Page 34 of The Prices We Pay
That name faintly registers in the back of my head, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.
“He just wanted to meet the new customs broker at Vittori Enterprises.” Damien’s voice strains, his breath likely stuck in his throat thanks to Enzo’s boot as he pushes harder on his neck. “Heard she’s pretty good at her job. Word on the street is you need someone with her expertise. With all those missing shipments and all.”
Enzo steps down harder on Damien’s neck. I reach out slowly and wrap my hands around his forearm. “Lorenzo… not here.”
I don’t know exactly what is happening right now, but I do know that it can’t be happening in the middle of a coffee shop on a Sunday morning. His eyes finally meet mine. Taking a deep breath, he lets go of Damien’s arm and removes his boot from his neck.
Slowly, Damien stands, but before he can get so much as a breath out, Enzo pins him to the wall.His forearm pressed firmly against the Russian’s neck. “This is your first and only warning. Ifanyof you come near Josephine again, if you look at her, if you touch her, if you so much as breathe the same air as her, we will kill every last one of you. Do you understand me?”
Damien smiles deviously before looking over Enzo’s shoulder at me. “You wouldn’t happen to be related to that famous bull rider, would you? Jasper Jenkins? Lives in Billings, right? I hear it’s beautiful there this time of year. Thinking about taking a vacation. Change of scenery and all. Maybe I can catch him at a competition.”
My entire body stills at the unspoken threat, and a light bulb suddenly goes off in my head. I know why that name sounds so familiar. I’ve read about it in countless news articles since I moved to New York.
Andrei Novikov… head of the Bratva in New York City.
15
Enzo
I’m going to murder him.
Right here. Right now. In the middle of this fucking coffee shop. I am going to remove his head from his body, and I don’t care who sees it.
They know who she is. They threatened her. Threatened her family.
Damien put his hands on her.
It cannot stand.
It will not stand.
Suddenly, a soft arm wraps around me from behind, snapping me from the blinding rage that’s threatening to take over me. I look down, and Joe’s delicate hand is splayed across my chest, feeling thebeat of my heart beneath my palm. Her breath tickles the shell of my ear as she whispers softly, “Lorenzo. You can’t do this here.”
I close my eyes for only a moment, forcing my body to relax against her touch. Recognizing she’s right, I remove my arm from Damien’s throat and step back against Joe, continuing to shield her behind me. “She’s the only reason you’re walking out of this building. The next time I see you, you won’t be as lucky.”
And because he clearly wants to die today, he replies, “Nice to meet you, Josephine.” Her grip on my chest tightens. “I’m sure I’ll see you around, Enzo. Tell Luca we said hello, yeah?”
With that, he spins on his heels, walks down the hallway, and out the door. The moment I hear the bell above the door ding as it closes, I’m spinning on Joe. Holding her face in my hands, I look over her entire body. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
She shakes her head, clearly trying to hold back the tears that well in her eyes. “No. No, I’m okay. I just want to get out of here. What was that about, Enzo?”
Once I’m satisfied she’s all right, physically at least, I answer, “I’ll explain everything. I promise. Right now, we just need to get out of here.”
“My apartment is just down the block. We can—”
“No. He knows who you are, Sweetheart. He knows who your family is. He knows where you work. He’ll know—”
“Where I live,” she says as she sighs regretfully.
“You can come to our place.”
“No, Enzo. That’s my home. I built this life all on my own, and I’m not running from it to hide from anyone.”
I see the determination in her eyes and realize there’s no use in arguing with her. At least not today.
Bending down, I pick up her sunglasses off the floor. They must have fallen from her head as I pulled Damien off her. Placing them on top of her head, I give her the gentlest smile I can manage. “Okay.”
“Okay?” she asks breathlessly.
