Chapter Nine

Madelyn

 

Madelyn woke up the next morning feeling like she had a hangover. She hadn’t slept well, and her body ached from all the tossing and turning she had done. Her stomach flipped every time she moved, but she knew it wasn’t because she was sick. She just couldn’t stop thinking about Enzo.

 

But she had to get to work, and she had promised Stacy to have breakfast, so there was no option of staying at home in bed. She didn’t think she could sleep off her thoughts about him, anyway, so she hauled herself out of bed. As she staggered to the dresser and looked at herself in the mirror, she noticed the bracelet Enzo had given her the night before. It somehow didn’t look quite as pretty in the bright lights of her apartment instead of the atmosphere of his study. It had been sweet of him. Thoughtful. She dressed in a deep blue pantsuit and headed downstairs.

 

“There you are!” Stacy exclaimed. Her gray slacks and melon blouse were pretty against her blonde coloring. “I was starting to think you had forgotten about me again.”

 

“No, I’m here.” Madelyn double-checked her briefcase to make sure she had her phone and her keys before she left the building. “Barely, though.”

 

“Late night?” Stacy asked with one eyebrow raised as they walked out onto the sidewalk and headed toward a bagel cart they knew would be waiting on the corner.

 

Madelyn couldn’t help but smile. She had left Enzo’s house much later than she had meant to, but if he hadn’t stopped things she wouldn’t have left until morning. He was such a handsome man, and it said a lot about him that he hadn’t let their little make-out session progress. He could have easily gotten her into bed. She had felt so emotional, so vulnerable. Enzo was a dangerous man, but she felt oddly safe with him. It was something she couldn’t quite explain, but just thinking about him made her core clench and sent a tingle of pleasure through her body.

 

“Earth to Madelyn. Come in, Madelyn.”

 

Stacy’s voice brought her back to reality. “Sorry. I didn’t get much sleep, and I haven’t had any coffee yet. It’s going to be a long day.”

 

“Still that case for that mobster guy? I’ll take an everything bagel with cream cheese, please.” Fishing in her purse for her wallet, Stacy said, “Really, you should take a break. Maybe go on a vacation before the trial or something, recharge your batteries, get some sleep.”

 

Madelyn ordered a cinnamon and brown sugar bagel with butter. “No chance. Things have suddenly gotten a lot more complicated, and I can’t abandon things now. When I first started, I knew I could defend him without a problem. Now, I’ll be lucky if I can even bargain for a reduced sentence.” It struck her all over again what Enzo had said about killing that man because of the way he had treated a woman. Even though it was a good motive, it wasn’t going to get him out of this. Enzo must not have even wanted that particular aspect of the situation to be brought up. He had his own idea of how to get things taken care of, but no matter how hot he had made her, she still didn’t like his proposal of committing more crimes in order to get away with another one.

 

“Okay, well then at least take a day off and go shopping with me. I feel like we’ve only gotten to hang out for a few minutes here and there, and I miss my best friend.” Stacy took a huge bite of her bagel as they started back down the sidewalk, her eyes rolling in her head with pleasure. “God, this is good. It’s better than sex.”

 

Madelyn hadn’t had the chance to find out for sure, but she was thinking that sex with Enzo probably would have been better than any bagel in the world. “I’ll see what I can do. Maybe I can at least take an afternoon and we can hit up some of the summer clearance sales.” She brushed her hair behind her ear to keep it from getting on her bagel.

 

“Whoa, hold on!” Stacy stopped in her tracks and grabbed her friend by the wrist. “Where did this lovely little bauble come from? I don’t remember seeing it before.” She ran a fingertip along the stones in the bracelet Enzo had given her, tipping it so that it sparkled in the early morning sunlight.

 

“Oh, um, just a little something I bought for myself.”

 

“Well, shit! I can see why! It’s perfect for you. And you must be getting some hellacious fees to be able to afford it. Good for you!”

 

They walked the rest of the way to the office making idle chitchat, but Madelyn felt guilty for lying to her best friend. She couldn’t remember ever having done that before, but Enzo made things a little different. She didn’t want anyone to know just how much she wanted him, and it was hard to even admit to herself. And did she want more than that? Could a mob boss give it to her? She couldn’t let herself find out, no matter how tempting it was. The two of them parted at the elevator, and Madelyn quickly slipped the bracelet into her pocket before anyone else could notice it.

 

“Good morning, Madelyn,” Mr. Barnard said quietly when he saw her in the hall outside his office. He was dressed in a dark suit that made him look more like a funeral director than an attorney, and the grim look on his face matched the mood. “Is there anything I can do to assist you on the Marino case?”

 

She knew she shouldn’t feel flattered. After all, she had kind of been stuck with this. But it was an amazing feeling to have such a prominent man asking to help her. “I have a few ideas I’m working on. I can’t say things look great, but give me a little time to organize my thoughts some more and I’ll get with you.”

 

“Sounds good.” He filled his cup at the water cooler, his long fingers wrapping too far around the Styrofoam, and disappeared into his office.

 

Madelyn went into her own office, shut the door, and sank down in her chair. She didn’t get out and turn on her computer or even open Enzo’s file. She leaned back and stared at the ceiling, wondering just what she was going to have to do to make this work. Enzo had been pushy with her, almost aggressive at one point before he’d admitted his fears and the truth about the murder. None of that made it okay, but she reminded herself that he was a powerful man and used to being in charge. He had his life on the line here, and she would probably be a little erratic if she was in his shoes. Hell, if she failed at this, then her life would be on the line as soon as the Marino cousins came for her.

 

With a heavy sigh, she got to work, searching desperately for something that would allow her to call Enzo and tell him she didn’t need his help.