed for just a second while I let myself savor being here with him again. I wasn’t sure it would happen, and it felt damn good, even though I was incredibly aware of the way David watched us.
“Keep walking,” Enzo whispered against my hair. “No matter what.”
I nodded silently, swallowing down my fear and anxiety before I pressed my palm to his when he took my hand. We made it about halfway across the room before David spoke again.
“Looks like you were wrong, Ms. Masters. You are much more than the nanny to him.” His words were punctuated by the sound of the gun clicking.
I froze dead in my tracks and turned slowly.
The barrel was aimed straight at me. Again.
“It’s too bad I can’t let him walk away with that kind of happiness,” David groaned, shaking his head. “Not after everything.”
My heart galloped in my chest. Fear, real and visceral, enveloped me, and I squeezed Enzo’s hand tighter.
Enzo, for his part, looked like a man who was unbothered by the drama. “You don’t want to do that, David.” His words came out simply, as if he were warning a child against something harmful but mildly so. Each syllable was a warning I didn’t think David would heed.
“Yeah,” he laughed. “Why is that?”
“Because,” he answered slowly, “I have two men in Puerto Rico.”
I didn’t know what that meant, but David did because his eyes widened. The fear from earlier was back, but it was more intense. “You wouldn’t.”
“Do you really want to find out?” Enzo asked the question with the same terrifying calm. “Lower the gun.” Those words were wrapped in danger. “Now.”
David snarled. “Don’t tell me what to do!”
“You went after my kid,” Enzo said. “You fed intel to the Russians regarding our operations. You arenotthinking clearly. Somebody needs to tell you what to do.”
“I’m thinking clearer than ever,” David snapped. “You’re not leaving here alive.”
Enzo smiled as though he’d just heard a slightly funny joke. “Your men were dead before I walked in here.” The words landed like a hammer.
David laughed nervously. “You’re lying.”
“No,” Enzo said. “I’m just better at this than you are.” He shook his head. “You never were good at the details, David.”
The cousins stared each other down for a long moment.
