“I have to go home. If I don’t, he’ll send his goons after me. One already has his sights set on me. He’s trying to convince Enzo to let him marry me.”
“What’s his name?”
“Frankie. He’s worked for Enzo for years. He might have served my father as well before his death. I didn’t pay attention back then to anything outside my family. Frankie is older. I wasn’t involved in the business in the past.”
“You’re not going back,” Titus decreed, more determined. The thought of some thug forcing Alessia to marry him against her will enraged Titus.
She froze before shaking her head. “I have to. That’s where I live. All my stuff is there.”
Opening his mouth to refuse, Titus stopped as an image of a prized possession and a name popped into her mind and reverberated strongly into his. He understood what washappening. She couldn’t abandon Hopper. He was essential to her.
“If I allow you to return for a short time to gather some things before coming to collect you in a couple of hours, would you agree to live under my protection? I would guess that loading up a moving van won’t be possible while Enzo is alive,” Titus said.
“Oh, no. Anything I possess he would claim as his.” She paused and studied him.
Titus gave her a few moments to decide. When she nodded, he celebrated. “There are only a few items I’d like to take. Nothing valuable to anyone other than me.” Alessia blinked away tears that suddenly filled her eyes.
Titus cupped her jaw. “I’m sorry, Little mate. Soon, you’ll be free of him and safe.”
“Promise?”
“I promise. Tell me, what information did Enzo order you to get?” Titus asked. He would get Alessia out of the grasp of that violent bastard as fast as possible, but he needed to shield her now.
“He made me memorize a list of stuff to find out: number of employees, security, map of the building, entrances and exits, cash flow.”
“How were you supposed to figure out where the money went?”
“He said you’re making enough to empty the registers at some point while I’m here. I’m supposed to watch how you do that,” Alessia admitted.
“Do you need to note this on your phone, or can you remember?” Titus asked.
“I’d better write the details down.”
Alaric, I need your help to craft information that Enzo is demanding from my mate. Number of employees, security, map ofthe building, entrances and exits, and how we collect bills from the cash registers throughout the night.
As he listened to Alaric, Titus stood and placed her bottom on the couch cushions. He snagged her small purse from the floor where he’d discarded it. After handing her crossbody bag over, he lifted her back onto his lap. Quickly, he ran through the information she needed to report to Enzo. Or at least the version Alaric wanted him to share. Alaric’s cunning mind had kept the clan alive for centuries. Dealing with Enzo didn’t challenge him at all.
Her phone buzzed with a notification from her ride. Alessia met Titus’s gaze. “I have to get to the car. They’re waiting for me a couple of blocks away.”
“You’re not going alone, Little mate. The neighborhood isn’t safe for a lone female to walk in the darkness. I’ll go with you.”
“They’ll never stick around if they see I’m with someone.”
“Fine. No one will spot me,” Titus said.
“How are you going to do that? Can you turn invisible?”
“Better than that. Don’t worry. The driver won’t see me. Neither will you, but you’ll sense I’m close. Okay?” He stroked her thick, silky hair away from her face. Alessia couldn’t resist pressing her head into his palm.
Setting her back on the couch, Titus then walked to the locked door and opened it. A pair of cute sneakers sat on the carpet. He snagged them and returned to kneel in front of her.
“These may be a bit big, but they shouldn’t hurt like your heels.” Titus slipped them onto her feet and tied the laces.
This time when Alessia stood, she didn’t cry out in pain. “Those are so much better. How am I going to explain the new shoes?”
“Tell them your heel broke, and the Nightfall staff let you take a pair from the lost and found.”
“Oh. That could work. But my shoes are fine,” she said, waving a hand toward the stilettos.
