Page 45 of The Masked King

“Would you believe me if I said no?”

“Only if it’s true.”

She smiles, and her eyes fill with tears although I’m unsure if that’s because she misses Stella or if she’s still healing. “No. I still have some dignity.” She takes a deep breath. “Besides, she’s better off without me.”

My mind instinctively circles around to Demi. Is that what her brothers told her, that she’s better off without me? I’d have died every day for a thousand years if it meant keeping Demi safe… I only wish she’d believed me.

“Did you love her?” I reach across and cover Bianca’s hand with mine.

“Was that a deliberate use of past tense or a slip of the tongue? Yes, Enzo, I loved her. I still do. You don’t switch that kind of love off overnight, it stays with you, glowing in the dark when you open your eyes, and keeping you strong when the world lets you down.”

I nod. She couldn’t make that up if she wasn’t still aching every day of her life for Stella Marlow, and I don’t know what else to say.

“So, what will you do now?” she asks, demonstrating her own deflection technique.

“I have to go back. I need to make sure Nyx is safe.”

Bianca sips her coffee, elbows leaning on the counter like this is the way we spend our afternoons, sipping coffee and chatting about the fucking Bratva’s bid for world domination.

She inhales deeply and releases it slowly. “This was a warning, Enzo. Next time, you might not be so lucky.”

“Yeah, well, if I was chosen to get an invitation, the big boys have plans for me. I’d hate to disappoint them.”

Bianca’s hands tremble when she sets her cup down. “I think it’s time to grow up, baby brother. That attitude will only carry you so far. What happens when the Bratva decides you’ve outlived your purpose?”

“I’ll make sure they don’t get the opportunity.”

“Fuck’s sake, Enzo. You seriously believe Gio will dig you out of this hole when he finds out what’s going on?”

“No. You will.”

I rock up at JADED as usual a little after midnight.

I’ve no idea if I’ll be welcomed with a flashlight or a fucking taser, but I press the buzzer with a smile on my face and my chin jutting defiantly as if the night before was just an illusion, something that happened to someone else in another dimension.

Bianca said attitude will only get me so far. That’s fine by me. It literally only needs to get me through the door.

Not that I have a plan.

All I want to do is speak to Nyx, make sure she’s safe, and warn her somehow to get out if she can.

The door is buzzed open, and my confidence takes a little backstep.

Too easy doesn’t sit well with me. The Bratva didn’t get its reputation by giving the enemy options; it steamed in with a bunch of explosives yelling, “Come and get us, you bastards,” at the top of their lungs.

Still, I think of Nyx and enter the foyer. If I can save one life, it’ll be a starting point for the new me. The version of me navigating a future without Demi and managing to be a decent guy at the same time.

The door closes behind me plunging me into darkness.

“Well, well, well, Mr. Sabatelli.” The glow of the flashlight illuminates the holder who, as usual, appears from nowhere.

“Almost sounds as if you weren’t expecting me.” I keep my tone light, playful.

Her eyes meet and hold mine. “I knew you’d be back.”

“Can’t keep away.” I shrug. “Besides, you dangled the carrot. What did you expect me to do?”

She smiles. “I’ve never heard it called a carrot before. I’ll remember that one.”