I was tired of having to avoid Enzo's questions and trying to pretend that everything was okay. So I decided Tuesday was a work from home day. I called into the office, then settled down in my study to go through my emails. Normally, I preferred working in the office because it meant I was closer to the support of my assistant and the professionalism that came with being in an office, but every once in a while, I had one of those days. Tomorrow, I'd head back to work with my batteries filled and my head cleared. Hopefully.

I was in the midst of emailing an international, high-profile investor when my buzzer rang. I ignored it at first, unwilling to interrupt my work day with shit I would've missed anyway if I'd been at the office. But then the buzzer rang again, and this time I couldn't ignore it. The screen next to my door showed that my brother was downstairs. I pressed the intercom button and tried not to sound as annoyed as I felt.

“What do you want?”

He looked up at the camera and smiled, then raised his hands to show he was carrying a paper bag and a tray of coffee.

“You've had me running all around town looking for you,” he said. “The least you could do is let me in so I can eat my breakfast.”

I sighed and rolled my eyes but pressed the button nonetheless. He was annoying the shit out of me, but I couldn't ignore him forever.

He came through the door a couple minutes later, bringing with him the smell of rich, dark-roasted coffee from the deli down the street. He knew it was my favorite, but I hadn't expected him to actually remember. He headed over to the kitchen island without even taking off his shoes, set the coffees down on the granite and began rifling through the bag.

“You want poppy seed or onion?”

“Poppy seed,” I replied.

He tossed me a bagel wrapped in wax paper. I unwrapped it and took a bite, eyeing him suspiciously as he handed me a coffee.

“Why the sudden breakfast date?” I asked.

Enzo put his sunglasses on the counter and fixed me with a serious expression. It was noteworthy since serious expressions were few and far between where he was concerned. I noticed he also had a satchel over one shoulder, yet another peculiarity for my brother. He was just full of surprises today.

“Well, it would have been a breakfast meeting if I'd been able to find you at your office.” He took a long drink of his coffee. “Got all the way there only for your pretty little assistant to tell me you were working from home today. Then had to practically jog six blocks so that your coffee wouldn't be cold by the time I got here.”

“Don't talk about Sandra like that,” I said automatically, ripping off another bite of the bagel. I often forgot to eat when left to my own devices, and Sandra usually reminded me. “She's an extremely talented woman and an asset to our company.”

Enzo rolled his eyes and stepped over to the breakfast bar, where he sat and pulled out his own bagel. I leaned against the counter, trying to figure out why he looked so...suspicious.

I drummed my fingers on the counter. “You never answered my question. Why are you here?”

“Well, to bring you a peace offering of breakfast, for one thing.”

I snorted. “You're not usually one for peace offerings.”

“Yeah, well, I think it was appropriate in this case.”

My eyebrow raised. “Because things have been a bit frosty between us for the past couple of weeks?”

Enzo shifted nervously in his seat, putting the bagel down and picking up his bag again. I watched him unzip it and pull out a large manila envelope, which he slid across the counter to me.

“The peace offering is because I've had your girl tailed by a P.I. for the past week and a half,” he said.

My heart quickened as anger spilled into my veins. “You did what?”

He put up his hands in mock surrender and shifted back in his seat. “You can’t get mad at me. I did bring you your favorite bagel, after all.”

“And you stalked a girl that I’m not even with,” I retorted. “Even if we put aside the problematic morality of the situation, what if she’d figured it out somehow? And why the hell would you want to do something like that in the first place?”

“You’re not seeing her anymore? Ever?” Enzo cocked his head to the side, eyes half-narrowed with interest.

I’d been trying not to think too much about everything that had gone on with Briana. The less I thought about it, the less I hated myself for the way I acted. I'd been an ass, no matter what the circumstances had seemed to warrant. I couldn't fault her for a past, and I'd made assumptions about her present. When she hadn't answered as quickly as I wanted her to, I decided that I knew the truth. But I didn't. Not really.

Still...

“That doesn’t matter,” I said. “Why did you hire someone to snoop on her? What could you have to gain from that?”

His expression softened. “It’s not about what I had to gain, brother.” He pushed over the envelope. “It’s about what you had to lose. I was worried about you. When you came back from Vegas all stressed and anxious, talking about ghosts of girlfriends past, I knew something was up. And I wanted to make sure that your little hostess was worth all the trouble.”

It was kind of touching, somehow, Enzo’s way of looking out for me. In the past, I'd always been the one doing that. But invading her privacy wasn't right. I had my hand poised over the envelope, ready to push it back, when a thought hit me.

Doing this could help. If there was something in these files that proved what I'd accused Briana of, then I could be free of her forever. Sure, it would still hurt. My heart would probably take some time to heal, even though I'd pretend as if it didn't bother me. But at least I'd have some closure.

I gingerly pulled the envelope toward me. “Have you looked in here?”

Enzo shook his head and took a bite of bagel. “Not yet. I didn't think you'd appreciate it if I did.”

I raised an eyebrow, impressed at his forethought. Perhaps Enzo was finally figuring out that the world didn't revolve around him.

Or maybe he just didn't want to get his ass kicked.

“Can you give me a minute?”

Enzo nodded. “There's a game on. I'll be in the living room if you need me.”

With that, he sauntered off. Enzo'd never had difficulty making himself comfortable in my home. There was a point in time where he'd been too comfortable, and I had to kick him out to get back some of my personal space. It was good to see that even if other parts of him were changing, some things were the same.

The envelope contained a few pictures and a couple receipts that I assumed the PI got from the trash. The photos were from interesting angles, like he'd taken them from up a tree or behind a fence. The man was clearly dedicated.

At first, I saw nothing out of the ordinary. Pictures of a little girl I assumed was Mikala playing in the backyard with Briana and the roommate. Pictures of Briana at work in the casino, talking to people. Pictures of Tiffany at work, grinding around a pole. It didn't surprise me to learn that Mikala's roommate was a stripper. It was a tough town to get ahead in, but if you had a good pair of tits, there was always somewhere you could get cash for them, and Tiffany had them.

The final picture was the one that set my hair on end. I gulped, mouth suddenly dry, and stared harder at the photo. It didn't change. I put the photos back in the envelope and tossed them into the recycling bin. The roaring sound of a crowd could be heard in the background as I grabbed my wallet and headed for the door. Enzo would lock up when he left, though whether or not he realized I was gone was completely up in the air.