I take the man's big hand, the warmth of it sending a buzz up my arm. His grip is strong as he pulls me to my feet. Miscalculating, I go stumbling forward as my feet get confused in the heels. Strong arms wrap around me and I place my hand against a hard chest. "Definitely going to need my help," the man mutters as his eyes meet mine. Despite the words, he doesn’t sound quite as irritated as I would expect.
His hands slide down my arms before he takes a step back, his hold remaining. I pull back slightly, standing on my own and he gives me a glance over before turning his back on me and looking at Enzo.
"Where is she going?" he asks.
My ears peek up in interest, because like him, I'm curious as to where in the hell I'm about to go, especially dressed up like I am.
Enzo's eyes move over me briefly before meeting the other man's. Enzo’s shorter than him by a couple of inches, but he's much wider and bulkier. However, from the way his body stands at attention, similar to the way he is when he's around Giovanni, I draw the conclusion this man must be above Enzo.
Where does he fall in the family that you shouldn't call a mob?
"She's going down to Delirium."
The man lifts a brow. "Really? Under whose orders?" There's a slight tension in the man's voice and my body tenses up in response. "Not Maximo's, right?"
Enzo shakes his head. “No sir. Orders are from Giovanni himself."
The other man relaxes and nods. "Good. Will you be accompanying her or will someone else?" I don't like the way they speak about me as if I'm not even in the room, but I've already learned my lesson about talking back or even verbalizing my thoughts.
"I will."
"Good." The man nods in approval. "I don't trust anyone else more, especially with such a treasure." He spins back around and I'm caught off guard when I find myself under his scrutiny again. I try to ignore him calling me a treasure. "Come now, Winter, I'll escort you outside. Enzo go get the car warmed and ready."
Enzo nods his head even though the other man's back is to him, and he walks out of the glass door. I peer through it, watching him until he gets out of view.
My heart picks up in my chest and I feel a whole lot more nervous as I wring my hands together, glancing at the ground before peering up at the strange man a foot away from me. There's something about him that scares me in a different way than Giovanni. As he moves closer to me before holding out a hand, I realize what it is.
I can't get a vibe from him.
With Giovanni, it's clear that he expects me to be submissive and to only speak when give permission. With Enzo, I know that he isn't my friend, but I get the idea that he's just following orders. None of the things he does or says to me is because of what he wants, it's because of what Giovanni directs him. And even Maximo, from the brief moment in which he was in my presence, I got a feel for his character.
He takes what he wants.
The man moves over to the woman I’d forgotten was in the room. He takes the thick, black pea coat from her before saying something too low for me to hear. The woman leaves. He moves over to me, gesturing for me to spin around with a finger, and I do so. The heavy jacket falls across my shoulders before my arms are helped into it. I feel like a doll as the man continues to maneuver my body, turning me around slowly before buttoning up the coat.
He gives me one final look over before he holds out his arm to me and I only glance at it before quickly taking it. I take a deep swallow. His body is warm against mine. He leads me out the door and the car is running in front of the steps. The car windows are too dark for me to see inside, but I know it's Enzo. The man helps me down the stairs, being mindful of my heels the entire time. He pulls the car door open and places a hand on my back as he helps me into the backseat of the warm car. I settle into the seat, expecting the man to leave but I'm surprised even further when he reaches into the car and pulls the seatbelt across me, clicking it into place as his cologne assaults my nostrils again. When he's done, he pulls back.
Instead of closing the door, he fills the frame of it, placing a hand on top of the door. I peer up at him. His face is a closed off mask, but it isn't necessarily frightening as he stares back at me. The cool air battles with the heat of the car as he shows no signs of moving away.
"There's no need for you to be afraid of me, Winter," he says, his voice smooth. "At least not at the moment. Your presence here is no concern of mine unless you start to create problems." His voice drops a little lower. "And you're not going to be a problem, are you?" For the first time, there's something slightly scary to his voice, slightly menacing.
I take a deep gulp before forcing my vocal chords to work. "No, I won't be a problem."
"Good, now you enjoy your visit to Delirium."
He moves to close the door. "Wait, what is your name?"
He pauses, his lips quirking to the side slightly. "Vito Bianchi, but most know me as the fixer."