Chapter Seventeen

Madelyn

 

Madelyn tried her best not to worry about keeping Nero waiting that evening. After all, Enzo had said the man was getting paid regardless, and she had plenty of work to do. There were her other cases she had besides Enzo’s, which had been practically getting ignored lately, and there were still several things about Enzo’s plan she wanted to study up on. She had to be absolutely flawless when it came to the trial.

 

Still, her curiosity was getting the better of her. She had gotten up from her desk to glance out the window a few times, but of course she couldn’t see so far down onto the street. Any of the tiny people down there could be him, since none of them looked different from each other from this point of view.

 

Eventually, when she couldn’t possibly keep her concentration any longer, she packed up her laptop case. She was getting burned out, and she didn’t really want to work anymore tonight, but she slipped Enzo’s file inside anyway. There was no point in letting anyone else get their hands on it.

 

Her stomach refused to keep up with the elevator as she rode down to the lobby, and she stepped out onto the street apprehensively. The long summer days meant that it was still light outside, and people came and went down the busy sidewalk. She didn’t see anyone who fit the description Enzo had given her, but it didn’t seem right to stand there in front of the door, looking around. Instead, she pretended as though nothing was different than any other day and started down the sidewalk toward her building.

 

As soon as she did so, a shadow fell across the concrete in front of her. “Hey, Madelyn! I was hoping I would catch you around this afternoon.”

 

Madelyn looked up into a big, friendly face and couldn’t help but smile. Nero was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans and would have looked completely unremarkable if it hadn’t been for his large bulk. His short hair was several shades lighter than Enzo’s, the medium brown of it showing lighter streaks in the sun. He carried a nondescript black backpack over one shoulder. “It’s good to see you.”

 

He smiled back and his shoulders relaxed a little. Maybe he had been just as nervous about this as she had. “Are you doing anything special for dinner tonight? We could grab a burger if you want.”

 

“There’s a place just down the street, on the way to my apartment.” Madelyn had a good feeling that Nero already knew that. If he was Enzo’s employee, he had probably scouted out every building within a mile’s radius of her apartment and memorized the name of every tenant in her building. “We could grab a couple sandwiches and take them back to my place if you’d like.”

 

“Sure!”

 

Madelyn found that it was far too easy to fall into this charade of pretending they were old friends. Was she becoming a better liar by hanging out with Enzo, or had she always been one? They got their meal and continued on, talking about all sorts of random things. Nero never let an awkward silence fall between them, and even though she had a feeling he probably knew everything about her, he kept the subject matter innocuous. They discussed the weather, the news, and current television shows that Madelyn hadn’t had any time to catch up on lately.

 

The clerk was behind the desk when they walked into the lobby of her apartment building. She glanced up and smiled at Madelyn, but her eyes widened in surprise a little when she saw Nero. “Hi, Ms. Rowe. I don’t believe I’ve met your … friend?”

 

Madelyn smiled, wondering if the clerk had a crush on the big man. “This is my cousin, Nero. He’s in from out of town, and he’s going to be staying with me for a few days.”

 

The clerk’s cheeks blushed a little as she glanced at him again. “Nice to meet you. I hope you enjoy your visit. It seems that we’ve had a lot of visitors in the building today.”

 

Madelyn didn’t think much of the comment until they got off the elevator on her floor. Usually, the halls were very quiet around here, but there was a rush of white noise that greeted her ears. As soon as she turned the corner, she stopped in her tracks. A crowd of people stood outside her apartment door. Judging by the digital recorders and cameras in their hands, they could only be reporters. They proved it when they turned and rushed her, and Madelyn was grateful for the wall of man called Nero, standing immediately behind her.

 

“Just play it cool,” he muttered. “I’ve got you.”

 

“Are you Madelyn Rowe?” shouted a young man with blond hair.

 

“Is it true that you’re representing Lorenzo Marino in next week’s trial?” demanded a young woman with black hair who stuck the microphone of a digital recorder right in Madelyn’s face.

 

An older woman with a hard face shoved her way to the front of the crowd. “We’ve heard that Marino skipped town. What can you tell us about that?”

 

“What about the fifty hits he’s ordered in recent years?” came a voice from the back.

 

Madelyn held up her hands to stop them. “Please, you should know I can’t discuss the details of a case. I am, in fact, representing Lorenzo Marino. He hasn’t skipped town; he’s just trying to live his life as normally as possible. But I can assure you that he has no reason to run, and he’ll be back in time for the trial.”

 

“Tell us the truth about the case!” the blond man insisted. “Did he do it? Is he as ruthless as they say he is?”

 

Madelyn cleared her throat and forced a smile. She didn’t mind speaking in front of crowds. That was just part of the job as an attorney. But at least those speeches were ones she expected to make, and it was completely different to be ambushed in front of her own home. “The truth will all be revealed in court. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to have my dinner.” She held up the bag in her hands and started to thread her way through the crowd.”

 

“Who’s he? Why is he with you?”

 

Madelyn knew it wasn’t anybody’s business who Nero was. But if she didn’t turn around and address the issue right at that moment, then someone would be either making something up or digging up some information. “This is my cousin. He’ll be staying with me for a few days. I’m sure his visit would be much more pleasant if there weren’t quite so many people in the building,” she said pointedly as she unlocked her door.

 

The reporters shouted more questions, but they didn’t try to follow her inside. Madelyn was grateful, and she was even more appreciative of Nero’s presence. “Well, that was interesting.”

 

Nero took the bag of food out of her hand and set it on the table, arranging it all and pulling out a chair for her as though he really was her cousin and had been to her apartment on numerous occasions. “Enzo never does anything without reason. I doubt he anticipated that, exactly, but I have a feeling those reporters would have been a little rougher with you if you had been alone.”

 

Madelyn sat. The burgers had sounded so good when Nero had proposed them, but now she wasn’t so sure. “You’re probably right. So, um, I don’t know how this all works. I’ve never had a bodyguard before.”

 

“It’s no big deal, really. I can sleep anywhere, so if you have a guest bedroom or if you want me on the floor near the front door, I can handle it. I have everything I need, and you don’t even have to worry about feeding me. I’ll take you to and from work every day, but I’ll stay out of the way while you’re at the office. Don’t get me wrong; I’ll be around and I’ll be watching your building. But you won’t know I’m there. I just ask that you eat your lunches in the building. It’s safer for you that way.” He grinned and took a big bite of his burger.

 

Madelyn picked at her fries. “Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out.”

 

He rolled one shoulder. “I’ve done this a few times, and I like to think I’m not too hard to get along with. If you don’t mind, I’d like to do a security check of your place before we turn in for the night.”

 

“Sure. That’s fine.”

 

After dinner, Madelyn got him settled in the guest room. It made her slightly nervous to have him there, because she’d never had a stranger from the mob come and stay at her place. But she also knew that she was much safer having him here, and she would just have to get used to it. Nero seemed like a very nice man, but probably not the type of guy who would disobey orders just to appease her.

 

She slipped off to her room to get ready for bed. But first, she sat down on the edge of her bed and sent a text to Enzo.

 

Please tell me you’re still planning to come back in plenty of time for the trial. As your attorney, I should have advised you to stay around.

 

Madelyn set the phone down. She knew she shouldn’t give two shits what the reporters had to say, but their questions echoed in her mind. Setting the phone down on the bed, she washed her face, brushed her teeth, and changed into shorts and an old T-shirt. Madelyn usually slept in the nude, but it didn’t seem right with Nero just across the hall. When she settled back into bed, she picked up her phone only to see that Enzo hadn’t texted her back. She hoped he was all right, and that things were going according to plan.

 

She laid down and scrolled through her social media for a little while before finally turning off her bedside lamp. But no matter what side she lay on, she couldn’t quite seem to relax. Madelyn couldn’t stop thinking about all those people in the hallway, wondering if they were still there, just waiting to see her again first thing in the morning. It didn’t help to know she had a mobster in her apartment, one who seemed nice but who could be anybody. And then there was Enzo and the fact that he seemed determined to do this all her own way. She didn’t feel safe in her own bed, and she had never worried about that before. As an extra precaution, she slipped out of bed and locked her bedroom door before attempting sleep again.