“That’s a good question and one I’m not sure I have an answer to. The only people we spoke to were the Callahans.”
“The Callahans are honorable. They wouldn’t rat us out to Vitale. Not in a million years,” she said with a harsh shake of her head. “I’ve trusted them with my life and my son’s life. No way would they be involved with Vitale.”
Enzo scratched the back of his neck. “Then I’ve got nothing.”
Kathleen closed her eyes for a moment. “You spoke to Danny in the car. Remember? Do you think he could?—”
“No. I feel the same about him as you feel about the Callahans.” But as he said it, doubts crept in. Maybe he was wrong about Danny?
No, he just couldn’t see it. He cast his mind back over the last few weeks, and suddenly a new thought emerged. It had been bothering him like a splinter, hovering just outside of his consciousness. Something in his security had been off. Not by a lot. Not life-threatening, but just…off. Enzo was sure Danny had noticed it too because he’d redoubled his efforts to make everything smooth and seamless. Nevertheless, the ripple had been there.
“There might be a leak on my end,” was all he said.
“Danny?” Concern darkened Kathleen’s face.
“No.” He wasn’t going to go into it because, at this point, he had no definitive proof. “But there’s nothing we can do about it at the moment.”
Kathleen nodded. Then she blew out a breath as she stood up. “Well, let’s go say hi to these assholes. I’m not letting those fuckers stop me from eating. I’m starving, and I get hangry when I don’t eat. It won’t go well for them if they try to stop me before my stomach is full.”
She said it all with a serious face, and Enzo couldn’t help but laugh out loud. This woman was magnificent. He pulled her close and kissed her hard. Breaking off the kiss, he said, “Then let’s get you fed.” He let her go and made sure their stuff was locked in the little cabinet, and their backpacks were stashed away. There was no way to lock the couchette from the outside, but an attendant kept an eye on things. Of course, currently, he was sharing his space with Dominic’s men. But there was nothing Enzo could do about that.
He turned to unlock the door as Kathleen put her hand in his. He knew she was actually scared, but she was putting on a hell of a brave face, and he loved her for it. “You good?” he asked.
She nodded. “You have the map?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s do this,” she said. He squeezed her hand, then opened the door and moved out into the corridor, pulling her along behind him. He heard her breath catch and knew she’d just caught sight of the goon Dominic had left watching them. He was huge but also a massive wall of muscle, like he spent every waking moment at the gym. A large white scar bisected his chin, and his beefy arms were folded across his chest, like an impenetrable barrier. Slicked-back black hair matched his soulless eyes, which he kept unblinking and focused on Enzo and Kathleen. He was built to intimidate.
As they passed the man, Kathleen murmured, “If you have to try that hard to look tough, it means you’re compensating for something.”
Detecting no lie and stifling a laugh, Enzo glanced back over his shoulder at Kathleen in time to see her lift her hand to her lips, kiss her fingertips, and then flash the middle finger in the goon’s face. Enzo grinned.There’s my girl.No way would she let them get to her. Amazing. She impressed him at every turn.
They stopped briefly at a bathroom, where Enzo stood guard for her, then forced her to stand inside the small space while he took care of business, keeping her back to him, a fact he found silly, given what they’d just done, but adorable as well. He escorted her through a few cars until they came to the first-class dining car that looked like it belonged to another era. Soft lighting. Crisp linen. Glassware that caught the light with every subtle sway of the train. A low murmur of conversation floated over the steady rhythm of the wheels on the rails, as if the people in here could pretend they weren’t moving through the dark at a hundred miles an hour.
Enzo couldn’t.
He sat with his back angled to the wall, chair positioned so he could see the length of the car and the corridor beyond. Kathleen sat opposite him, hair tucked behind one ear, hands wrapped around a water glass like she was simply a woman having dinner in Paris-bound luxury.
If anyone else looked at her, they’d see a pretty American with tired eyes and a stubborn chin. Enzo saw the way she monitored the room without seeming to. The way her posture stayed loose but ready. The way she didn’t touch the bread basket, even though she’d barely eaten in hours.
She was learning his world too quickly. Maybe she already knew it from her past. Either way, it both thrilled and scared the hell out of him at the same time.
Across the car, Dominic sat alone at a two-top, a half-finished glass of red wine in front of him. His jacket was off, sleeves rolled up, as if he’d come straight from the office instead of an attempted abduction. One of his men hovered near the bar. Another lingered by the door to the corridor, pretending to scroll his phone while his eyes never stopped cutting back to Enzo and Kathleen.
Dominic didn’t stare. He didn’t need to. His presence was a weight, subtle, constant, impossible to ignore. Like a gun was trained on them, even though Enzo couldn’t see the barrel.
Kathleen lifted her fork and speared a piece of pear from her salad. “This is actually… really good.”
Enzo almost smiled. Almost. “Eat.”
“I am eating.”
“More.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You’re bossy.”
“I’m practical,” he corrected, keeping his voice low. “You can’t run on air. Besides, I’m hoping for a chance to actually get you fully naked after dinner, and you need food to keep up your stamina.” He winked.
