Page 56 of Enzo (Legacy of Heathens #3)

ENZO

T he world was quiet as the sun rose, its rays peeking through the window. Penelope rested her head on my chest, finally asleep.

Until the buzzing started.

Once. Twice. A third time.

Urgent.

She stirred before I was able to silence it, her hand brushing across my chest as she reached for the phone.

“It’s your father,” she said, voice low, already alert.

I sat up and took the phone from her, my heart thudding. My father wasn’t the type to call and just chitchat. It usually meant trouble was on the horizon.

“Father?” I answered.

He didn’t waste time.

“Cassio and Nico figured out you’ve become involved with organ trafficking,” he said, his voice low, grim. “It would have helped if I knew, son.”

I scrubbed a hand down my face. “ Cazzo , I’m sorry you had to learn about it this way.”

“So it’s true.”

A heartbeat of silence. “Yes.”

“ Dio mio , Enzo. Have you lost your goddamned mind?”

“Probably.”

“What would possess you to do something like this?”

I scratched at the three-day-old stubble on my jaw. “It’s a long story.”

I heard his deep exhale on the other end of the line, heavy and knowing.

“Let me guess. This has to do with little Amara’s death.”

“Yes.”

The word scraped out of my throat, like swallowing glass.

“I suspected as much. That was reckless, Enzo. You should have discussed it with the family and the Omertà.”

“I’m the head of the family,” I reminded him. “And it wasn’t as if there was a lot of time to go through the bullshit of hearing everyone yap.”

He scoffed softly. “I guess I raised you well because you turned out just like me.”

My father protected Amadeo and me, and he loved us, but before Isla, we weren’t exactly an affectionate trio. It was a trait we were still learning. All three of us.

“How did they learn of it?”

“Nico Morrelli has his ways, and he’s good friends with Cassio and his gang.

” This confirmed what Luca had said. “He’d been an expert at hiding information for years.

You’re just as good—if not better—than him, but he’s dominated our criminal world for decades.

After all, he hid Isla from the world for twenty years. ”

I said nothing for a moment. Just stared at the wall, churning options in my mind.

“How long before they come?” I asked.

A pause.

“You have a day, maybe. No more.”

I hung up without another word.

Penelope waited, watching me like she was bracing for impact.

“What is it?”

I looked at her—my wife, my shield—and swallowed hard.

“Cassio King learned of my involvement with Organs of the Night. He and his gang are coming. We can definitely expect Cassio and Nico soon.”

Her face was unreadable.

“You know, they’re my uncles.” I nodded. “They won’t hurt me, but you… I won’t let them. We have to talk to my papà.”

She was already out of bed, reaching for her clothes. I caught her wrist.

“No,” I said. “You’re not walking into this with me.” I should send my wife away too, but I wasn’t sure if my moral compass could handle it. “Your papà already made a decision, and he’s right. It’s not fair that I put the boys and your parents at risk. Or you, for that matter.”

She blinked at me, then gave a slow, deliberate shake of her head. “I won’t hear of it. I’m coming with you.”

“Pen.”

“I’m not discussing it any further, Enzo,” she snapped. “I’m your goddamn spine and you’re my heartbeat. We’re doing this together. If you want to run, we’ll run together. If you want to fight, we’ll fight together. But under no fucking circumstance are you doing this alone.”

“You could get killed,” I said quietly.

“So could you,” she shot back, eyes burning into mine. “That’s kind of the point of us going together.”

I looked at her and saw everything I fell in love with. Fire, loyalty, and devotion. But the one thing that shone more brightly than anything else was her love for me.

There was no point in fighting her.

She cupped my face. “Papà was upset, but I know him. He’s probably turned over every word we spoke since he came. His stance could have changed.”

I took a breath. “Okay, then. We go to your papà. He’s the only one who can slow them down.”

She nodded, already sliding her small feet into her Converse. “And after that?”

“After that,” I said, “we’ll show them the truth. Or we’ll go down fighting.”

“Well, we’ve done dumber things together.”

I gave her a faint smile. “Not many.”

And we were out the door before the sun even broke over the horizon.

“I still don’t like this,” I muttered, pulling up in front of Luca’s house.

I cut the engine and came around to help my wife out of the car.

“Trust me,” Pen said, her chin lifting stubbornly. “It’s been twenty-four hours. Papà’s probably had time to calm down and think.”

We approached the mansion, climbing the steps to the front door.

“Yeah, and that’s exactly what worries me.”

“What?” she asked.

“That word: probably .”

She rolled her eyes but said nothing.

“And if you’re so sure he’s not going to kill me,” I added, “why insist on tagging along?”

“To see my parents, obviously.” She was doing a terrible job of hiding her amused expression. “And to get some fresh air. You can’t keep me locked in that mansion, no matter how gorgeous the views are.”

“The front door wasn’t locked.”

“It wasn’t?” Her brows rose. “Well, damn.”

Stubborn as hell. I’d known she was strong-willed, but I hadn’t realized just how much. Normally, I’d admire it, but not when it was about to get us into the lair of danger.

I reached for the door handle only for it to swing open.

And there they stood. The men who wanted me dead.

Cassio King and Nico Morrelli.

I immediately shoved Penelope behind me, reaching for my weapon as they raised theirs.

Cazzo . I knew this was a bad idea.

“Hello, Uncle Cassio. Uncle Nico,” Penelope chirped, peeking out from under my arm.

The “uncles” didn’t look thrilled. I was a bit fuzzy on how Nico was her uncle, but it hardly seemed the time to ask. Especially if I had to kill him. Then it wouldn’t really matter, would it?

“Penelope,” Cassio growled. “Come here. Walk away from that scumbag.”

“He’s about to be a dead man,” Nico added coldly.

“Nah, I love him, so I’m staying put.” Her voice was casual, light. Too light. I couldn’t tell if she was fearless or just reckless. “And FYI, next time you threaten my husband, things won’t end well for you. Let’s not forget, I know your children.”

Reckless. Definitely reckless.

Jesus Christ.

Luca appeared beside them, his wife not far behind. The odds were getting worse for us by the minute.

“I thought you said your son-in-law wasn’t in Sicily, Luca,” Cassio said, voice sharp. “Yet here he is.”

I blinked. Luca had… protected me?

“He’s not a threat,” Luca said, his voice quiet but firm. “And if you go after him, it’s a strike against me.”

“Oh, Papà!” Penelope squealed, trying to dart forward. I yanked her back by the waist. “Enzo, what the hell?”

“Not now,” I snapped. “I’m not letting you walk into the crossfire.”

She scowled. “No one’s going to shoot.”

She leveled her uncles with the same glare she’d used on me when she learned I was her masked stranger.

“You two are going to shut up, listen, and handle this like smart, civil adults. Not testosterone-drunk mobsters who can’t tell their dicks from their egos. Which, by the way, are both puny.”

“Jesus fuck,” Nico muttered, lowering his weapon slightly, but his attention was still on me. “And I thought Hannah was bad,” he added.

“I think she rubbed off on Pen,” her mama said with a proud smile.

“No,” Luca sighed. “I think that’s her husband’s doing.”

He looked at me, and I just shrugged. Penelope could be as brave and reckless as she wanted and I’d be behind her every step of the way, killing men and women to ensure they fell in line.

“Can we go into my office and let Enzo explain, or are we doing this on my doorstep?” my father-in-law demanded.

“We can do it here,” Penelope offered brightly. “Unless the uncles promise not to shoot him.”

“Kiddo,” Nico snapped, “you know what that organization did to Hannah.”

“And Enzo isn’t that organization,” she shot back. “So say the words, uncles.”

Silence.

I took the opportunity to speak up.

“Listen, I only recently learned that Atticus ran Organs of the Night. I got involved because I was trying to find a donor for Amara. That’s how it started. But it got darker—much darker—real fast.”

“We don’t deal in organs,” Cassio spat. “No matter the reason.”

Margaret scoffed. “Easy for you to say when you’re not… watching your baby die one day at a time.”

Her voice cracked, and Luca pulled her into his arms.

“I didn’t deal a single organ on the black market,” I said, although if I had found the match on time, I likely would have.

However, that was a stain on my soul, nobody else’s.

“I dismantled it. Atticus was first. Then Nicki. I’ve been working my way through the names I was able to dig up since I’ve taken over the organization. I know there are more.”

Luca stepped forward. His voice was low, pained. “Cassio, Atticus had Amara’s doctor on his payroll. That man blocked her treatment. Might as well have pulled the trigger himself.”

“Are you sure he’s not lying to you?” Cassio asked.

Before I could say anything, Penelope reached inside her pocket and dug out a folded envelope. I froze, recognizing it.

“ Mia anima , are you sure that’s wise?”

She nodded.

“They have to see it for themselves to believe it.” Then she flung it at her uncle Cassio, who caught it vigilantly. “Here’s your proof.”

He started unfolding the envelope.

“Luca, it’s best you and your wife don’t look,” I said softly to my in-laws. It didn’t matter whose side they were on, they didn’t deserve to suffer more.

Cassio pulled out the photo just as Luca turned his wife’s head and pressed it against his chest. But he saw it, and the pain that slashed across his face was gut-wrenching.

Luca’s jaw tightened, but he gave a subtle nod toward the inside of the house.

“Inside. All of you.”