Chapter Twenty-Four

Enzo

 

Exhaustion hovered at the backs of Enzo’s eyes, and as much as he wanted to lie in the big bed with his arm around Madelyn, he knew that would have to wait until later. She had drifted off as he had spoken to her, and it was best that he leave her to sleep while he got his work done. He took a few minutes for a quick shower and a change of clothing before heading down the stairs.

 

His men had made themselves comfortable, as he had known they would. They were family, after all, and they had worked hard for him. Nancy had come in and made them a large plate of sandwiches and a pitcher of tea, along with a promise of a hot meal to follow. She was still flitting around the men as Enzo came in, making sure their glasses were full and asking if they needed anything else.

 

Enzo had to smile to himself as he came upon the scene. He had often thought of the Marinos as a business, but he understood in his heart that they were much more than that. The fact that they made money together and worked together only came second to the bond they had formed through blood. They had his back at the Scarvo mansion not because they knew they would be paid, but because they loved him. He affectionately shooed Nancy into the kitchen and sat down next to Johnny.

 

“How’s she doing?” he asked quietly around a bite of sandwich. “I thought about sending for the doc, but I didn’t know what you wanted.”

 

Enzo’s smile faded once again as he thought about Madelyn. Her face had been a marbled swirl of uncomfortable colors against the whiteness of his pillow, and it had been entirely his fault. He had promised Madelyn that they would talk more later, and he knew that there was much more to cover than just the fact that she hadn’t confessed anything to Scarvo. “She’ll be okay, but it’s going to take some time for those bruises to heal. She’s sleeping for the moment.”

 

Enzo reached for a sandwich. “I’m sure you’re all tired and ready to go home, but I think it’s best to cover all this while it’s still fresh in our minds. We had a lot on our hands with just the trial, but obviously things are much more complicated now.” When none of them made any protests, Enzo continued. “I like to think there’s a way we can make this work to our advantage.”

 

Carlo cleared his throat and spoke up sheepishly. “I feel like an ass for saying this, but we need to take some pictures of what that guy did to Ms. Rowe. It’ll be more evidence against him, and real evidence this time. I would imagine she’ll be glad to testify as to the abduction, and I’m sure the bruises still won’t be healed by the time you guys go to court. Tell her not to use any makeup, so everyone can see it for themselves.”

 

It was an uncomfortable thought, but Enzo knew he was right. “I’m sure she won’t be excited about a photoshoot, but she’s an attorney. She knows how these things work.” There was no doubt at all in his mind now that Madelyn would help him. Their lives were too tangled for either one of them to abandon ship now, and he wanted to keep them that way. “And we’re sure there was no evidence that Scarvo had sent anything to the police?” He didn’t want to cast any doubt on Madelyn’s denial of exposing him, but he had to be sure of every aspect of the big picture. After all, she could have told Scarvo the truth and not have been able to remember it.

 

Rico got up from the table, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and retrieved a large case from the side table. He grinned as he began unloading computer equipment from it. “When you said to clear the house, I went through and grabbed anything that could have been used for such a thing. If there’s any confession, we’ll have a record of it.”

 

“What about his cell phone?” Johnny asked. “It wouldn’t take anything to shoot a video with that. Send it off, and then delete it.”

 

But Rico reached into his pocket and proudly withdrew a battered device. “I got that, too. I had a chance to look at it in the van on the way back. I didn’t see anything that indicated he would have sent off a video of Madelyn, but I can get into this thing in depth and make sure.” He laughed a little as he looked down at the screen. “There’s a lot of other evidence on here, though, and probably on those computers as well.”

 

That was enough to make the rest of them sit up straighter. “Like what?” Enzo pressed.

 

“I’ll need some time to go through all the information, but I think we’ll be finding some pretty interesting stuff, like lists of the businesses that he had under his protection, who he had bumped off, things like that. It turns out he wasn’t very careful about keeping his particulars private.” Rico smiled once again.

 

Enzo shook his head in amazement. Rico was the one man he hadn’t always been sure about, but it turned out he had just needed to find his niche. He was absolutely invaluable, and Enzo stood up and came around the table to clap him on the shoulder. “You’re something else.”

 

He looked to the other men. “Now, what about the rest of it? Once the authorities get the fire put out, they’re going to be looking for the source of the flame.” Enzo had thought it best to burn the house and get rid of any evidence that might go against him in court, since, of course, he had been the one to shoot Scarvo. He couldn’t quite let go of his fear that he would only see Madelyn when the justice system allowed him to have visitors.

 

Now it was Johnny’s turn to smile. “I thought of that already. I did some careful positioning before I started the fire, and it’s going to look like one of Scarvo’s men had a little accident in the garage while he was smoking near an open gas container. There’s no bullet in him anymore, and there won’t be enough of the body left for them to know otherwise.”

 

This was going so well, and Enzo was once again overwhelmed by the people he was surrounded by. He nodded his approval. “Good job. Now, what about Scarvo himself? I think we can easily pin that on self-defense. They’ll find his gun in his hand, and we have Madelyn’s bruises and her testimony.”

 

“You also have me,” said a voice from behind them.

 

Enzo turned to see a man who filled the doorway. Despite the bandage on his arm, he stood tall and proud even if his eyes were apologetic. Nero took a hesitant step into the room. “I’m sorry about what happened, boss. I couldn’t get through the door on time. But one of the guys who took her managed to cut himself on the glass of the broken window, and I’m sure there’s some DNA evidence that can be useful in court. It’ll help prove who did it.”

 

He was in no state to feel angry toward any of his men, least of all someone who he was sure had fought very hard to keep Madelyn safe. He gestured for Nero to come in and sit down. “That should make a big difference. With the kidnapping and the rest of the evidence and witnesses that we’ve already put in place, it’ll be obvious to everyone that Scarvo did it all.”

 

“And nobody really minds pinning the blame on a dead man,” Johnny remarked. “Hell, maybe they’ll start hailing you as a hero for killing him.”

 

Enzo laughed, exhaustion and excitement making him feel giddy. “Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. I just want to get this all over with and move on with our lives.”

 

* * *

 

Later that evening, Enzo quietly entered his bedroom with a heavily-laden tray in his hand. Nancy had fussed even more when she had learned about Madelyn, and while Enzo had a feeling she wouldn’t be able to consume the substantial portions, he brought them upstairs anyway.

 

Madelyn was just coming around, and she blinked up at him sleepily. “How long have I been out?”

 

“Only a couple of hours. Are you feeling any better?” Enzo set the tray down on the nightstand and helped her sit up in bed.

 

“Yes and no. I think I could sleep for another week, but I’m starving and whatever you’ve brought smells amazing.” She pushed her damp hair off her face and winced in pain.

 

Enzo handed her a glass of water. “Just make sure you go slow. I’m sure Nancy would be thrilled to know you gobbled it all down, but that’s probably not good for you right now.” He wanted to laugh at the large slice of roast beef swimming in a lake of gravy, the mountain of mashed potatoes, and the field of green beans the housekeeper had arranged for her. It wasn’t the sort of fare she usually made when she was just cooking for Enzo, but she must have known that the men were tired and craving a comforting meal. They had devoured it with enthusiasm down in the dining room.

 

Madelyn accepted the plate from him and took a small bite of mashed potatoes. She focused on the white fluffy stuff, speaking quietly. “I guess we have a lot to talk about.”

 

“Some, yes, but the men and I have worked out quite a bit while you were asleep.” He took a piece of paper out of his back pocket and unfolded it on the comforter. “I hate to talk shop with you so quickly, but I thought you might want to take a look.” The diagram that Madelyn had originally put together was now laced with new notes about her abduction, the fire, and the preliminary details Rico had managed to pull off Scarvo’s cell phone as he ate. He sat back and waited silently while she looked over it all.

 

“This is incredible,” she finally said.

 

He knew she wasn’t just talking about the food. “We did our best, but you’re the expert. If you think something needs to change, then we’ll change it.”

 

“No.” She started to shake her head but stopped, crunching her eyes shut in pain. “Damn, I’ve got to stop doing that. Anyway, I think it’s great. You don’t have anything to worry about if this is the plan. Scarvo will take the fall, and you come out as the client who saved his attorney. Even the part about assigning Nero as my bodyguard. Wait. Is he okay?”

 

Enzo was happy to say that he was. “Once you start feeling better, he really wants to see you. He’s been beating himself up about letting Scarvo take you.”

 

“Don’t put it that way,” she replied dejectedly. “I’m the dumbass who locked my bedroom door, and all because I was letting myself get weirded out about having a strange man in my apartment. Nero’s a sweet guy, though. I’ll have to find some way to make it up to him.”

 

“Right now, though, you just need to get your rest. The trial is in just a few days. Do you think you’ll be up for it?” He had considered that they might need one of the fat cats to take over, since Madelyn was in such rough shape, but it would be impossible to get them to understand the plan without questioning the legality of it.

 

“I’ll be fine. I’ll probably need some really strong coffee to get me through it, but I’m not going to miss this chance. I’ve gone through way too much to just give up now.” She poked her fork into her potatoes. “Plus there’s the fact that I look like this. I’ll be the evidence even while I’m presenting it.”

 

He gently tucked his knuckle under her chin, tipping her head up. “You look beautiful to me. Eat up, or Nancy herself will be up here, worrying.”