𝐄𝐍𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐘 | 𝟏𝟖+

29

Lorenzo's POV

TW: Violence

• • •

Everything went dark.

My little cousin sat in a chair, hands tied in a warehouse. He'd been beaten. I've taught him to never show any weakness to his captor, and that was one of the only rules of mine he'd ever followed.

I never wanted him involved in this. I promised his mother that he'd be safe with me, but that was yet another promise I couldn't keep.

Livid, I turned to Love. "What do you know about this?"

"What do I know about this?" She responded, surprised by my irrational accusation. "I'm sorry," she scoffed, "I saw Akeno the moment you did."

"It isn't a fucking coincidence Akeno gets abducted the day you meet some sketchy Russian."

"Enzo," her voice went soft, "I have no idea what you're feeling right now, but I'm here to help—in any way I can."

"Get your coat, we're going to find him."

"How?" She asked as I stormed passed her and opened the front door.

"I recognize the place."

An hour later and an abundance of yelling into my phone later, we arrived at an abandoned warehouse where my father taught me how to aim a knife long distance.

"I hope you're wearing something you aren't afraid to get dirty."

"What? We're not waiting for Ben and Christian?"

"No. We've already wasted too much time."

Still in her long, blue dress, she stepped out of the car, and shut the door behind her. Inhaling a deep breath, she put her hair up into a quick bun. "You can wait on the car, you know. Wouldn't want your pretty dress to get ruined."

"And let you take on whoever the hell is in there by yourself?"

"Fine, stay behind me." I ordered her, but I knew it was pointless because she took any and every chance she had to defy me.

"I'm not staying behind you."

"I know," I mumbled under my breath, "you never do." I handed her the knife with my families engraving on it, and she took a second to admire it.

She looked up at me with playful eyes, "I've held worse."

I smiled at her, "Since we've already canvassed the perimeter, We'll head inside. Whatever you do—"

"Don't scratch up my pretty face." She finished for me.

"I was going to say don't get killed in the process, but now that you mention it, I'd hate for this pretty face to be corrupted before I even got the chance," I traced the pad of my thumb over her cheek, and bent down to kiss her forehead.

"Be careful," she whispered.

"You be careful. Meet me inside."

She nodded as we both went our separate ways around the building.

Love's POV

"What have I gotten myself into?" I whispered to myself while watching the table surrounded by five overly sized Russian men playing poker. "Here goes nothing."

I announced myself by the click of my heels. "Excuse me, boys. I'm sorry to interrupt, but I seem to have gotten lost." This whole ditzy thing is not me. "Do any of you mind pointing me in the direction of the nearest gas station?" I batted my eyelashes with a faint smile.