Shielded Wrongs (Bellandi Crime Syndicate 4)

"Exactly," Enzo agreed. "It was a mix of a personal vendetta against me and just you being in the wrong place at the wrong time." The ground beef finished cooking as I washed my hands, and Enzo flipped the stove off. I stepped up to him, cupping his face and pulling him down to kiss him.

"It's not your fault," I said.

"But it is somewhat. My shit is blowing back on you already."

"I'll be fine. I always am. We just have to trust each other," I murmured, biting his bottom lip and teasing him into a deeper kiss.

His tongue met mine, accepting what I offered. There would be no better way to celebrate being alive than losing myself in Enzo.

And there'd be no better way to distract him from the guilt plaguing his soul.

He wrapped his arms around me finally, taking the kiss deeper and feeding into everything I wanted to give and take from him. With nothing more to stand in our way, he lifted me into his arms and set me on a clean part of the kitchen island. I broke away, smiling against his cheek as his teeth bit into my neck sharply. "This will need to be disinfected."

He laughed, "Don't care."

For just a few minutes, neither did I.

29

Enzo

Sadie slept peacefully upstairs, and I checked in on her every couple hours to make sure the events of the day didn't give her nightmares. Too bogged down in the work that came my way after a major security breach, I'd never made it to bed. I ran a hand through my hair, sighing as I dropped my elbows to the table.

Thoughts of all the nine-to-five jobs calling my name came at me in heavy droves. Knowing that Sadie and I were being targeted by Murphy specifically, I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about walking away. Taking her and getting out of the city until things settled down. But neither of us would ever leave our friends or our family, and that was one thing I would never ask of her.

My cell vibrated with the call I'd waited for, Seb's voice filling my home office next to my bedroom. "Yeah?" I asked, exhaustion making my voice sound quieter than normal.

“Did you find the woman yet?” he asked, the music of the night club still thumping low in the background as he hid upstairs.

"Not yet. I'll let you know what I see when I do, but for now just proceed with caution. After Sean was in the Underground, and now this? They have to be targeting Bellandi businesses for something. Let Yavin know to keep vigilant.”

"I tried to give him another man. He said to get fucked or send him to Aoife if we have them to spare," Seb laughed. "Sometimes I forget how much I like that little shit."

"He's a little something," I grunted, still furious with him for letting Sadie be put in danger under his watch. "I'll call you in the morning."

"Good. Get some sleep," Seb said, ending the call. The time on the phone displayed three in the morning, and I glanced over at the computer. The security footage still rolled, and I paused it in spite of my desire to find the exact moment someone slipped through the unguarded door. The only reason I'd go to bed was because I couldn't protect Sadie if I was dead on my feet the next day.

Shutting my laptop and standing to stretch, I grimaced when my phone rang once again. "What?" I answered. "Did you forget to tell me you love me?" I asked.

"Is Sadie sleeping?" Matteo's voice said on the other end of the line. I stilled, wondering why he'd be calling me in the middle of the night.

"Yeah."

"Good. Make sure she stays that way. Take her fucking phone away and do not let her watch the news. When you go to bring her to the gym in the morning, take her to the Estate instead. Don't tell her where you're going, just get her there," he said. Sirens rang in the background on the other end of the line. "She's going to need Ivory."

"What the fuck, Matteo?" I growled. "Is her family safe?"

"They're fine. Nobody was hurt, but it seems Murphy didn't take well to Ryker's present. We expected him to lash out against us when he found his man hanging from the ceiling fan in his fucking house. Not Sadie, the stupid fuck," Matteo sighed. "She's going to flip her shit."

"Matteo!" Annoyance colored my tone as panic set in. Everyone was fine.

The gym.

"It's on fire. I've got the fire department here and they're doing everything they can, but it's bad. They threw Molotov cocktails through the windows. We'll be lucky if there's anything left but the husk at the rate it's burning," he explained.

The vision of Sadie's face when she’d find out the next day assaulted my vision. Filled with the way she'd crumple as everything she'd worked for her entire life burned to the ground. "I have to tell her, Matteo," I said, holding firm against his wishes as I grabbed my shoes and boots and shoved my feet into them.

"She cannot be here right now," Matteo disagreed. "There's nothing she can do except watch it burn."