CHAPTER THIRTY - TWO

NICK WALKER ©

Enzo hadn't been back to college since he left for the professors' conference.

Today, it has been two days since I last saw him.

I hadn't seen his car in the parking lot, and he hadn't even shown up for any of his classes.

It worried me. The last time I saw him, he was sick.

Maybe I was just overthinking things and maybe busy with something important.

Still, why did I keep expecting a message from him?

I pulled out my phone and checked it again but found nothing.

I slipped the phone back into my pocket with a quiet sigh.

"What's on your mind?" Avery asked as we walked home.

I stayed quiet for a moment, wondering if I should tell her what was really on my mind.

If Avery found out I was thinking about Enzo, she would start coming up with all sorts of ridiculous ideas.

"Does this have something to do with Grayson?" she asked and I immediately turned to look at her.

"No," I said too quickly.

Avery nodded slowly. It was clear she didn't believe me, but chose not to argue.

"Well, you could always ask your boss about him," she said with a small shrug.

"I don't think I'll get the chance to see him. He's always busy," I said.

Avery turned and looked at me for a moment before she slowly shook her head.

"I thought you said you weren't thinking about him."

Before I could come up with a response, she started walking ahead of me.

"Wait up!" I called, as I jogged to catch up with her.

∆∆

~ FIVE STAR CLUB AND BAR ~

The club was busy tonight. As soon as my evening shift started, I was swamped with work.

I kept expecting to see Enzo walk through the door, but he never showed up.

Why had he been on my mind ever since I last saw him?

Perhaps I just wanted to ask how I could repay him for covering Mira's hospital bills.

And I still had his coat to return.

My eyes widened.

Shit! The coat wasn't even with me.

Since I arrived, Mr. Kyle hadn't stepped out of his office once. I wasn't even sure I'd get the chance to talk to him.

At one point, I glanced upstairs and saw his men standing outside his office door as usual.

For the next few hours, I stayed busy serving customers.

Then I spotted Mr. Kyle coming downstairs with his security men.

My fingers tapped against my thigh as I grew nervous.

Should I go talk to him?

Or was I making a big deal out of nothing?

Maybe Enzo would be back tomorrow, and I was worrying too much.

"Quite busy tonight, aren't you?"

I looked up at the sound of Mr. Kyle's voice and quickly straightened.

"Good evening, sir" I bowed politely.

He let out a small chuckle before greeting my coworker behind the bar with me..

After a brief exchange, he turned and started to walk away.

Before I could think, I called after him.

"Sir."

He stopped and looked back at me.

"Uh... well..." My nerves kicked in as I spoke. "I was wondering if you've been able to reach Professor Grayson."

For a moment, Mr. Kyle simply stared at me, making me even more nervous.

He called one of his men closer and whispered something. Then he turned to me.

“Let's go,” he said and I looked in confusion.

“Are you planning to keep me waiting?” he asked when I didn't move.

I quickly took off my apron and followed him out of the bar.

“Where are we going, sir?” I asked as one of his men opened the car door for me.

“Just get in, kid,” he replied and I glanced around for a moment, unsure of what was happening, before finally sliding into the car.

I felt nervous the moment the driver started to drive. I had never been alone with Mr. Kyle before.

He didn't look scary, but there was something about him that always made me uneasy. If anything, he reminded me of Enzo.

The difference was that Mr. Kyle hardly spoke and rarely smiled around people but Enzo actually smiled once in a while.

The silence inside the car was so loud. Neither of us said a word.

I kept wondering where we were going.

Just a short while ago, I had only asked about Enzo. Now I was sitting in Mr. Kyle's car, heading somewhere I knew nothing about.

I glanced at him and swallowed hard.

“Mr. Kyle...” I began, finally gathering the courage to ask where we were going.

Before I could finish, his phone rang.

The drive lasted a little over an hour.

The whole time, Mr. Kyle kept answering phone calls while I quietly stared out the window.

The car suddenly slowed down and stopped in front of a large gate.

The driver rolled down the window and leaned toward a scanner. A few seconds later, the machine flashed green after recognizing his face.

Where exactly was he taking me?

The gates slid open on their own, and we drove inside. The road ahead was strangely quiet, just a long stretch of road surrounded by silence.

A chill ran through me as I looked around. The deeper we drove in, the more questions filled my head.

I shifted in my seat and glanced at Mr. Kyle, but he was busy on another call.

Where was this place?

I wasn't even close to Mr. Kyle and I still found it strange that I was sitting in his car in the first place.

The car finally stopped in front of a huge house.

Mr. Kyle stepped out while still talking on the phone.

A second later, the door beside me opened, making me jump in surprise.

I let out a quiet breath and climbed out of the car.

The house looked massive. I stood there for a moment, watching Mr. Kyle walk toward the entrance.

Then he suddenly stopped and looked back at me. Covering the phone's speaker with one hand, he raised an eyebrow.

“Why aren't you moving?” he asked and I blinked.

“Didn't you want to know how Professor Grayson is doing?”

Before I could answer, he continued his conversation on the phone as he walked into the house.

My eyes widened at his words.

He brought me here to see Enzo?

Wait... did that mean Enzo lived in this huge house?

Please tell me he lived here with his family.

I glanced around as I climbed the wide symmetrical staircase leading to the front entrance.

I followed behind Mr. Kyle in silence. When he pushed the large doors open, my mouth fell open.

I stepped inside slowly, staring at it all.

The living room was enormous. The place looked luxurious.

My eyes moved across the room, from the lounge area to the massive center table. Above it all was a huge chandelier hung with gold details that sparkled under the lights.

“Are you planning to spend the entire evening staring?” Mr. Kyle's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I quickly looked away from the chandelier and turned toward him.

Just then, I heard footsteps coming from upstairs.

My eyes moved to the staircase that had LED lights glowing along each step, reflecting against the glass railings.

Then I saw him.

Enzo.

He was walking down the stairs with his hand on the glass railing. His pale eyes landed on me at once.

His face gave nothing away.

I couldn't tell if he was surprised to see me or if he had known I was coming.

“Nick?” he asked before shifting his gaze to Mr. Kyle.

“What is he doing here?”

Mr. Kyle slipped his phone into his pocket and looked up at him.

“He's going to look after you,” he said calmly. “Maybe you'll finally answer to someone and start getting better.”

I blinked and turned to him.

He brought me here to take care of him?

“He has more experience taking care of people,” Mr. Kyle said. “His little sister is more stubborn than you are, so he should be able to handle you.”

Enzo let out a weak sigh and rubbed his temple.

“You brought the kid here to take care of me? You've got to be..”

Before he could finish, Mr. Kyle let out a loud sigh.

“I'm leaving.” He turned and headed for the door to leave.

“Kyle!” he called out, but he gripped the glass railing for support.

I quickly rushed toward him to help but he raised a finger at me.

“Get back…”

“Or what?” I asked, stepping closer.

Then his face went pale. He bent forward and threw up.

Right. On. Me.