Shielded Wrongs (Bellandi Crime Syndicate 4)

"What the fuck are you doing?" Enzo asked, snatching me back and glowering at me. "You can't go in there!"

"Somebody has to get it! That is his crowning achievement in life, Enzo," I shouted, trying to pull out of his hold.

"It's fucking gone!" he yelled. "There is nothing left to save in there, Sadie! Are you trying to get yourself killed?" he yelled, tugging me back to the line where Matteo stood. Keeping a firm hold on me, we watched as the building burned. A tremendous bang came from the interior as the building shook. "What was that?" Enzo asked, keeping me firmly by his side while looking at the fire chief.

"Support beam collapse," he said, shaking his head. "Ain't no doubt this was no accident, Bellandi. You guys any closer to putting this bastard down like the dog he is before he destroys the city?"

Matteo glowered at the man before he sighed and hung his head. "I let Liam talk me into giving him the chance to walk away. I fucking knew better, but I respect the damn man. Now Tiernan’s as good as dead as soon as we can find him." The Chief walked away, leaving Matteo standing with the two of us as the building burned in the distance. I couldn't take my eyes off the flames, watching as my life burned away. Rebel nudged my hand even though it was stilled against my thigh. There was nothing left. No anxiety. No compulsions. Only the overwhelming grief that everything was gone.

What was the point in any of it?

"You said something about Ryker's present on the phone. How do you know this was about that?" Enzo asked. Matteo nodded his head, and we walked around the corner of the building to where my apartment stairs were. Written in red, smeared across the brick shell still standing, the words "Bellandi Whore" stared back at me. "Fuck," Enzo groaned. “I want to know who did it. A name, and when Ryker finds him you give him to me.”

Ignoring the rare cruelty in Enzo’s words because I didn't feel strong enough to handle the implications of what he might do, I focused on the only thing that I could in that moment. The one part that was still in my control. "My Dad will see that," I muttered. It suddenly seemed important that he not see his only daughter referred to as a whore in an arson attack on his business. Like words would matter in the face of something so horrific and violent.

"We'll get it washed off as soon as they get the fire out. There are no windows on this side, so they've been focusing the water elsewhere. That's probably why they painted it here. They wanted to make sure we'd see it, but we’ll clean it up," Matteo reassured me. Wrapping an arm around my shoulder, he tugged me into his side. It was the rare moment of affection from a man who mostly seemed to barely tolerate me that sent me over the edge. My body heaved with the force of the first sob, my breath wheezing out of me as if my body couldn't fight the need to cry anymore. "Fuck," Matteo groaned, tugging my face into his chest. "Your dad has insurance, Sadie. You guys can rebuild."

He handed me off to Enzo after one more squeeze, and I buried myself into his chest as my tears soaked his jacket. Gentle fingers stroked through my hair, letting me cry even though I still vaguely knew he'd be pissed at me. "Let's get you home, Baby Girl. There's nothing we can do tonight," he said, guiding me to the SUV. Rebel's leash dragged along the ground next to us as she walked on her own, never deviating from the path Enzo set.

I sniffled back my tears as Enzo helped me into the passenger seat. He closed the door, his body tense as he walked around to the driver's side.

"If you ever try something like that again, so help me, Baby Girl. I will lock you up like Ivory if I have to and not let you leave the house until the war is over. I almost lost you today, and you decided it would be a great idea to run into a burning building for a fucking belt?" His fury made his tone harsh, not helping the tears that continued to stream down my face.

"I wouldn't have actually gone in. I just had a moment of panic! Everything I have is in that building!"

"Is your father in there? Your mother? Brothers? Ivory? ME?!" he yelled, making me flinch from the sudden wrath. "You have more than things in your life. You have people who love you. You are more important to all of us than a building and some stuff." He was right. I knew it without a doubt, but his anger only intensified the force of my sobs as I tucked my face into my knees and tried to breathe.

"That gym means everything to him," I cried. "He always knew I'd fail, and now I have."

"You didn't fail. Some asshole lit the place on fire, and it has nothing to do with you. Your dad will know that, even if he doesn't know the reasoning for the fire." Enzo reached across the seat, tugging me into his lap and starting the car so that the heat filled the cold interior. "I never should have brought you here tonight," Enzo whispered.

"I needed to see it," I whimpered back, nuzzling into his neck. "I'm sorry I was stupid. I just—"

"Later," he murmured, tuc

king my hair behind my ear sweetly. I knew the repercussions would come eventually, but I settled into the moment of comfort. Enjoying it for as long as it lasted.

We stayed in the car; the fire crackling up the street as I cried in his arms.

When the sun rose over the horizon, Enzo slid me back into my seat and drove us home. The car ride lulled me to sleep, the sweet peace of emptiness feeling like a warm embrace compared to the uncertainty of what reality would hold for me soon.

Enzo was silent as he guided me into the house. We hadn’t spoken a word since he woke me up to tell me we were home, his body rigid and his face cold.

The only piece of him that held any traces of the man I knew prowled in the depths of his hazel eyes. Buried beneath the harsh glint of them as they fell on me, the power of that gaze settled on me like a physical touch and sent a shiver of warning down my spine.

With a swallow, I watched as Rebel retreated up the stairs, the leash still dragging behind her in her urgency to escape the danger prickling the air like electricity.

We smelled like smoke, the scent of the fire clinging to my clothes. Focusing on the immediate need to be rid of it, I made my way for the steps to follow Rebel in her hasty retreat.

The dog sensed danger like an alarm. I wouldn’t ignore that, even if I couldn’t feel it for myself. Enzo’s grip came down on my wrist, stopping my retreat and leaving me with no choice but to spin and face him. “Are you going somewhere, Baby Girl?” he asked. His face remained expressionless, trapped beneath the blank mask of cold fury that gave me nothing.

I wanted the slightly mysterious Enzo back. The one who was sarcastic and made jokes about murder. The one who held me while I cried.

“I need to shower,” I answered, touching a hesitant hand to the top of his. The heat of his skin branded me, his grip a searing stranglehold when he refused to release me.

“After,” he said, tugging at my wrist. He strode for the back of the house, his bedroom door ominous as it loomed closer, and I struggled to keep up with his stride. It left me with just one question, my heart racing in my chest as I considered the possibilities.

After what?