“It is when you’re about to cause a war within the family.”
“I’ll handle Gino. I’m just waiting for Luca to give me the go ahead.”
He scoffed. “Why bother? Apparently, you just do whatever the hell you want to anyway.”
“I wouldn’t endanger Luca. Or you. And you damn well know it.”
“What did you think would happen when you brought her here?” He pointed toward the room at the end of the hall. “Do you think Gino isn’t going to come straight here looking for her? Demanding we return her to him?”
“He doesn’t know it was me who took her. She was running from him when I caught up to her. He probably thinks she managed to get away. Besides, I don’t give a shit what he demands. She’s not going back there.” I stood, feeling restless with this turn in our conversation. My mind spun with everything he said, but I wouldn’t give Luna back. I couldn’t. She was mine now.
She belonged to me.
Enzo watched me pace the length of the small kitchen. “We may not have any other choice,” he told me.
I shook my head. “No.”
“Tristan—”
Slashing my hand through the air, I cut him off. “Don’t. It’s not happening, Enzo. It’ll never happen.” Before he could argue more, I turned to him. “Would you give Sera back? Wait,” I stopped directly beside him, my mouth curving into a sneer as I looked down at him. “You did give her back. You allowed her to be married off to Luigi, an old man with a shriveled dick.” I was being abastardo, but he deserved it. He’d given up the woman he loved because he didn’t think he was good enough for her. I knew I wasn’t a good man. But the difference between us was that I didn’t give a fuck if Luna deserved better than me.
“He was the boss. And that was a different situation. Stop trying to change the subject.”
“Luca kidnapped Veda and held her hostage in his house to get revenge on his brother. I don’t remember him being worried about any strife his actions caused within the family.”
Enzo was on his feet. “Stop. None of this has anything to do with what’s going on now with you and Luna.”
I stepped into him until our faces were only an inch apart. “It has everything to do with it. The only reason you’re so freaked out is because this time it’s me.”
He met my gaze. “I’m not going to deny it,” he told me. “If that’s what you’re waiting for. I love you, T. You know that. But you’re one seriously fucked-up bastard. And I just want to make sureI’m not going to come in here one day to find strips of her flesh hanging from the ceiling.”
His words made my blood run cold. Not because I wouldn’t do something like that. I would. His fear wasn’t unreasonable. But I would do it to someone else. Not Luna. I couldn’t envision hurting her, no matter what she did or said. “She’s safe here. With me. I swear it to you. Now stop being astronzoand get the fuck out of my house.”
Enzo searched my face, and I knew he still didn’t completely trust me, but he wanted to. Taking a step back, he picked up his sunglasses and put them on. The tension fell from my shoulders once his eyes were hidden. “Okay. I’ll go. But I’ll be back to check on her.”
“That’s not necessary. I can take care of Luna.”
I expected him to argue with me again, but he surprised me. “Okay,” he said after a long pause, and nodded. “Okay. But we’ll need to get a game plan together. Gino will be looking for her, and he’ll come here. You know he will. We need to have our stories straight.”
“I’ll come by the house in the morning.”
He headed toward the front door. “Thanks for the drink.”
“You’re welcome. Now go home to your wife.”
A hint of a smile softened his hard features. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”
Locking the door behind him, I pressed my back against it and stared down the hall toward the back room. Was it wrong of me to bring her here? No. I was helping her. Was it wrong of me to lock her in a cage? I rolled the question around in my head,trying to see it from the point of view of someone who’d never had to go to extremes to protect themselves.
Possibly.
But I wasn’t wrong about wanting to keep her safe. And right now, that cell was the safest place for her, whether she knew it or not. Gino would never stop looking for her, and he'd tear the city apart to get her back under his control. She wasn't safe out there. Here, I could keep her hidden. Keep her safe.
Pushing away from the door, I removed my jacket and draped it over one of the chairs. Then I set the stove to preheat while I gathered the ingredients to cook for her. When I was finished, I picked up the plate I’d prepared and a glass filled with filtered water, turning off the lights with my elbow on the way to the back room. I had more questions for her, but mostly I just wanted to see her again. It occurred to me that I could do that whenever the hell I wanted to now. I didn’t care if she raged or screamed or cried or cursed me.
With her presence calling to me like a moth to a flame, I went to her without pause, reveling in the feeling of the flames licking at my soul.
Perhaps they would burn away this obsession I had with her.
