“He didn’t need to know. After all, he is the one who let you go,” Eli says, stating the obvious. Has he been watching us?
“What is your plan in all of this?” My voice turns high-pitched, terror filling my mind.
“My plan hasn’t changed. I’m not here to kill you or hurt you, so calm down. I can practically hear your heartbeat through your jacket.” A sliver of amusement shows on his face, which does nothing to calm my nerves.
“Why are you suddenly so nice to me?”
“You’ve been with Enzo for too long if you think this is me being nice.” He smirks and stands up. Suddenly, I feel small and vulnerable on the ground, so I push myself up.
Coming to a stand, I dust off the leaves and head for a nearby bench. Eli follows, and we both take a seat.
“I shouldn’t have treated you the way I did at Enzo’s place.”
I wait for him to say more but realize quickly that’s as close to an apology as I’ll get.
“Okay, so why are you helping me now?”
“I’m helping myself. We simply have the same enemy right now.”
“I don’t believe you. That’s not the only reason.”
He studies me for a moment before deciding to tell me. “I consider Enzo my friend. Probably the closest I have. Mack was feeding me lies about you. I was angry, and I wanted to hurt you.”
“Thanks for telling me.”
He gives me a slight nod. We’re still not friends, but I feel like we reached some kind of understanding.
“Ready to head back?”
“No, not really.” I’m not ready to face Enzo yet—if he’s even waiting for me. “Enzo told me you had a plan. He told me a little bit but not the whole thing.”
“Wow, the asshole really can keep a secret.” Eli laughs loud and proud. The creases on his face make it clear he doesn’t often smile, which is a shame. He is a handsome guy, actually looking approachable when he isn’t frowning or actively trying to hurt you.
“We got part of it out of him anyway,” I remark. A moment of silence passes between us as the wind rustled the leaves in the trees.
“Figures…”
“If you’re not gonna tell me the whole plan, why are you here?”
Shrugging his shoulders, he pulls a knife out of his pocket. I gasp, my first instinct telling me to run.
“Shhh,” he hushes me, placing his hand on my knee in a reassuring gesture. “I just watched Mack kill someone. He killed someone for no fucking reason, simply because he could. Someone who was loyal to him. Someone who trusted him. He disgusts me.” His words sneer together, and his hold on the blade becomes intense.
“Mack is a whole different level of evil.” My tone is all matter of fact as my heart rattles in my chest. With his hand on my knee and a knife in his palm, this man is going to give me a fucking heart attack.
“So was John, you know? He made us fucking do it to you. He told us to put you in that fucking hole. His own daughter.” Eli squeezes my leg before finally releasing it. “Family is fucking sacred. I have no respect for anyone who doesn’t act like it.”
I don’t know what to say to that, so I stay quiet, melting into the bench. I watch Eli fidget with his knife for a few moments, it’s almost like it calms him down.
“I want to kill Mack. I want him to suffer.”
“He will,” I say with nothing but determination in my voice.
“I underestimated you.”
“A lot of people have. I’ve been in hiding for months now. Pushed and shoved around. Secrets have been thrown my way, and somehow, I’m still breathing…” The air shuffles past us, and I wrap my arms around myself to keep warm. “You know I’m still really fucking mad at you.”
His eyes come down to meet my own, and my breath catches for a mere second. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s true, but I shouldn’t antagonize him. He knows exactly that I’m talking about what he did to me in the basement. I can basically see him thinking about it. His pupils dilate, and his gaze turns heated. I’m not sure if he is about to kill or throw me down to fuck me.
“Like I said, I had the wrong picture of you back then. I mistreated you. I value family above all, and I consider Enzo family. After the cabin, I realize what you mean to him. He considers you family too. I will never harm or disrespect you again,” he promises.
“Good. You shouldn’t treat anyone like that.”
“I’m guessing you never told him about the basement since my dick is still attached to me.”
“I didn’t tell him everything just that you got rough with me,” I admit, and let the words Enzo said run through my head.