Kathleen stared at him, her eyes widening, the reality sinking in. But so did something else, something darker, something that knotted in Enzo’s gut the moment he saw her expression shift. She was starting to understand exactly what kind of man Alessandro Vitale was. And exactly what kind of hell Enzo had just dragged her into.
He opened his door. “Come on. Let’s get inside.”
Kathleen didn’t move at first. Then she took a long breath, squared her shoulders, and climbed out. The second her feet hit the gravel, his men surrounded them with practiced efficiency. They moved toward the front entrance, Enzo keeping one hand on her lower back, guiding her forward.
She stiffened at the touch, then relaxed into it. Just barely. Inside the foyer, the house was quiet. Too quiet.
Kathleen turned to him. “So… now what?”
Enzo met her gaze. “Now? We figure out a plan.” And he meant the ‘we’ part. She was part of this now, whether he wanted her to be or not. She had a say in how they proceeded. It was only fair. And it was the only way he could make it up to her since it was his fault she was in this situation.
Her breath hitched. “And then?”
He held her eyes. “Then we figure out how to stay alive long enough to beat Alessandro Vitale at his own game.”
Kathleen swallowed, eyes wide. “Should I be terrified?”
“Yes,” Enzo said honestly. “But we’re in it together now.”
Something flickered in her expression; fear, anger, determination, something else he wasn’t ready to name.
She nodded slowly. “Okay then.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
With unexpected suddenness, the past rose like a specter in her mind, all the years of worrying if she was doing all she could to keep Connor safe, hidden. All the moves, all the new beginnings. None of it had been fair to Connor, and she didn’t want to go down that road again. She needed to hear her son’s voice. Make sure he was safe.
Her voice trembled when she told Enzo, “I’ll meet you in your office shortly.”
She didn’t bother waiting for a reply; she just raced up the stairs like the very devil was after her. Once inside her room, Kathleen closed the door and leaned on it as she gasped for breath. Fear careened through her, causing her heart to thud erratically
She’d always promised herself she would stay out of trouble if she survived WitSec. Then, once she was free, she’d vowed to remain so. Stay on the straight and narrow and stay out of trouble, not that she’d caused the trouble to begin with, but still…
And now, here she was again. She wanted to claim it was through no fault of her own, but the truth was, even thoughshe hadn’t purposely stolen Ernie, she had been enjoying the unexpected adventure. Now regret flooded her, making bile rise up her throat. How could she have been so stupid to think this was fun?
Being around Enzo didn’t help matters. He made it hard to think straight. The sense of adventure was only heightened by his presence. He was too sexy for words, and that, coupled with chasing a treasure, well, it was like catnip… addictive and dangerous. But it was done now. The reality of the situation was settling in her soul. She was in danger. Enzo and her brother could only do so much. She’d been cavalier earlier, thinking Connor would be fine without her. That was ridiculous.
Connor.If Vitale could get to her, he could get to Connor. She straightened and dug her phone out of her pocket, dialing her son’s number. The phone rang and rang and then went to voicemail. Her stomach knotted. She tried again. Still nothing. Nausea crawled up her throat as her vision watered. Had Vitale gotten to Connor already? Was he another insurance policy?
Panic gripped her heart with icy fingers. Her hands started to shake as she tried to think of who she could call. His coach, Bill Peterson. She looked up Peterson’s number and took a steadying breath. The phone rang and then cut out. She tried again. It rang. It was a stronger connection this time.
“Hello?”
“Bill? It’s Kathleen Drake.”
“Kathleen. You sound scared. Didn’t anyone call you?”
“Call me? What? What do you mean?”
“Kathleen,” Bill said, his voice sounding so apologetic. “Connor is fine. We’re all fine. The storm last night was much worse than expected, but we made it through, if a little soggy.” He chuckled. “Someone from the university should have called to tell you we were all okay. I am so sorry about that.”
Kathleen’s mind whirled. What the hell was Bill talking about? A storm? Then it hit her. Bill had taken the whole football team on a camping trip as a team-building exercise. They were staying in the wilds of Vermont or New Hampshire. Suddenly, she couldn’t remember. No campground. Just deep in some forest, so they had to depend on each other to get everything done. He did it every year. Said it was the best team-building exercise ever.
“Kathleen, are you still there? Reception isn’t great, even with my satellite hook-up. Kathleen?”
“Yes, I’m here. I’m glad you all are safe. Tell Connor I said hey. Best of luck with the rest of the trip. You are staying for how long again?”
“Another four days. And I’ll tell Connor. Again, I am so sorry that no one reached out to you, but we’re all good.”
