Page 22 of Single Malt Drama

Marco

After droppingthe bomb about Enzo and Shanna’s skin-flick going live at Marchionni Corp, I went upstairs and took a shower. If my calculations were correct, Nico would arrive in about two hours. I needed to give Enzo a head’s up, but there was no reasoning with him when he was upset—and let me tell you. He was upset.

But that’s not all.

I mused over the goofy expression that overcame him when he gazed at Shanna. I never would have thought it possible, but Enzo was in love. I might have had a slight obsession with saving Nico, but I’d never been so gaga over a woman. Nor did I plan to be anytime soon.

Dreading the upcoming conversation, I grabbed a beer from the fridge and headed out to the pool deck.

Enzo didn’t appear to have heard me open the sliding glass door. He just stood there staring off into space like a freaking statue while our dinner slowly turned to coal.

“How are the steaks coming?” I pointed to the smoke pouring out of the grill. “Smells like they’re burning.”

“Son of a bitch.” He threw the lid open and tossed the meat onto a plate. People burned food all the time, but Enzo wasn’t your average backyard cook. He ran one of the hottest restaurants in New Orleans. My brother could make a feast out of garbage if he had the right spices.

I needed to know where he stood with Shanna before I told him about Nico. If he was in denial about his feelings, it would complicate things. And I’ll have to kick him in the ass to get him moving. “I’d ask where your head is, but it’s obvious.”

He ignored me.

“Come on, Enzo. A blind man could see you’re in love with her.” I nudged his shoulder. “What are you going to do about it?”

“Enjoy it while it lasts and let her go when it ends.”

Is he for real or is he talking a big game?“That’s cold, even for you. What about her? Have you thought about her feelings?”

Glaring, he opened his mouth as if to speak, but shouting erupted in the front of the house.

My heart stopped beating. Nico had arrived early. Not only would Enzo throttle me for not telling him she was coming, Nico would have my balls in a jar for putting her in a situation where she’d have to defend herself. She’d been through enough in the previous twenty-four hours. She didn’t need Enzo’s shit on top of it.

“Oh crap.” I made a break for the house, tripped over a lounge chair, and went down hard. Pain shot from my calf to my shoulder, and back again, but all I could think about was Nico and Shanna coming to blows. “Get in there before one of them bleeds on Ma’s white rugs!”

Enzo’s nostrils flared. “What the hell is Nico doing here?”

“Go!” I glanced down and my stomach turned. Blood covered the lower half of my right leg. I’d never been one to handle gore well, especially if said gore belonged to me.

The shouting in the front of the house continued, but Enzo’s voice added to the mix. From the sounds of it, he’d made it worse.

I couldn’t let him, or Shanna, give Nico a hard time. Not when they didn’t know the whole story. Ignoring the blood trailing behind me, I hobbled toward the door.

Shanna rounded the corner wearing an expression that promised pain. Major pain. However, when she glanced down at my calf, her face softened. “My God, what did you do? Are you okay?”

Hildie came up behind her with a first aid kit. Unlike Shanna, the older woman wasted no time asking questions. She’d practically raised me and my brothers. This wasn’t the first time one of us had sliced ourselves open while running on the deck. “Sit. Let me look at it.”

I sank into a lounge chair and propped up my wounded leg.

Hildie eased the towel back, sucked a breath between her teeth, and turned to Shanna. “Go inside and get a bowl of water and a couple of dishtowels.”

She nodded and headed for the kitchen.

Hildie met my gaze. “Why is Nico here?”

“If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather explain when Shanna returns.”

“That’s fine, but you and I are going to have a long talk. Alone.”

Shanna returned and set the bowl on the end of the lounger. “You don’t seem surprised to see Nico.”

“I’m not.” Wincing from whatever the hell Hildie was doing to my cut, I said, “She’s on the run from her father. I helped her escape Trapani.”