Chapter 5 - The Return to the Sanctuary
Dawn was breaking, painting the city skyline in shades of bruised purple and pale gold, when Enzo returned to the apartment on 4th Street. The rain had stopped, leaving behind a crisp, clean morning air that clashed sharply with the violence of the night before.
Inside, the apartment had been partially tidied up. Dr. Vance was packing his medical bag in the hallway, looking exhausted.
"How is she?" Enzo asked immediately, stepping past him.
"She's stable," Vance sighed, wiping his glasses with a handkerchief. "She has three fractured ribs, a severe concussion, and a lot of bruising. She lost a dangerous amount of blood, but she has the constitution of an ox. She woke up about an hour ago. She's asking for her daughter."
"Where is Sadie?"
"Asleep on the sofa in the back room. Ray gave her some hot chocolate and a sedative. She's safe."
Enzo nodded, dismissing the doctor with a wave of his hand, and walked into the bedroom.
Claire was propped up against a stack of pillows. Her face was pale, a dark bruise blooming along her jawline, and her arm was bandaged, but her eyes were clear and alert as she turned her head to look at him. The morning light caught the dark strands of hair framing her face.
"You came back," she whispered, her voice still raspy.
"I told you I would," Enzo said, pulling a chair up beside the bed and sitting down. He placed the black flash drive on the bedside table. "Your data is safe. Salvatore won't be bothering you—or anyone else—ever again."
Claire stared at the flash drive, then looked back at Enzo. A slow, complex expression crossed her face—relief, exhaustion, and a deep, abiding curiosity. "You're Enzo Marchetti. The man Rosa set me up with."
"Guilty as charged," Enzo replied, a faint, wry smile touching the corners of his mouth. "I apologize for the venue. Not quite what I had in mind for our first dinner date."
A genuine, soft laugh escaped Claire’s lips, though she winced immediately as her ribs protested. "I suppose Lombardi's was nicer."
"It was too quiet," Enzo said smoothly. "This has much more character."
Claire looked at him for a long moment, studying the hard lines of his face, the expensive shirt stained with her own blood, the quiet authority that radiated from every pore of his being. "Why did you come back, Enzo? You could have walked away. You didn't even know me."
"Rosa told me you were smart, beautiful, and strong," Enzo said, his voice dropping its bantering tone, turning steady and earnest. "She was right on all counts. And moreover... you matter to my future. Even if we haven't had our dinner yet."
May you like
Claire’s breath hitched slightly. She reached out with her good hand, her fingers brushing tentatively against his knuckles. "Thank you. For Sadie. And for me."
"We're not done yet," Enzo replied, turning his hand over to gently clasp hers. "Once you're healed, we are going to have that dinner. At Lombardi's. Or anywhere else you want in the world."
