Enzo and his “crew” are lounging around the TV eating Chinese takeout like it’s the most normal night in the world. My own lo mein is sitting untouched in front of me while The Fault in Our Stars plays on the TV—oddly enough, the movie was Luke’s pick.

I have the strangest sense of being in a dream, like none of what has happened since I met Enzo at the restaurant could really hold up as truth if I looked close enough. On the one hand, there's an undeniable thrill to all of this. It's obviously dangerous, and these men are clearly not the kind of men I ever would've pictured myself spending time with, but Enzo has managed to make me feel protected. I'm in the middle of a strange, unfamiliar storm, but he's the shelter around me—strong and unwavering. So long as I trust what he has told me. But this is exactly the kind of thing I’ve secretly wished for. Okay, I never thought to wish for this precisely, but I’ve lived a safe, boring life. It’s comfortable, but to call anything about my life exciting would be a stretch.

On the other hand… A very big part of me would rather just crawl back into my boring, comfy life where I could read a book on my comfy spot on the couch.

“You need to eat,” Enzo says.

I startle a little at the sound of his voice. He hasn’t taken his eyes off me since we got here, and I’m growing more certain by the minute that he’s actively trying to make sure the other guys don’t interact with me too much.

“Sorry,” I say, taking a bite to appease him. “My appetite is off, I guess.”

He makes a grumbling sound. “I can send Chase to pick you something else up,” he suggests.

Chase raises an eyebrow slightly, as if to say, oh sure, I'd love to play errand boy again. He doesn't voice his annoyance though. The group of men feels very much like a pack of wolves to me. They're all fierce and wild in their own ways, but Enzo is the alpha male, and he rules over them with power and force of will alone.

I can’t even say he’s the kind of guy I always tried to avoid, because I’ve never seen a guy like him. I’ve seen bad boys. They wear edgy clothes, walk around glaring at everybody, and maybe even ride motorcycles. But the only real bad thing about them is they’re assholes. Enzo though?

If I can look past the whole kidnapping thing, which I grudgingly might have to do if he’s telling the truth, Enzo hasn’t actually been that bad to me. He hasn’t been a saint, by any stretch, but he has been making sure I’m comfortable and he is keeping the other guys from harassing me, at least.

“No,” I say, shooting down the idea of sending Chase out for more food. “I’ll be fine. Really. I ate at the restaurant, anyway” I force down another bite to get him to ease off a little. “Wait a second,” I say, feeling guilty that the idea is only now occurring to me. “You said you were doing this to protect me, but what about my sister and my dad? Are they in danger too?”

"No," Enzo says. His voice is firm, confident. "My father didn't care which sister we picked up, and your father is valuable to him because he thinks he has the leverage to manipulate him. So long as my father thinks he has you in his hands, your sister and your father are safe."

“What about after?” I ask.

“That’s part of what I’m going to have to figure out.”

I nod my head, not feeling very comforted, but sensing that Enzo really will do his best to figure something out. “Could I talk to them?” I ask a little sheepishly.

He shakes his head. “Not a good idea. If this drags on longer than I think it will, I’ll find a way to get you in touch with them, but for now, it’s best to just make something up. You’ll need to call your work too. Tell them you have a fever or something.”

“I talk to my sister every day,” I say. “If she doesn’t hear from me, she’s going to start some kind of search party.”

Enzo considers a few moments. “You can call whoever you need to keep them from worrying, but I’m going to listen in. Fair?”

I nod my head.

After dinner, Luke stays on the couch to finish the movie. Niko left to go “partake” in the party raging just outside Enzo’s private living area inside the club, and Chase pulls out a sketchbook to scribble at something off in the corner.

Enzo follows me into the kitchen, where I go to look for a drink of water. He wordlessly helps me by snagging a glass from the cabinet and filling it up for me.

“Thanks,” I say quietly, leaning back against the fridge while the sound of the TV and the muffled thump of music from the club creates oddly calming background noise. “You guys aren’t what I would’ve expected,” I say.

Enzo looks to Luke and Chase, nodding. "None of us are that different. It's just the way our lives point us early on." He folds his arms and leans his shoulder against the wall, eyes distant and thoughtful. "Luke came from a wealthy family, but when he was in high school his mom got sick. Desperation led him to one of my uncles, which got him tangled up with me. Chase had a little brother who was a fuckup. He was always trying to watch out for him, so when his brother joined up with us, Chase followed so he could keep him safe. Niko… Well," Enzo laughs. "Niko's just an asshole. I think he joined up because it's easy money if you don't have a conscience."

“What about you?” I ask.

He sighs. “I’m afraid I don’t have a good excuse. Crime was the family business. I’m sure I could’ve broken away from it hundreds of times along the way, but I was just a dumb kid who wanted to make his dad proud. After a while, I started to tell myself I was only still in it because I thought I could save us from it. Thought I’d eventually be able to turn the family legit. I guess I still do.”

“You say it like your dad doesn’t agree.”

“Him?” Enzo laughs, but there’s no real humor in the sound. “I think my dad is too far gone to ever give up what he’s used to. He idolized the guys in power when he was a kid, and he worked his ass off to get where he is now. To him, taking the family any farther in the direction I want probably feels like he’d be betraying all that work.”

“Where do I fit into all this? It doesn’t sound like he’s going to like the idea of you letting me go.” I’m almost afraid to ask the question, but it comes rolling out of me all the same.

“You?” he asks, eyes narrowing in a way that makes me want to bite my lip and swoon. He takes me in with eyes like a hunter’s, like all his possessive words and actions could be boiled down and distilled into a single, panty-melting look. “You don’t fit into this. That’s why you’re special. That’s why I’m going to keep you as close as I can, as long as I can.”

“I don’t think I understand,” I say, feeling a little breathless. I know I should just wall myself off to him and pray that he really does try to get me out of this, but I’d be lying if I said the fire he lit in me back at the restaurant wasn’t still burning.

“This ends with us going our separate ways,” he says firmly. “I won’t lie to you again or hold back the truth. There’s no other way. We have however long we have. However long it takes to find a way to get you out of this safely. After that? It’ll be too dangerous.”

“Right,” I say. More bitterness and regret fills me than relief, but I don’t want to let that show on my face.

“Which is why I don’t want to waste a second of my time with you.”

“Oh,” I say dumbly. “Right.” My brain searches for a more articulate response, but it’s like he’s melting down all the coherent thoughts in my head until they’re just a sloshing, desperate pile of ill-advised desire.

He’s closer now. I don’t remember him moving toward me, but I can suddenly feel the heat of his breath on my neck. His chest is rising and falling quickly, just like mine. Despite the riot of emotions inside me, I feel myself tilting my head back, lips parting for the kiss I know he wants to take.

"Hey," Chase calls from the living room. "What are you going to tell your father, anyway?"

He asks the question in an almost innocent voice, like he didn’t see what he was interrupting, but when I look toward where he’s sitting with his sketch pad, his posture seems a little too rigid for me to believe it was an accident.

Enzo breathes out his frustration, but pushes off the wall, giving me a single, smoldering glare that tells me we’re going to pick up where we left off as soon as he gets a chance.

“We’ll tell him things at the restaurant got complicated. I couldn’t get her to the car without people noticing, so I took her here instead and lured her to my private rooms.”

Chase starts to relax a little, nodding his head. “Yeah, I can see that making enough sense.”

“Why not just tell him you thought she was hot and you wanted to have her somewhere she’d be easier to fuck when you wanted?”

“Watch your mouth,” Enzo snaps.

Luke just grins. “You should consider yourself lucky,” he says to me. “I’d started to wonder if Enzo was even interested in women anymore. Can’t remember the last time I saw him messing around with a girl.”

“Luke.” There’s a warning in Enzo’s tone. “If you want me to rip your fucking arms off and stick them in your mouth, keep talking.”

Luke raises his eyebrows as if he’s picturing the gruesome image, then acts like he’s zipping his lips closed.

“So,” Chase asks. “Who gets the honor of telling him?”

“I will,” Enzo says.