LOGINMARCO MARTINS
Cleo reached into the wine chiller and pulled out a bottle, her eyes sparkling with excitement.She laughed and grabbed another bottle, holding both like treasures. “I’m going to teach you how to really tap into the senses and enjoy every moment of this,” she said, looking radiant, like the morning sun.I was sprawled out on the couch, my legs hanging lazily over the edge, feeling relaxed but curious abouISA DELUCA-MORETTI TWO WEEKS LATER. I woke up to Enzo answering a call. The curtains outside our bedroom door billowed in the cool evening breeze. Enzo’s voice traveled from the balcony to the bed. “Oh… is that where we end the search?” Enzo asked whoever was on the line. I closed my eyes and let my head fall back on the pillow. I still wanted to sleep a little bit more but I had been out for hours. So instead of getting up, I stayed there, listening to Enzo on the call while I pulled myself completely out of slumber, one limb after the other. Mentally. “How burnt?” Enzo asked the person on the line. After a moment passed, he added, “That’s nasty.” I watched Enzo get up and I trailed my eyes on his bare back, traveling down to his waist. “Okay, thank you, officer,” Enzo said and ended the call. He turned around and a grin broke out on his lips. Pushing the curtains aside, Enzo came to meet me, the evening sun washing a soft, ethereal glow over his skin. “You’re up,” Enzo sai
ENZO MORETTI Three cars intercepted me before I could make it to the base. I was already pulling out my gun when Uncle G stepped out of the first car. “Marco’s not there,” Uncle G screamed as he waved his hand. “It was a setup.” I got out of the car to talk to Uncle Gerald. “You said he was causing division,” I replied calmly, not sure if I should be worried or relieved. If he wasn’t causing division between our men, what then was he doing? And why did Uncle G tell me something else on the phone? “He is causing division, alright. But not in the way I said. Marco had a gun to my head when I called you.” I chuckled but this was not the time for jokes. “You are joking, right?” I asked. Uncle G didn’t smile, not even by mistake. “I wish I were. Tatiana asked me to put a hold on our next shipment. Marco didn’t like being punished so he used me to lure you here. I’m not sure what for but I know he’s up to something bigger,” Uncle G replied. “So Marco sent the shooters wh
MARCO MARTINS “Put it on speaker,” I said, pointing the gun at Uncle G’s head. “It’s on,” he told me, biting me with his gaze. I didn’t care. I had to agree that I never thought I would have Uncle Gerald in this position. He’s been amazing to our family and the closest thing to a dad figure that I've had. But everybody wants to be on Enzo’s side. Everyone wants to protect him, no matter what he gets involved with. “Hello,” Enzo’s voice came, and I listened only to him, eliminating all distractions. Uncle G spoke, keeping to the script I had read to him. “Something’s wrong with Marco. I think he’s gone too far this time. He called for a meeting and he’s putting the people against you,” Uncle G spoke, darting his eyes from me to the gun pointed at his temple. “Can he do that?” Enzo asked. He was buying into Uncle G’s bullshit. Or rather, my bullshit. I was the captain of this ship. “What can he not do? We have to stop him now before he gets any further, and Enzo, we have to pu
ISABELLA DELUCA-MORETTI I called Arash before I got on the flight, telling him that I was taking an emergency ticket back to New York. He didn’t think it was a good idea because Enzo didn’t “approve” of the idea. Enzo, who had just been shot. “Do you know which hospital they took him to?” I had asked Arash when he confirmed that Enzo was alive. “He’s here. Came into the ER but has since been moved to a separate room. He’s getting questioned any minute from now,” Arash had said, bringing me up to speed on the call. I spent my flight being too scared to even look out the window. But still, I didn’t want to turn around. No member of my family was dying, not if I could help it. As soon as we landed, Arash showed up at arrivals to pick me up. I got in and he drove off to the hospital. *** Even in the midst of the crisis, I couldn’t wait to see Enzo. I was partially excited. It had been more than six months. When I ran, I was so terrified and confused. I didn’t know if I would
MARCO MARTINS Mum stormed into my home office. She discarded her purple Birkin bag on my table and dived into a fresh set of scolding. “What did you do, Marco?” Mum asked me, but she wasn’t done. “Are you out of your goddamn mind? That is Enzo we are talking about. That’s someone you grew up with. Why would you attack him?” Mum screamed at me, madder by the second that passed. “What are you talking about?” I asked, playing it cool. “Enzo got hit. Was it you?” Mum asked, barking the questions out. “Why would I do that?” I asked, smiling from ear to ear. “Oh, I know why. To get his wife to stop hiding like a coward.” Mum shook her head slowly at me. “So you really did it.” It wasn’t a question this time. She was stating it, defeated. “When do you stop, child?” Mum asked me. “When she’s dead along with her mother,” I replied. Mum sighed, collapsing into the chair in front of me. She rested her elbow on my table and held her head for a while longer. She was probably thinking of
ENZO MORETTI The shooter appeared and disappeared too quickly, stopping only to fire their shot. I was on the phone with Isa in the parking lot of the company’s headquarters. While talking to Isa, I was watching the building, thinking of how M & M was coming to an end. I was wondering what Marco would rename his company. I didn’t have ideas for mine yet. But then my vision shifted to the rearview mirror. What I saw confused me. “What the fuck?” I said to myself, trying to shift to the passenger seat and duck my head. The person ran over and the gun went off before I could make a clean escape. It hit my shoulder. “The next time, you won’t be so lucky!” the shooter called in a thick Irish accent as they ran off. I clutched my chest, biting through the pain. I dialed Bobby immediately, ending Isa’s calls as they came in. I understood that she was freaking out after hearing a gun go off on our call. I promised I would talk to her later and explain everything in full detail. But
ISABELLA GARCIAIt was a sad day, the Friday for Ethan's funeral. It began drizzling early in the morning, and by noon the ground was soaked.I was glad it was an indoor ceremony from start to finish. Only family members were allowed to attend.Ethan never had many friends or much of a social life
ISABELLA GARCIA“I don’t want to see. Can you blindfold me?” I asked Enzo.He paused and leaned back, studying me. His eyes felt like they were scraping my skin, and the tension between us thickened.“That’s new,” Enzo said, a small grin forming on one side of his lips. “Are you sure that’s what yo
ISABELLA GARCIAIt wasn’t a vacation, but it was meant to do what a vacation would do.We came here to feel rested. I wanted to be away from the world.It was just Enzo and me on the premises. We didn’t bring any of his guards.No one was supposed to know where we were.When Enzo told me no one kne
MARCO MARTINS “Let’s go, baby,” I said to Cleo, resting my hand on the small of her back. Cleo turned to Isa. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay with you?” she asked. The thing was, Isa hadn’t said a single word about her son’s death and it had been hours. Isa turned around, her hands t







