Defender's Heartbeat

Chapter 38

Pedro

"Are you ready to go back to school tomorrow?" I asked Enzo. He hadn't been to school in about a month, mostly due to his mental health issues.

"Yes," he replied.

"Who are your least favorite bodyguards?" I asked. I planned to assign him the ones he disliked the most. That way, if something happened to them, he wouldn't feel as much pain. Until we dealt with De Luca, the bodyguards would be watching over Enzo, even at school.

"Your bodyguard and Louis's bodyguard," he answered, unaware of why I was asking. The little brat would be in for a surprise tomorrow morning, I thought.

I had bought him a new car again. I knew he had asked for a Jaguar, but I refused. Even though I could afford it, I knew exactly what he would do with it. He'd drive recklessly and probably end up getting into an accident. He was reckless and stupid.

Enzo

I was surprised to see Pedro's bodyguard and Louis' bodyguard waiting for me in front of my new car to take me to school. So that's why my dog of a brother asked which bodyguard I disliked the most. He wanted to make me feel uncomfortable. I got into the car and became even angrier when Pedro's huge bodyguard sat beside me instead of in the front passenger seat.

"I want the whole seat. Go to the front," I said.

"Boss asked me to sit next to you," he replied. It was pointless to argue. Those men treated their bosses like gods. They wouldn't do anything against their orders. No spine at all. Papa was the only one with a spine, and for that reason, my papa and brothers hated him so much.

As the car moved, my mind returned to the incident from a few weeks ago. I felt uneasy and scared. I wanted Papa, but he was at home, resting. I was glad they didn't send him to his house and let him stay at ours until he got better.

As the car drove down the familiar road, passing little trucks and other vehicles, I suddenly felt an uncomfortable sensation creeping over me. It was strange; I didn't feel like this when I went to the shrink with Pedro. Pedro gave me a safer feeling than these two bodyguards. I started to sweat, and suddenly, I was back in the middle of the fight. Gunshots rang in my ears. I closed my ears and hunched down, breathing heavily.

"Boss, Boss, are you okay?" I heard a rough voice ask.

The worst thing was that all the memories were mixed. Sometimes it was the old stink house. Sometimes it was Papa beating the hell out of me. Sometimes it was the basement. Sometimes it was the last incident.

"Boss, do you want to go back?" the voice asked again, trying to pull me back.

"No," I said.

"Are you sure?" he asked. I noticed that the car had stopped.

"No, I want to go to school," I said. I didn't want to hide like a coward. I rested my head on Pedro's bodyguard's arm, like I used to with Papa's, and closed my eyes. I didn't open them until we arrived at school.

"Boss, you can get out of the car now," the bodyguard said. I opened my eyes and saw our car parked in the teachers' parking spot.

"Why?" I asked, surprised.

"Pedro got permission for your safety," he said. I didn't want anyone to see my car parked in the teachers' spot with two bodyguards. How embarrassing. What would others think of me?

"Oh God, does he want to embarrass me in front of the whole school?" I snapped, waiting until no one was around before getting out of the car.

"Don't tell anyone that we know each other," I said, smoothly exiting the car and heading toward the road inside the school that led uphill. When I stopped and glanced back, I saw Pedro's bodyguard following me.

"Stay in the car, you dummy," I hissed, walking back to him.

"Sorry, boss. Pedro asked me to keep an eye on you," he said.

"Are you following me everywhere?" I asked, shocked. No, no, no! He nodded, confirming it. I could tell he was laughing at me on the inside.

Angry, I walked away from him.

"Enzo," I heard Noah's voice as he ran toward me and jumped on my back.

"Stop it, Noah. He was in an accident," I heard Diego scold Noah. I was glad to see all my friends. They gave me a group hug. I liked hugs, but I pretended I didn't.

"Are you okay now?" Elijah asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"Where are your injuries?" he asked suspiciously. I didn't have many injuries because Papa had taken them all for me.

"I have to remove my clothes if you want to see them," I joked.

"Oh please don't," Noah replied, mirroring my tone.

"Enzo, you look so different. Are you okay?" Elijah asked, looking serious. The others nodded, also concerned.

"Different how?" I asked.

"You look like you've lost weight and haven't eaten or slept in ages," Diego said.

"Are you still sick?" Noah asked.

"No, I'm fine," I said. Did I look that different?

"Who's that?" Elijah said, looking into the distance. I turned my head and saw Pedro's bodyguard.

"I don't know," I said.

"That's your brother's driver," Diego said.

"He can't be a driver. I'm pretty sure he's a bodyguard," Elijah replied, looking at me.

"He's a driver," I insisted.

"Where does your father find drivers who look like army soldiers or rugby players?" Elijah asked.

"Come on, Enzo. Stop lying. You're busted," Noah said.

"Enzo has many secrets he doesn't even want to share with us," Diego added, frustration creeping into his voice. I knew he wasn't happy that I kept most of my life to myself. He believed best friends shouldn't have secrets.

"Did you bring what I asked you to bring?" I asked Noah, ignoring their comments.

"Here it is," Noah said, pulling out a silver flask from inside his coat. I took it, making sure the guard wouldn't see. It smelled good. I took a swig, drinking half of it.

"Enough, enough," Diego said, grabbing it back and finishing the rest.

"Hey, I bought it, and you two drank it all?" Noah complained.

"Not me. He did that," I said, pointing at Diego.

The little hangover feeling made me feel a bit better.