“Let me finish. He’s going to protect her at all costs… I was against it too, but I’m going to meet up with him tonight. He’s going to meet us to talk, and then from there, we will finish out any loose ends…”
“You’re putting her in the line of fire, Enzo. You know how fucked up that is?” Jared seethes. I’ve never seen him so angry.
“She can handle it,” Enzo says, shooting me a smile. I just stare at all of them. Do they realize I’m sitting right here?
“Wow,” Jared yells, throwing his hands in the air, clearly frustrated. “I bet she can handle it. Look at how she handled everything else.”
“Hey, Jerk-face,” I growl at him. James starts laughing, a joyful smile crossing his face.
“Well, it’s true…” he asserts.
“I was dealing with death and hurt the best way I could. You’re lucky any of you are still alive.”
Enzo laughs gruffly. “Quiet. You’re merely a kitten with claws. The worst you would do is leave paper cut scratches.”
Glaring, I stand. “I can make my own choices. I will do whatever is needed to kill Mack for all the problems and heartache he has caused.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, sweetie. We just got you back—” James adds.
“James.” His name still sounds foreign against my tongue, reminding me just how new all of this is. “I admire the fact you want to step up, but this has to be done. Mack wants me, he’s gonna get me. Eli is on our side, or he wouldn’t have let me go in the first place. I can handle it. You guys will be there if anything goes wrong. Don’t worry.”
“Worry?” Jared snorts. “Worrying isn’t even the word I would use, Amara.” I’m seriously ready to pull out a knife and shank him. He’s been using the big brother card a lot lately.
“She’ll be fine. I trust Eli,” Enzo explains.
“You trust Eli even though he’s been working with Mack? That’s a load of shit if I ever heard it. It’s a trap, Enzo. A big fat trap and you’re going to walk right into it.”
I trust Enzo. He has fucked up and done some really strange shit, but he did what was best for all of us. I don’t really like Eli. Actually, I hate him, but he did let me go, and the day Mack betrayed us, I saw the hurt in his eyes. He wants revenge too.
“What’s your plan then, Jared?” I ask, keeping my voice firm. “No one has thought of anything else to do, and I’m tired of hiding.” I’m tired of dealing with all of this shit. I want to be free, without wondering if I’ll be taken down by a gunman.
With his jaw clenched, he looks between our father and me.
“We don’t want to lose you, Amara. We just found you. I know you don’t feel like we are family yet, but we do.” His words leave me momentarily speechless. I glance at James, who gives me a nod, letting me know he really feels like that. How can he already feel like I’m his daughter?
“There has to be other ways to do this,” James chimes in.
Is there another way?
“Eli hates Mack for betraying us. He picked up the job for extra cash from Mack, letting him think he is done with me. He returned her to me–to us.”
“So, because, you know Eli and trusted him, and he released her once, you think he’s going to do so again, plus protect her with his life?” Jared sounds skeptical, and James looks like he is about ready to punch something. This isn’t going very well.
“I can take care of myself, guys.” No one looks at me. Fucking men. This is so typical of them.
“It doesn’t matter if you can take care of yourself, you shouldn’t have to,” James says sternly as if he is talking to a misbehaving child.
“Well, I can, and I will.” There is no fighting about this. I’ll do what needs to be done to put all this shit behind us.
“Eli will do all he can to protect Amara. She was unharmed the first time around.”
“Yeah, because John was still alive.” Jared reminds him. At the mention of John’s name, a massive hole forms in my chest.
“I agree with Jared on this. John being alive helped immensely.” Thinking back on my time spent in the cave, I’m sure my treatment would’ve been far worse if John had already been dead. No matter how much I hate to admit it, in a way, he kept me alive. Mack and his men had treated me cruelly, but through it all, they never hurt me. They might have messed with my mind, but no one ever laid a hand on me.
“Well, Mack knows John is dead,” Enzo says, frustrated with all of us. “I know it’s hard to trust me on this, but I just know this is the way to go. I made mistakes, I trusted the wrong people, but I trust that this will work.”
“Whatever, but if she gets hurt… it’s on you.” Jared all but scoffs, pushing past Enzo. As the room settles, I stare at Enzo, waiting for him to say more.
“Just know I will not let anyone spill your blood.” There is so much determination in his eyes, it almost frightens me.
“I know. You don’t have to tell me.” I nod, stepping up onto my tiptoes, so I can place a kiss on his lips.
“Good.” There is a faraway look in his eyes. Like he is thinking about something he hasn’t told me yet. I don’t ask what that is, trusting his judgment for once.
I just hope he is right about this, for all of our sakes.
I spend the afternoon vegging out on the couch with James and Jared. Enzo has been absent for some time. He needed to be alone. I’ve been there and understand the need. Eventually, he comes out of the bedroom.
“Thank God! Tell Amara to stop making us watch this extremely distasteful TV drama,” Jared shouts to Enzo, smiling at me. Jerk.
“Hey, fuck-face, it’s a hit TV show.” I shoot him a dirty look before directing my attention back to the screen.
“He didn’t create anything, but I did…” James says, laughing gruffly. “I created the two of you.”
“Good one, Dad.” Jared laughs.
“Good joke, James,” Enzo adds, sitting down next to me. He hands me a Pepsi, obviously knowing I need some caffeine. I take the drink from him, wondering what’s weighing on his mind now. Is he having second thoughts about all of this?
“Everything okay?” I ask softly, hoping no one else heard. Keeping his lips sealed tightly, he gives me a curt nod.
“Can we please watch the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders or anything else Football related? Hell, I would rather watch Food Network,” Jared complains. I chuck the remote at his head and watch him catch it with ease.
“Thank you,” he responds loutishly at me.
“Are you going to be ready to go soon?” Enzo whispers into my hair, one of his hands landing on mine. His skin causes mine to tingle. I want him to take me back to the bedroom. Call me fucking crazy, but with all the pain, death, and hate surrounding us, being close to someone made it so much easier to get through.
“Uh, of course. When do you want to leave?” I ask.
Enzo’s changed so much. He went from being a man who was dark with more secrets than anyone else to a man I loved. Even though those secrets still lingered, and sometimes I couldn’t decipher his next move, I know he loves me.