match burned dangerously close to my fingers, I saw stairs.
With a sigh of relief, I blew out the match in my hand and lit the last one.
Then I climbed two flights of stairs and pushed open the heavy door at the top.
Bingo.
Angel’s office was just down the hall. Based on previous experience, I knew that office made Enzo feel powerful and confident, whether it was business or pleasure. Pushing the stairwell door closed behind me, I leaned back against it and blew out the match.
“Hey!” bellowed a deep voice. “How’d you get up here?”
I jumped. The goon in the dark suit who’d come for Joey was striding down the hallway toward me. He wasn’t that tall, but he was wide and thick-knuckled, and I didn’t like the way he was looking at me.
“I want to see Enzo.” I planted my feet and stood tall.
When he reached me, his eyes traveled down my body and up again. “What’s it worth?”
“Go to hell.” I scooted around him and bolted for the office, but he chased me, catching my upper arm with iron fingers.
“Let go of me, you ape.” I tried to wrench my arm from his grip. “Enzo! Help!”
The goon squeezed tighter. “Shut the fuck up.”
The door to the office swung open and Joey burst through it. The next thing I knew Joey had thrown a punch so hard it knocked the goon off balance. As he stumbled backward, he let go of my arm and Joey landed a few jabs to his gut before taking a hit in the face. “Joey!” I cried.
With the back of one hand he touched his nose, which was bleeding. He looked at it and then delivered a series of blows to the goon’s face and stomach that had him reeling. I flinched at each sickening crack and thump. Finally, the goon went down hard.
“What the fuck, Lupo?” Enzo elbowed his way past Joey into the hallway.
“He had his hands on her.” Joey’s chest heaved with heavy breaths, and he gingerly touched his nose once more.
Enzo looked at me. “Is that true?”
“Yes!” I snapped.
“Well, she doesn’t need you to defend her here.” Enzo took my face in his hands, brushing my hair back with his thumbs. “Are you all right?”
My stomach was roiling a little, but I nodded. “I’m fine.”
He pressed a kiss to my forehead, which somehow seemed more for Joey’s benefit than my own. “I’m sorry. Go into the office and sit down while I deal with this asshole.”
Which asshole? I wondered. But I slipped through the office door and took a seat on the brown leather sofa.
Adrenaline had kept me alert, but once I sat still, I felt the effects of the whisky again. The pattern on the rug in front of my feet swirled like a whirlpool, making me even more sick to my stomach. Snapping my eyes closed, I put a hand over my belly and breathed deeply. The office smelled nice, like leather and tobacco. A moment later, I opened my eyes.
There. That’s better.
Now to find out what the hell was going on between Enzo and Joey.
Chapter Seven
Enzo didn’t return immediately, so I had a few minutes to myself. The office looked the same as I remembered—oak paneling, gold drapes at the windows, a sideboard along one wall topped with crystal decanters, and two red leather chairs in front of a large mahogany desk.
Oh, the things we’d done on that desk.
I pressed my knees together.
Stop it. This is no time to get distracted by sex.
But my body had never listened to my brain where Enzo was concerned, especially once I’d been drinking, and I felt the pull low in my abdomen as I recalled the way he’d set me on the desk, knelt in front of me, and run his tongue along—
“So here we are again.” Enzo’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
I turned and saw him pouring a glass of something at the sideboard. He’d entered so stealthily I hadn’t even heard him.
“Darling, your ability to create chaos among men will never cease to amaze me.”
I wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or insulted. Glancing at the door, I asked, “Where’s Joey?”
“He asked
With a sigh of relief, I blew out the match in my hand and lit the last one.
Then I climbed two flights of stairs and pushed open the heavy door at the top.
Bingo.
Angel’s office was just down the hall. Based on previous experience, I knew that office made Enzo feel powerful and confident, whether it was business or pleasure. Pushing the stairwell door closed behind me, I leaned back against it and blew out the match.
“Hey!” bellowed a deep voice. “How’d you get up here?”
I jumped. The goon in the dark suit who’d come for Joey was striding down the hallway toward me. He wasn’t that tall, but he was wide and thick-knuckled, and I didn’t like the way he was looking at me.
“I want to see Enzo.” I planted my feet and stood tall.
When he reached me, his eyes traveled down my body and up again. “What’s it worth?”
“Go to hell.” I scooted around him and bolted for the office, but he chased me, catching my upper arm with iron fingers.
“Let go of me, you ape.” I tried to wrench my arm from his grip. “Enzo! Help!”
The goon squeezed tighter. “Shut the fuck up.”
The door to the office swung open and Joey burst through it. The next thing I knew Joey had thrown a punch so hard it knocked the goon off balance. As he stumbled backward, he let go of my arm and Joey landed a few jabs to his gut before taking a hit in the face. “Joey!” I cried.
With the back of one hand he touched his nose, which was bleeding. He looked at it and then delivered a series of blows to the goon’s face and stomach that had him reeling. I flinched at each sickening crack and thump. Finally, the goon went down hard.
“What the fuck, Lupo?” Enzo elbowed his way past Joey into the hallway.
“He had his hands on her.” Joey’s chest heaved with heavy breaths, and he gingerly touched his nose once more.
Enzo looked at me. “Is that true?”
“Yes!” I snapped.
“Well, she doesn’t need you to defend her here.” Enzo took my face in his hands, brushing my hair back with his thumbs. “Are you all right?”
My stomach was roiling a little, but I nodded. “I’m fine.”
He pressed a kiss to my forehead, which somehow seemed more for Joey’s benefit than my own. “I’m sorry. Go into the office and sit down while I deal with this asshole.”
Which asshole? I wondered. But I slipped through the office door and took a seat on the brown leather sofa.
Adrenaline had kept me alert, but once I sat still, I felt the effects of the whisky again. The pattern on the rug in front of my feet swirled like a whirlpool, making me even more sick to my stomach. Snapping my eyes closed, I put a hand over my belly and breathed deeply. The office smelled nice, like leather and tobacco. A moment later, I opened my eyes.
There. That’s better.
Now to find out what the hell was going on between Enzo and Joey.
Chapter Seven
Enzo didn’t return immediately, so I had a few minutes to myself. The office looked the same as I remembered—oak paneling, gold drapes at the windows, a sideboard along one wall topped with crystal decanters, and two red leather chairs in front of a large mahogany desk.
Oh, the things we’d done on that desk.
I pressed my knees together.
Stop it. This is no time to get distracted by sex.
But my body had never listened to my brain where Enzo was concerned, especially once I’d been drinking, and I felt the pull low in my abdomen as I recalled the way he’d set me on the desk, knelt in front of me, and run his tongue along—
“So here we are again.” Enzo’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
I turned and saw him pouring a glass of something at the sideboard. He’d entered so stealthily I hadn’t even heard him.
“Darling, your ability to create chaos among men will never cease to amaze me.”
I wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or insulted. Glancing at the door, I asked, “Where’s Joey?”
“He asked
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