CHAPTER ELEVEN: ENZO
The moment I see Maximo I know I'm fucked.
Not only is he not supposed to be here, Giovanni having explicitly said so, but I know the crazy look in his eyes. I know from the confident way he walks, shoulders straight back with a slight smirk on his face that he’s either fucked or killed recently.
And I know the fact that Winter has disappeared isn't good.
Maximo pauses, just barely covered in the shadows, even though it doesn't matter since Giovanni isn't in the room. He turns his body halfway and his eyes roam over my body in a hot look that I can feel down in my limbs from all the way across the room. And then his eyes meet mine and his lips turn into the grin I've never been able to resist.
The smile that's going to result in me having my head on a platter, courtesy of Giovanni, while Maximo goes off to find a new toy.
He pulls a finger to his lips in a manner that should look almost childish, but only looks dangerous when he does it. And then he jerks his head in the direction of the stairwell.
Fuck.
He gives me a wink and then he's gone.
I glance around, but I know Giovanni is deep into a meeting, thankfully. Which means I have a couple of minutes to try and fix the problem that Maximo has no doubt created.
This is Vito's job.
But Vito would not only try to blow Maximo's head off, he'd also tell Giovanni, something that Maximo knows I won't do.
It's why he continues to use you. You're a more loyal soldier to him than you ever were for the military, more loyal than you are to Giovanni.
And I'll be dead if the head of the Costa family ever finds out.
I push the thought away, hurrying to the door and pushing it open. I jog up the stairs, slamming onto the upper level. I glance down the hall, running a hand through my hair as I stare at all the doors. I take a hesitant step forward, trying to figure out where to start before the answer becomes clear.
The stockroom.
I've been at Maximo's mercy in that room more times than I can count, and I have no doubt that he'd consider it a good place to take Winter.
I push into the room and my blood runs cold at the scene in front of me. Broken glass on the floor, the sharp smell of liquor tainting the air, and one ruined woman spread out on her back.
Winter's legs are gaped open, her dress pushed up to her waist and I quickly pull my eyes away when I see that her underwear is missing. I move over to her and when I look down, I don't miss the blank look in her eyes.
This is bad.
I kneel down next to her, my mind going crazy as I try to figure out what to do.
Just get her up and make her look presentable. Giovanni is still in his meeting and he expects you to give her a tour of the place until he's done.
Which means I need to use the tour time to make her look presentable.
Blowing out a deep breath, I reach out, grabbing her shoulder and she flinches away. Her eyes move over my face, but it’s as if she's looking right through me.
Fuck, what was Maximo thinking?
Surely he knows that if he fucking breaks her there's not even a thing I can do to keep Gio from finding out. I mean, fuck, Winter hasn't exactly been extremely social since she got here, which works best for her, but she also hasn't been... a zombie.
Giovanni is going to notice if she's suddenly turned into something from The Walking Dead.
"Winter." I keep my voice even and firm as I grip her shoulder. 'Winter," I repeat when I get absolutely nothing from her. After a moment, she blinks and her gaze clears slightly. There still doesn't seem to be any sort of recognition but it's something. "Winter, you need to get up," I tell her.
And despite all I've done, I know I'm about to do even worse. I jerk her shoulders, forcing her eyes to meet mine. "Whatever you do, you don't bring this up to Giovanni, do you understand me? If he finds out you whored yourself out to Maximo, the plans he has for you will be replaced with something worse." The words are bitter on my tongue, but I say them all the same. I say them to protect Maximo and while I wish I could say I regret doing it, it'd be a lie.
She blinks, and it’s almost like she still isn't even here.