Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

E nzo carries me through his apartment. Right into his bedroom. Sitting me on the edge of the bed, he kneels in front of me. "The doc will be here in a minute to see you," he says.

I'm back in this room. When I was tied up and at the mercy of Frank Esposito's sick mind, all I wanted was to be back in this room. And here I am. But not really. My body is here. My heart is here. But it's not really me, because Enzo doesn't know the real me.

How do I tell him who I really am? He's going to hate me. He won't want anything to do with me. And his family, who are all currently in his living room? They're going to want to kill me for it.

"I don't need a doctor," I tell him. "I shouldn't be here. I can't be here."

"You think I'm going to let you walk out of here like this? You need a doctor," Enzo says.

"You don't know. If you knew, you would have left me in that basement." A stray tear slides down my cheek.

"Know what?" he asks.

"You killed a federal agent, Enzo. That carries a life sentence," I explain. "Ask me how I know that?"

"Who? Who was the agent? Because I can guarantee you old Frank was not working for the law," he says.

I shake my head. "Not Frank. Geoff, the man whose body you stepped over when we got to the top of the stairs."

"Okay, well, if it means that you're here—alive, safe—then I'll happily spend the rest of my life behind bars." Enzo shrugs.

"You don't mean that," I tell him. "You don't know who I am…"

"Yes, I do. And I'd do it all over again. You don't get it, piccolo ladro."

"I'm not who you think, Enzo. I'm sorry. This wasn't supposed to happen. I was not supposed to fall for you," I whisper, my eyes dropping to my hands in my lap. He deserves the truth. That much I know.

"Don't worry. It's not your fault," Enzo says. I look up to see that cocky smirk on his face again. "I'm just real easy to fall for, babe."

I can't help but smile at him. He's not wrong. He has been easy to fall for, and I've only known him a couple of days. We've been on one date. This is insane. Maybe I'm in shock or something. I'm sure I'll come to my senses eventually.

I shake my head. "I can't love you."

"Considering I'm your husband, I should hope that you can," he tells me.

"We're not actually married, Enzo. You don't understand. I've worked so hard to get to where I am. Loving you… it doesn't fit into my plan."

"Ouch." Enzo places a hand on his chest, right over where his heart is, and rubs. "Plans aren't always what they're cracked up to be."

A knock at the door interrupts us. My body freezes when Enzo's father and uncle walk in. I know exactly who these men are. Matteo and Theo Valentino. I have files on them and the crimes they're suspected of committing. I say suspected because no one has ever found a way to make the charges stick. That was my job. I was tasked with infiltrating their ranks and finding indisputable evidence.

"Doc's here," Matteo says.

"Thanks, Pops." Enzo pushes to his feet.

"Enzo, a word." Theo nods towards the door before walking out.

My eyes widen. My panic must be evident because Enzo stops to look at me. "I'll be right outside. I'll send the doc in. My father will stay with you. You're safe here."

My mouth goes dry. This is not happening right now.

"I hear you're my new daughter-in-law," Matteo says, stepping farther into the room.

"I… no." I shake my head. "We're not married."

"Yet." He shrugs. "What he's done for you… I hope you understand the risk my son took for you, the danger he put himself into."

I know that coming after me in that house was dangerous. And I'm thankful nothing happened to Enzo or his family. Not that I've heard anyway. "I…"

Great. Now, I'm at a loss for words.

"Don't hurt him. Do whatever you need to do to find a way to live with all of this. Because my son isn't going to give you up." I look up when Matteo pauses. "And I won't give up my son," he adds.

"I don't understand," I say.

"I think you do. Enzo will leave town with you. He will start over. But we will always be his family. No matter where you go, where you run off to, he will always be a Valentino. You can't change the blood that runs through his veins any more than he can change whatever you're thinking in that head of yours."

The doctor walks in and Matteo steps back.

"Doc, this is Enzo's new wife. Treat her as if she were my own child," he tells the old man in a white coat. His words confuse me. And what's with the whole being Enzo's wife thing? How many people did he tell?

"Mrs. Valentino, I wish we were meeting under better circumstances. You can call me Doc. Now how about we take a look at these nasty scratches you got here?"

There's something oddly soothing about the doctor's voice. I nod my head. I'm wrapped in Enzo's jacket. When Doc reaches up to slide the material off my shoulders, I shriek. "No, stop." My fingers cling to the coat. "Where's Enzo? I need Enzo." I move myself farther back on the bed. "I'm okay. I don't need a doctor."

Enzo walks back in. And let's just say he doesn't have an issue reading the room. "Kayleigh, babe, you have to let the doctor examine you," he says before kneeling in front of me again.

"No, I'm fine," I tell him.

"I'll be right here. Come on, we can do this. You aren't going to die from some nasty flesh-eating infection. Let Doc treat your wounds. Please." Enzo stands, picking me up with ease and sitting me on his lap. "I won't leave. I'll be right here," he says.

I look back to where Matteo was standing and find that he's no longer there. The bedroom door is shut. I glance at Enzo and nod. "Okay."

It took about an hour for the doctor to look me over. I don't know how many stitches he put in my body. I honestly lost count.

"I'm sorry I didn't get to you sooner," Enzo says as he gently places me on the bed before climbing in next to me.

"I have to tell you something. And I know you're going to hate me after you find out. But you need to know."

"What?"

"I'm… I'm a… My job… I'm an FBI agent," I admit. "I'm not a college student."

Enzo doesn't say anything. He doesn't appear surprised and he doesn't look angry. More impassive than anything.

"Say something."

"I've known who you were all along, piccolo ladro." He smiles at me.

"You knew? Why would you bring me here? Why would you…? We did things, Enzo, last night," I whisper like someone might hear me.

"At first, I wanted to beat you at your own game. And then, well… I guess it stopped being a game the minute I touched you." Enzo leans over and kisses my forehead. "Out of curiosity, what did you find out about my family anyway?"

"Nothing," I tell him. "I didn't even try. I'm a failure. I came here to find dirt, something we could use, and I lost sight of the mission."

"Told you I'm easy to fall for." He smirks.

"Where do we go from here? This can't work. We can't work."

"How much do you love your job?" Enzo asks.

"I like helping people. I love putting men like Frank away so they can never hurt anyone else again."

"What if there was another way to rid the streets of men like Esposito?" Enzo says. "What if I told you that even the bad guys can be good guys sometimes?"

"A week ago, I would have laughed in your face before clicking the cuffs in place. Now, I'm questioning everything I thought I knew," I tell him honestly.

"I want to make this work. I want to find a way to make us work. I mean, you are my wife after all, and we don't really do divorce in my family." Enzo grins.

"You need to stop telling people that. We are not married."

"That's a technicality. We will be. We're destined, piccolo ladro," he says, and against my better judgement, I believe him.

"Why do you call me a thief?" I ask him.

"Because with one look, you stole my heart," he explains, and I think I finally know what it feels like to swoon.