I’m shocked when he lies down next to me. He doesn’t touch me, leaving a few inches of space between us, but it’s enough to feel his body heat warming my skin.
“Go to sleep. If he comes in, I’ll make up some lie,” he mumbles, placing his head against the mattress. I catch genuine concern in his eyes, and I know he is telling me the truth. At least in this instant, I trust he’ll watch out for me.
I nod and close my eyes, giving them what they’ve been begging for. In a moment’s time, my mind heads to a place where neither pain nor death can touch me.
Lorenzo King’s arms.
19
Enzo
“They have her, Enzo.” Jared rushes into the house, his voice full of panic. I stand there in the middle of the room, staring and doing nothing, letting the guilt eat at me. I should’ve fucking told her. I should’ve warned her.
“I know,” I murmur. I hate myself more than anything right now. Jared and James’s eyes both turn to me, fire burning in both of them.
“What do you mean, you know? You knew this whole fucking time, and you never told one of us? You never thought it was a good idea she knew there was a change?” Jared screams. He is angry, and he has every right to be. I’ve put Amara in danger on purpose. And for what? The element of surprise.
“It needed to happen this way. If I had let you know, you would’ve acted strangely.” There is nothing more I can say to make them understand. I had to do it this way, and it killed me. It will kill me, even more, to go in there and see all she has endured because of me.
“Needed? You’re fucking crazy…” Jared’s arms fly into the air. “I should’ve known. I should’ve known you never fucking loved her. She is nothing but a pawn to you. Nothing but an inn—” He can be mad all he wants, but I can’t listen to him saying things about me that are false.
Picking him up by the front of his shirt, I shove him against the wall, getting right in his face. I don’t care that we’ve been friends forever or that he’s Amara’s brother.
“Never. I mean, never accuse me of not caring about her. Never accuse me of anything less than being in love with her. I would bleed for her, take a bullet for her, and give my own fucking life just so she could take one last breath if I had to. Never tell me I don’t care.”
I release him with a shove, watching the anger slowly seep away from his face. Yeah, that’s right, fucker, I love her. And I’ll do anything in my fucking power to keep her alive. Even if it means I have to put her life in the hands of someone else.
“You—you should’ve told us, Lorenzo,” James mutters. I’m certain he’s shocked as shit.
“Oh, really. Told you what? How I was feeding Amara to the monster? Or if she dies, it will be her blood on my hands. Fuck no. I didn’t need any more judgment for having to do it than I already have.” I’m fueling my own rage by speaking the words I’ve kept hidden all day.
Amara knew something was wrong. She knew I wasn’t being me.
“We’re not judging you, Lorenzo. Nothing of what we have said is judgment.” James is trying to cool me down, but it’s not working, nothing will work. Not until Amara is back in my arms.
“I allowed my mother to die, and I will not be the reason Amara dies,” I growl, my teeth clenching so hard my jaw might snap in two.
“Amara is strong. She can handle this,” Jared adds, but concern is etched into his features.
“She shouldn’t have to, Jared. That’s the fucking point. It’s why when all this is over, we’re going to go away, so she never has to face any of this again.”
The shock on his face equals my own when I made the decision.
“You’re going to leave the mafia behind?” Jared asks.
“Yes. I’m leaving. I don’t want it anymore.” I throw the words out there.
“You know you’ll spend the rest of your life on the run?” Jared comments, like I don’t already know that.
“Running will still be safer than staying. This life… death is always knocking on the door. I’ve lost everyone I ever loved, but I won’t lose her. I don’t care who chases me or if I have to run to the end of the world. I’m Lorenzo fucking King. I make my own choices. I don’t need anyone telling me what I’m going to do. Stand in my way, and you’ll die.” My voice is deadly, leaving no room for doubt.
“What now? Where do we go from here?” James asks.
I turn to look at him. There’s no way I’m bringing him into all of this. Amara has already lost one father… She won’t lose this one.
“You aren’t going unless it’s to drive the vehicle...”
My phone chimes, and I reach into my pocket, retrieving it. Sliding my finger over the screen, I read the message.
Eli: She’s asleep. A bump on her head, but other than that, unharmed. Mack’s getting antsy.
“We go now,” I command. I have a gun strapped to my side, one to my leg, and one at my back. Two knives are hidden where I can easily grab them. I’m ready to take his heart and rip it the fuck out.
“Then let’s go. I’m ready.”
I want to tell Jared he can’t come either, but I need someone else. I need backup, and someone to take her and get the fuck out if shit goes bad.
James slips into his coat and out the door. For a second, I want to breathe in the air inside the house. Her scent surrounds me and invades every part of my body. She isn’t just mine; she’s a part of me, and I won’t survive without her.
This has to end with Amara alive. No matter if I make it, she has to.
Pulling up to the abandoned factory, I sigh. There is not a single car in sight. We’re miles off a beaten path. Good, I think to myself. When Mack is screaming for me to stop breaking his bones over and over again, no one will hear him.
“Ready for this?” Jared asks, but I don’t feel the need to answer. Of course, I am.
Gripping my gun tightly in my hand, I open the car door and step out.
“Drive around, James, but stay close,” I order before shutting the door.
I creep to the nearest door and bust into the place like I own it. My heart is racing, and my palms are sweaty. I’m not sure what I’m about to discover—in what state I’m going to find Amara.
As I push through the door, my eyes take in all the metal beams surrounding us. Machinery is pushed out of the way and littered throughout the building. In the center of the room is a small body lying on the floor. Even from this distance, I can see its Amara.
Every fiber in my body urges me to run to her, pick her up and wrap her in my arms, telling her I’ll never let her go again.
“Nice of you to join us.” Mack’s sickening voice fills the large room as he steps out of the shadows. I stand perfectly still, forcing my limbs to stay frozen as I watch him walk over to her.
Leaning down, he grabs her by the back of the neck and pulls her up. She cries out in pain and tries to fight him off, but he just shakes her like a rag doll.
She goes silent, and then our eyes meet across the room. Terror fills her features, and I almost slip. I almost let the mask fall from my face, but I manage to keep it in place, knowing that this will end badly if I don’t.