Oh shit. Someone had been on this boat. While we were—my skin crawled. Someone had slipped in and out without either of us noticing, and now the one thing keeping Rocco’s mother alive was gone.
Things crashed around in the living room.
Then Rocco burst into the bathroom and grabbed my wrist. “Angelo’s fucking sent Enzo after us.” His chest heaved, his expression caught somewhere between rage and panic.
Shitshitshit
Enzo Di Salvo. Angelo’s deadly enforcer. And he was hunting us.
Every hair on my arms stood straight up. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” He dragged his fingers through his hair, his eyes wild. “He’s coming. We’ve got to get the fuck out of here. Now.”
Chapter Fifteen
Rocco
I had to get Selena out of here before Enzo hunted us down. The bastard was ruthless—a pit bull in a tailored suit who locked his jaws around a target and never let go. Once Angelo pointed him in a direction, Enzo didn’t stop until the job was done.
No exceptions.
No mercy.
No second chances.
And right now, Angelo had pointed him at us.
Shit. I should have left her in the damn office. Should have knocked her out again and walked away before she became collateral in a war she never signed up for. But I hadn’t. Because some selfish, desperate part of me couldn’t stand the thought of leaving her behind. Not again.
That selfishness was going to get her killed.
My phone rang again. I nearly hurled it into the bayou, but the name on the screen stopped me cold.
Valentin.
I answered with a growl. “What?”
“Are you fucking insane?” Valentin’s voice was low, clipped—the voice of a man trying very hard not to shout. I could hear movement in the background. A car engine. He was already on the move.
“I don’t have time for this.”
“Yeah, you do.” A beat of silence, heavy with barely contained fury. “Dimitri called. Angelo and Enzo are on the fucking rampage. Half the French Quarter is on lockdown. You need a place to hide.”
My stomach dropped. Lockdown meant Angelo wasn’t just angry. He was scorched-earth angry. The kind of angry that left bodies in its wake.
“Where?”
“Meet us at The Pontchartrain Pines Lodge.” Valentin’s voice steadied, shifting from fury to cold precision. “Drive the speed limit. Don’t stop for anything. And Rocco—don’t do anything else stupid between now and when you get there.”
The line went dead.
Selena clasped my arm, her fingers digging in hard enough to leave marks. Her hand was shaking. “Who was that?”
“Valentin.”
She frowned, confusion cutting through the fear on her face. “Valentin Dragan? Why?—”
“Selena.” I gripped her shoulders and locked eyes with her. There was no time to explain the web of alliances and debts and dangerous offers that had led us here. No time for anything except survival. “Stay close and don’t stop running.”
