The Highest Bidder

❊ Cʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ Nɪɴᴇᴛᴇᴇɴ ❊

I woke with a start, gasping in air. Enzo sat beside me, his head lowered and his jaw tight. We were in the hotel room and he had tucked me under the covers.

“Who drugged you, Eva,” he asked. He was only a shadow in the darkness of the room. He was seated at the edge of the bed, bent over so that his elbows were on his knees. His head was bent down but turned towards me as he awaited an answer.

I could only stare at him. The memory of Maverick in the women’s bathroom, the needle in his hand and his plea for me to scream, playing over and over in my mind. When his name came out of my mouth, it didn’t seem to surprise Enzo in the least. He just sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

“You know, he’s the one who came and told me you had been gone for a while.” He laughed bitterly. “I knew you weren’t feeling well, but you had been gone for almost forty-five minutes.”

“What was he trying to prove?” My words were slow and my tongue felt too heavy and dry. As if knowing I’d need it, he handed me a glass of ice water and watched me attempt to drink with my unresponsive limbs. He reached out and took it from me before putting it to my lips and tilting it back.

I thanked him as he set the glass on the bedside table.

“I don’t know.” He shook his head and closed his eyes. “Maverick is - for lack of a better term - a sadistic son of a bitch. I think he was trying to tell me that he could take you if he really wanted to. And from what I gathered, he really wants to.”

“He told me to scream,” I whispered.

His jaw clenched and I could hear a low growl reverberate from his throat. I watched him carefully, trying to keep my face expressionless as possible. I reached out and touched his bicep, a gesture I hoped would calm him down but only caused him to tense. But the longer my hand remained there, the more relaxed he got.

“I’m sorry for making you leave the wedding,” I said.

His head snapped in my direction and he narrowed his eyes at me. “Don’t you dare apologize for being trapped by that man. My sister understood that I had to go.”

I lowered my gaze. Whether or not it was my fault that I got cornered by Maverick, it didn’t change the fact that Enzo had to leave his sister’s wedding reception because of it. If I hadn’t gone, there wouldn’t have been a problem. I would have never been recognized. I wondered if he blamed himself and wanted to tell him that it wasn’t his fault either, but decided not to.

I let out a slow breath before wrapping my arms around his shoulders. Once again, he tensed under the unexpected touch, but his response was quicker than the last time. His arms wrapped around me as well and he pulled me closer to him. I allowed myself to feel comfort, even knowing that Maverick could possibly come after me. I allowed myself to curl into him, reveling in the smell of his cologne and the heat of his body.

He rested his chin on the top of my head as his hands ran up and down my back soothingly. I knew he’d understand if I cried, but I wouldn’t allow myself to.

The fact of the matter was, when I was near Enzo, I felt safe. Whether that was a good idea or not was still up in the air. But if I had to choose between him or Maverick, he would always be my choice. He never once gave me a reason to fear him, only giving me a reason to question. But his job description didn’t matter when it came to my safety.

“Would you like to get changed into your pajamas,” He whispered into my hair. “You’re still in your dress.”

I laughed into his chest. “I’m surprised you didn’t change me, he who looked at my boobs like it was nothing.”

When I pulled away from him, he was smiling down at me. It was a small smile - one that barely showed his dimples. He nodded his head towards the bathroom, a signal to go and get changed.

I didn’t question him. I stood and went, changed and exited. He had turned on the bedside lamp and was reading something on a tablet.

I sat next to him and fell back. “I really am sorry.”

He turned off his tablet and looked back at me. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”

“Neither do you.”

He tilted his head, but I could see his guards go up. I could see how carefully masked he kept his expression. All of his attention went to his facial features, but he wasn’t aware that I could see the subtle changes in his body language.

“I know you feel bad.” I sat back up and looked him straight in the eye. “It wasn’t your fault. You had no idea that he’d be there. That was made blatantly obvious. And how were you to know that he’d follow me into the bathroom?”

“I should have checked on you,” he said.

I shrugged one shoulder. “If I were in your place, I wouldn’t have thought about it. I’m twenty four years old, Enzo. I don’t need checking up on. I don’t blame you, so don’t blame yourself. It was all Maverick.”

He nodded subtly before motioning for me to lie down. I did, turning away from him and closing my eyes. I knew he didn’t believe me when I said that I didn’t blame him. I wasn’t sure why I wanted him to feel some sort of comfort, even though it had happened to me. The fact of the matter was, it was neither of our faults. I had no idea Maverick would be there, nor did Enzo.

I turned to see him standing by the light, his attention drawn to the open window. The night sky was clear and the moon was full and beautiful, surrounded by flickering stars. But I knew he wasn’t looking at that. He wasn’t looking at anything. The blank look in his eyes gave the impression of indifference, but also of pondering.

I got up out of bed and placed my hands on either side of his smooth face. His eyes flicked down to meet with mine, shock and confusion playing on his features.

“Quit,” I whispered.

He looked away from me but I forced him to look back. Both of our gazes were intense, waiting for the other to break eye contact. But it wouldn’t be me. I was standing before him with every intention of getting him to understand.

“You are a kind and gentle man,” I stated firmly. “You’ve gone through so much shit and you’re trying to keep your own shit together. What happened to me was not your fault. You couldn’t have known. He didn’t do anything to me. He won’t do anything to me because I know you will not allow it. Whether you want to admit it or not, through my stubbornness and although I’m a smart ass, you care about me. I see that, Enzo. And I’m telling you this right now, you need to quit blaming yourself for every single thing that goes wrong in your life.”

He didn’t move, didn’t even seem to breathe. I was the one who ended up looking away from him, turning my back to him and walking back to the bed. I curled back under the covers and closed my eyes, leaving no room for argument, even if he wanted to argue with me.

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A/N: Only one chapter today. I've been painting my house to get it ready to sell. There will be more tomorrow.

Thank you! I hope you all have a good night.