I’m blinded by it, and I can’t see who’s behind the light until he drops it and gasps, “Lola?”
“Enzo,” I say weakly, sagging with relief.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he hisses.
“I—”
He cuts me off. “Get the fuck outta here!”
I nod, although I don’t think he can see me, and tear off down the road. I’m less quiet and stealthy this time but make it home without incident.
Sweat drips off my body, and my legs shake from the exertion. I drink down some water before dropping to the floor in the living room in front of the couch. What did I just see?
???
Enzo comes through the door as the sun starts to light up the sky, but he doesn’t see me on the floor when he drops into a kitchen chair and slumps forward. I sit and watch him for a moment, unsure how to even begin this conversation. What did I see?
“Enzo,” I say softly, and his head shoots up before he stiffens and looks away. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he says rigidly.
“What, um, what happened back there?”
“Don’t you know?” he barks. “Didn’t you see for yourself?”
“Help me understand, please,” I plead.
He sighs but says nothing for the longest time, and I think he’s going to push me away again when he sneers. “Shepherd tagged me the moment I came through those gates. He said he liked me. It’s only later I realized what he likes me for. Made it pretty clear what would happen if I didn’t comply.”
I gasp and cover my mouth before his words truly penetrate. “Wait, was I a warning, Enzo?”
He hangs his head and scrubs his eyes, and a sob catches in my throat. Shepherd used me to get to Enzo. Fuck. That fucker!
I don’t know what to say or think. Instead, I clear my throat and murmur, “Thank you.”
His head shoots up, and he snarls, “For what?”
“For whatever you’re doing for him to keep me safe,” I say softly.
He snarls again and stands so abruptly the chair flies into the wall before he turns and slams his fist into the counter, again and again.
“Enzo,” I say, but he doesn’t hear me, so I say it louder and then even louder before he pulls back and stops.
“You were put in there because of me, Lola.”
“Enzo, Shepherd put me in there. Not you. This is that sick fuck’s fault.” I say firmly.
He doesn’t answer, and we stand facing each other in silence before eventually he sighs again and moves to the couch, dropping onto it with fatigue.
“So, what, the fucker has a harem?” I ask delicately.
He snorts, “I guess the fucker favors men, the fucking hypocrite.”
I drop beside him and lean into his arm before laying my head down on his thigh. He tenses for a moment before relaxing and stroking my head.
“He picks his “chosen” ones and commands them to perform,” he clears his throat, “sexual acts.”
“But . . . he wasn’t in the room?”