He blinked. “How did you know that?”
“Never mind that. I know everything. They still have the map. You have to get it from Valardi and that Drake woman.”
“Wait, what map?”
“There was a map hidden in that gnome. I need it. Get it for me, or I will make your family pay.”
He glanced at his brother. Their boss had something that could send his brother to jail, and that put a far different spin on things. When this was all over, they were going to have to find a way to neutralize the threat. But first, they had to survive this.
“How are we supposed to get the map from Valardi? Do you know who he is?”
“That’s not ameproblem. That’s ayouproblem. And you need to solve it and fast.” The phone went dead.
“What now?” his sister asked.
He rubbed his face with both hands. This was a clusterfuck of epic proportions. “I have no fucking idea.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Enzo yawned again, and took a healthy gulp from the coffee mug clutched between his hands. He hadn’t slept at all. Between fielding calls throughout the night and getting nowhere, his frustration was high. But the real reason he could not sleep was Kathleen Drake.
This had taken on a whole new level of danger. Alessandro Vitale was not someone to trifle with, but if Rocco was out for Enzo’s blood, it was a whole different level of danger. It was one thing to deal with random henchmen. Enzo had done that for most of his life. But with Vitale and Rocco involved, the danger multiplied.
Which meant Enzo had to tell Kathleen it was time for her to go home. He did not look forward to that argument, but what choice did he have?
He drained the dregs of his coffee and walked back toward the kitchen to refill his mug. His bag was already packed. He was ready to go. As soon as he dropped Kathleen, he would start making his way to Mallorca. She was right, having the treasure would be the best power move, but he just didn’t have the timeto look for it, and now, ifLa Famigliawas turning on him, he wasn’t sure he had the resources either.
Now he just had to convince Kathleen that New York was where she needed to be. He snorted to himself. He already knew it wouldn’t be easy. She was as stubborn as she was beautiful. It was one item on a long list of things he liked about her.
He poured more coffee and then heard soft footsteps on the stairs. Definitely Kathleen, her step was lighter, softer, out of place compared to the heavy stride of his men. He grabbed another mug and poured coffee for her, adding a little cream. He had no idea how she liked it, but figured why not try?
When he came out of the kitchen, he found her standing at the terrace doors, staring out. There was a small bag at her feet. “You going somewhere?” he asked in surprise, offering her the mug.
She wrapped her hands around it as if she hadn’t been warm in ages and inhaled deeply. “Coffee here is so much better,” she murmured. Then, with a shaky exhale: “Yes. I’m going home.”
A sharp, unexpected disappointment lodged in his chest. This was what he wanted, what was safest for her, so why did it feel like a punch to the ribs?
“I understand,” he said quietly. “I was going to talk to you about that this morning. It’s probably better if you do go.”
“Yes.” She nodded. “I don’t know what I’ve been thinking. I guess it all seemed like fun and games at a certain level, but this…” She met his gaze. “This is different. Kidnapping. Hostage situations. Treasure maps? And I get the impression that whoever this man is, this Vitale, he’s not someone you want to tangle with.”
Enzo nodded slowly. He wouldn’t burden her by letting her know that now there were more players in the twisted game. It didn’t matter. She was going home.
“It’s just better if I go,” she finished.
He agreed with her one hundred and ten percent, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t disappointed she was leaving. When this was over, he would go to New York and take Kathleen out on a real date. Something fun. He started to say something and then changed his mind. When he worked forLa Famiglia, he had a rule:Don’t make any promises. Who knew if he would be around to keep them?
Instead, he said, “So… what time is the jet coming? I assumed you called your brother?”
She waved a hand. “No. I’m going commercial. I don’t want to explain everything. It’s easier this way. When I get to New York, I’ll talk to Jamie and explain.”
Enzo opened his mouth to argue, but then closed it. Fighting her would do no good. She would be safer on a private jet, but he didn’t have time to wait for that to happen. She should be fine on a commercial flight. It wasn’t like they could grab her in mid-air. He’d tell Jamie she was coming and make sure he had a serious security detail waiting for her the moment she landed.
“Okay. What time is your flight?”
She glanced at her watch. That’s when he noticed just how pale she was. Dark circles shadowed her eyes. She looked fragile in a way she never had before. It broke his heart that it was partially his fault she looked this way.
“I have just enough time for this coffee,” she said softly. “Then we should go.”
