Page 86 of Enforcer

Once he’s on it, I step toward Alyssa. She lifts the key in my direction again.

“Where are you going?”

“The apartment Slate got me. You knew this wasn’t permanent. I told you all along what this was between us, Dante. Things with me are too complicated, and I’m not in a place to do this with you right now. I’m tired, and I don’t feel good…”

“Yeah,” I say, cutting her off. “You should be in the hospital right now.”

“Don’t start with me, Dante. We’re nothing. I appreciate you letting me stay, and I’ll find some way to repay you eventually.”

“I don’t want your fucking money,” I snarl.

She huffs another sigh as she tightens her purse on her shoulder. “Alright, then. If you don’t want the key, I guess I can mail it back to you.”

I snatch the key out of her hand, and she sidesteps me and presses the button for the elevator.

“So this is it? You’re just going to walk away from what we have.”

“What do we have?” She spins on me, and I stutter step, not expecting the ire in her tone. “We have a few good fucks, and mounting lies, the way I see it.” Her words might as well be a sharpened shank skewering through my gut.

“Wow,” I manage, shaking my head at her as the elevator opens.

“You knew what this was. You said you were alright with it, Dante. It’s not my fault you let yourself get in too deep with me.”

Holy shit, this girl is fucking ruthless.

“Your dad really did a number on you, didn’t he?”

In a split second, her eyes grow haunted and dark as she flicks them toward the elevator, gets on, and presses the button to meet Pauly at the car.

“Goodbye, Dante.”

I keep my lips sealed, watching the doors close as my heart nearly leaps from my chest to follow her.

I can’t help the burning ache building in my chest, nor the itching need to chase after her. I can’t chase someone who doesn’t want me. It makes me look desperate. It makes me look weak.

I’m a fucking Ricci, for Christ’s sake.

I’ve got to get my shit together.

The pulsingmusic makes the cells in my veins dance in my blood as it rushes through them. Lorenzo shakes his head to the music as he sips from his drink.

This is the dumbest shit I’ve ever agreed to do, but when the men saw me in the state I’ve been in since Alyssa left two days ago, they told me I needed to get out of the apartment. I didn’t know that meant we would get rip-roaring drunk, but here we are.

I’m five drinks in, with a good buzz fluttering through me.

“So, how long until she comes back? Who wants to wager?” Antonio slurs.

Pauly is on standby tonight because we cannot drive away from this bar.

“She’s not coming back,” I grumble, annoyance warring in my chest.

Lorenzo scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Fuck if she isn’t. Look at you. I’d come back, and I’m not into men.”

“Damn, really? I was going to shoot my fucking shot tonight,” Antonio jokes.

Lorenzo pulls a gun from the back of his pants, pressing it to Antonio’s neck. “I’ll fucking kill you where you sit.”

Antonio’s eyes grow worried, fear blazing in them. “I was just kidding, man.”