“We can’t really think Bianca fell in love with not just the enemy but a married man, right?” Alessandro asked. “And then he killed her because . . . why?”
“I don’t know,” Enzo said, his tone softer that time, and he squeezed my hand and faced Alessandro. “But Nico was there that night, and he’s about to be here now. And we know for certain the Brambillas hired the cleaner to cover for Bianca’s murderer. This is the only thing that makes sense, even if it doesn’t make sense now.”
“Can you cancel the meeting?” I asked what felt like such a silly question, because of course they’d cancel now that they knew the truth.
“They’ve been two steps ahead of us,” Constantine replied, “and if we cancel, they’ll know for sure we figured things out. If we let them walk in, they’ll assume we’re still in the dark. And they’ll believe the client list died with the cleaner last night.”
“So they may not attack once here?” I asked, searching for clarification.
“No, they’ll attack,” Enzo said, no doubt in his tone. “But this way, they’ll be the ones surprised. Because they won’t be expecting us to be prepared for it.”
“We need to get Mom, Izzy, and Maria out of here before they arrive,” Constantine said, eyes on me, and my heart jumped into my throat.
“No, I don’t want to leave. I’m safer with you.”
Enzo gently hauled me into his arms, crushing me against his chest as if preparing for a goodbye I didn’t want to hear. “War is about to happen here. You could be caught in the crossfire. I won’t let that happen.”
I listened to Constantine bark out orders, presumably to Alessandro. “You’re taking the women out of here. Assemble a team. Take the armored SUV you used this morning.”
“I’d rather join the fight. Hudson can take them,” Alessandro responded as Enzo released me.
“Hudson’s a better sniper. And Mom and Izzy need one of us with them,” Constantine said in a low, steady voice, and Alessandro reluctantly nodded.
No. This was all happening too fast.
“We have a secure site on Long Island that’s off-the-grid. You’ll be safe there.” Enzo cupped my cheeks, searching for my gaze, but I didn’t want to look at him, not with him sending me away.
“If it’s safer, then shouldn’t we all go there?” I pleaded, finally giving him my eyes. “And isn’t this still speculation? What if Thomas really was behind the attack and it was a coincidence? Maybe Nico just liked that club and left shortly after Bianca, and it was bad timing?” But as I said the words, I knew they were bullshit.
“We can’t take any chances. We need to prepare for the worst and assume anyone walking into our house today is an enemy. Even Giovanni,” Mr. Costa explained. “And if Nico really is working with the Brambilla family, they’ll be coming, too, and it’ll turn into a bloodbath.”
Bloodbath? I was going to faint, but Enzo kept me upright and in his arms. He leaned in and brought his mouth to my ear. “I can’t do this with you here. Please. I need to know you’re safe.”
Because I’d already distracted him enough, hadn’t I? I battled back the tears, trying to keep my cool. But this whole situation was miles outside my wheelhouse. “Please come with me.” I had to try one more time.
He only shook his head in apology, then peered at Constantine, who was giving Alessandro a few more instructions. “I’ll have Maria waiting for you by the garage in three minutes,” Enzo told him, breaking my heart; then he quickly walked me from the room, holding on to my arm like I might refuse him.
“Don’t do this,” I protested as we went upstairs, but he didn’t talk again until we were in the guest room.
“I have to.” He let go of my hand and knelt by his bag and unzipped it.
I fell to my knees on the other side of the bag, allowing the tears to glide down my cheeks. This was happening too fast. And there were still too many unknown variables. He needed more pieces of the puzzle. More clues. I was going to lose my mind. Officially. Choking out a sob, I barely registered what was in Enzo’s hand.
“Bianca’s rosary.” He set the necklace in my palm and curled my fingers over it. “Keep it with you.” He leaned over the bag and brushed his lips across mine, offering a tender kiss. “You can give it back to me when this is over.”
My hand trembled as I held the rosary, trying to find the right words to convince this man not to go through with this.