Page 42 of Unresolved

I blinked.Huh?

“You could kill a hundred of the Agostino whores and it wouldn’t make up for them murdering our don.”

I sucked in a startled breath.My father was dead?No.Impossible!I would have heard!He was an infamous mobster, his exploits all too often in the tabloids.I’d made it my mission to keep up to date with his every move.I’d decided it was for my own good to keep my friends close and my family AKA enemies closer, even if it was never going to be in a physical sense.

I bit back a devastated sob.Had I seriously given up all chance of love, cast aside my soulmate, for nothing?With my dad gone I’d had nothing to worry about.I doubted very much my brother would care about one of the many women our dad had fucked, even if I’d been born as a result.

Enzo squeezed his eyes closed, pain radiating from his every pore.

Holy shit.He’d loved his father—ourfather—and grieved for him still.Had his love been misplaced or was it just that he didn’t know any better because of his upbringing?

Tommy nodded somberly at Enzo’s distress.“Blood for blood.”He glanced my way with a curled lip before turning back to Enzo.“He’d be proud of everything you’ve accomplished since the Agostinos whacked him in cold blood.”

Enzo’s jaw tightened, his fists clenching.“Nothing will ever make up for his death.”

I blinked up at them, waiting for grief to come, for any emotion, really.I experienced nothing but relief knowing all my fears were now unfounded.“He’s really dead?”I bit my lip at Enzo’s hard stare.“I-I hadn’t heard.”

He took a step toward me.“That’s because we stopped the media from releasing any and all information.No need to make our enemies look like heroes for ridding the world of the big, bad Accardi wolf.”He bared his teeth at me and said in a low tone, “Guess I’m that motherfucker now.”

I shrank back against the mattress, curling my fingers around the bedcover and dragging it higher.I swallowed hard.Ihadto play it smart if I wanted to survive.I sucked in a steadying breath.“Good.”I managed a smile at his narrowed eyes.“You don’t know how glad I am that you’re here to fuck up Evander’s plans.”

He arched a brow and grated out, “Is that so?”

I nodded, then rattled the cuff attached to the bedhead.“He trapped me here, made sure I couldn’t escape.I’m his prisoner.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”He crossed his arms, then added, “What might he do to get you back if we took you from him?”

My heart rate surged yet again.Surely Enzo wasn’t planning on taking me?How could he?I was chained to the bedhead.And I didn’t want to leave one prison just to become a prisoner somewhere else!

“Boss, that’s not a good idea,” Tommy interjected.“There’s something about her...”He shook his head as if to clear it, then added, “We should kill her and avenge your father.Make these fuckers pay.”

Enzo rounded on his soldier.“When I want your advice, Tommy, I’ll fucking ask for it!You’re my soldier, not my god damn consigliere!”

Tommy nodded stiffly.“Understood, boss.”

My shoulders tensed as I read between the lines.Tommy wanted more control and was undoubtedly power hungry.He craved something beyond his current soldier status.

Enzo refocused on me.“Where does Evander keep the key to your cuff?”

My breath caught.I couldn’t admit he took them with him.I needed to buy some time or risk being caught up in the violent storm that was my brother.He really did seem a little unhinged.His bloodthirsty soldier definitely wasn’t helping my cause.“I-I wish I knew.He’s hidden them in a different spot each time.”

Enzo nodded at Tommy and his soldier immediately left the room, making a racket in the kitchen soon after as he opened drawers and swept aside dishes and utensils.

Enzo sat of the edge of my bed before he reached out and traced my cuff with the back of his blunt fingertips.“I’d really hate to have to cut off your hand in order to bring you with me.”He shook his head.“I’d hate even more for your blood to destroy the upholstery in my car.”His lip curled.“There really is nothing I hate more than a sticky, smelly mess.”

I guessed his father had given him that little phobia after being witness to more than a few mutilated and bloodied bodies in numerous cars.

Though fear spun in a vortex inside of me, I casually blew some hair off my face and said, “If it makes you feel any better, I’d hate to lose my hand and possibly die from blood loss.”

Enzo laughed.“You’re really trying to brazen this out, aren’t you?”His eyes warmed the smallest bit.He shrugged.“I admire that.You remind me of my younger self when I had everything to prove and even more to lose.”

A door banged open, its wood splintering.I winced.Tommy had obviously given up on finding the key to my handcuffs in the kitchen and lounge room areas and had kicked open Evander’s studio door.I chewed my bottom lip.How was I going to explain the artwork inside?

Tommy’s voice echoed from inside the studio.

“Boss, you might want to take a look at this.There are paintings—portraits—in this room...everywhere.”

My breathing hitched even as an idea formed inside my head.I tossed back my hair.“What’s inside that room is yet another reason I’d like to keep my hand.”

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