Page 29 of Enzo (Legacy of Heathens #3)
ENZO
M y temple was throbbing when I arrived in front of DiMauro’s iron gates. The guards recognized me and waved me in. I parked next to Luca’s armored Land Cruiser and stepped out of the car, walking the distance to the front of the house.
The sound of waves was a soft hum in the distance, and the late-December sun warmed my skin, but it wasn’t able to quite reach my soul.
I fucked up, but so did Penelope.
I should be furious with my wife, but I couldn’t quite find the energy for it. The doting idiot in me hoped that her little stunt would allow us a fresh start. I tricked her into sleeping with me; she tried to kill me.
It’s all good. No hard feelings.
Almost killing me must have evened the score. Right?
Fuck, I didn’t know.
So, I bought a bouquet of roses and practiced what to say on the way over, but nothing seemed adequate.
I reached for the doorbell, about to ring it, when the door swung open and in front of me stood my wife’s eleven-year-old sister.
“Hello, brother-in-law,” she greeted me, eyeing the roses.
“Hello, Amara. How are you today?” The dark circles under her eyes should have been my answer.
“I’m okay.”
“Were you monitoring your family’s surveillance cameras?” I asked, only half joking.
She shook her head.
“No, I saw you coming.” My eyebrows arched, and she added, “From up there.”
“Isn’t that Penelope’s room?”
She shrugged.
“It was two days ago. It’s mine now.” She smiled sadly. “I don’t have a lot of time left, so yeah… figured I’d enjoy the room with the best view while I can.”
I almost broke down at her emotionless delivery of such heavy words. “Don’t rush a single moment, kiddo.” My hand landed on her shoulder and I squeezed it gently. “And don’t give up. You can win this thing.”
Her eyes widened. “You know?”
“I know you’re sick,” I said honestly. Pen had donated bone marrow, but it turned out not to be enough.
The cancer was back and the kid needed a liver.
A spleen too, which was a fist-sized organ that played an important role in blood filtration, and most of us had only one of those.
And I didn’t think they’d perfected transplanting those yet.
“Although, your papà would be mad at me if he knew how I came to know.”
That was the understatement of the century. He kept his daughter’s illness hidden from the world, whether in an attempt to appear strong in the face of his enemies or because he couldn’t face the truth, I’d likely never know.
“How did you learn I was sick?”
I couldn’t lie to her, so I answered as honestly as I could.
“Penelope and her happiness mean everything to me, so I wanted to know everything about her. Since you and your family matter a great deal to her, I made sure I learn all there is about you, too.”
Her smile turned bright. “Then we won’t tell Papà. It’ll be our secret.”
“I like that.”
I entered the foyer, Amara promptly shutting the door behind me. Her eyes landed on the bouquet again.
“Those are very pretty,” she murmured. “Pen will like them. She loves romance, always talks about grand gestures.”
“She does?”
“Mhm. I get bouquets when I’m sick, but the hospital doesn’t allow them on my floor, so they’re usually dead by the time I see them.” A shadow passed her expression and she swallowed. “I don’t think I’ll ever get roses just because.”
My chest squeezed. The lump in my throat grew and I cleared my throat. I fucking killed people for a living, I couldn’t be getting all mushy.
“Actually, these are for you,” I heard myself say.
The blinding smile she flashed told me I’d made the right call.
“Thank you, Enzo,” she murmured, yanking them out of my hand and probably killing a few stems in the process. “They’re so beautiful.” She buried her nose in the bouquet and inhaled deeply. “If you’re looking for Penelope, she’s in there with Mama. They’re discussing life, love, and marriage.”
“Hmmm, maybe I should let her have some time, then. Watch out for the thorns, okay?”
I looked around, debating where it would be best to hang out, when Amara’s small hand slid into mine, pulling me forward.
She stopped in front of the cake stairs that led to the second and third floors and flopped down on the bottom step.
She put the bundle of flowers in her lap somewhat clumsily, then patted the spot next to her.
“Did you and Pen have an argument?” she asked as I sat down.
For a heartbeat, I debated lying to her, but then decided against it. “Sì, something like that.”
She grinned. “That means she cares.”
I blinked. “Come again?”
She shifted a bit, a few roses falling at her feet.
“When she doesn’t care about something, my sister doesn’t bother arguing, she just lets it go.”
I grinned. “Duly noted, littlest one. Thank you for sharing that tip.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Now, I owe you, so whatever you need…” I trailed off, knowing I couldn’t grant her the most important thing, and it fucking tore at my chest. No child should be sick, and I wished there was a way I could make it better for her.
“I don’t need much,” she said slowly. “Maybe some company here and there.”
“Well, how about I keep you company whenever you want?” I offered.
Her eyes filled with hope. “For how long?”
“For as long as you want it.” I meant it too.
“Aren’t you too busy?”
“Never too busy for you.”
She sighed. “My family says the same, but I know they are. I can’t run and dance like they can. I get tired too quickly.”
“Well, that’s easily remedied. We won’t run, nor will we dance.”
She chewed on her bottom lip nervously. “I don’t want to impose. Pen stays with me for all doctor’s appointments. She even helps other children, but she has homework to do. My brothers, too.”
“I don’t have any homework.”
“But you run your… business?”
“I can do that from anywhere in the world. So why not Sicily?” I tilted my head pensively. “How about we have a standing daily appointment to hang out for two hours. Is that too much? Too little?”
Amara stared at me until her toothy grin stretched over her face. “It’s… it’s perfect.”
“Excellent.”
“Thank you, thank you.” She threw her arms around me and my hands instinctively caught her just as a door opened and two sets of eyes stared at us in shock.