Chapter 282: Once a Home, Now Empty


    “Come on,” Enzo said as he handed me my helmet. “We’re going on another ride.”


    I raised my eyebrows as I took the helmet. “Where are we going?” I asked. Enzo didn’t answer. He just


    got on the motorcycle, and then started it up once I got on behind him. We started driving back out onto


    the main road. A few minutester, I realized where we were going.


    We were going to Enzo’s father’s house. I felt a lump rise into my throat when I saw the square


    silhouette of the modern home rise in the distance; I hoped that Enzo wasn’t nning on confronting


    Lewis that night with no backup.


    But as we pulled up into the driveway, the house looked dark and empty. There were no cars in the


    driveway. Enzo parked the motorcycle and we climbed off and headed up to the door, which was


    cracked open and creaking in the breeze.


    Quietly, Enzo pushed the door open and poked his head in. He looked around for a moment before


    throwing me a nod and then headed in.


    A gasp caught in my throat as we walked in through the door. The house was dark and empty. Things


    were strewn about as though the ce had been ransacked, and furniture was tipped over. I looked up


    at Enzo with wide eyes, but surprisingly he didn’t seem fazed in the slightest.


    “Do you think that Lewis did this?” I asked quietly.


    Enzo shrugged. “Probably.” He walked over to the kitchen and peered into a few open drawers,


    nodding to himself thoughtfully as though he was taking ount of what had been stolen. I looked


    around as well, but as I did, I noticed something; most of the expensive things, such as art and


    electronics, were left alone. The whole ce was ransacked, but the things that any typical robber


    would steal were still there. Instead, it was as though they were looking for something specific, which


    made me think that it really must have been Lewis.


    “What do you think they were looking for?” I asked as I walked up to Enzo, who was now staring out


    the back window that looked out over the ocean. He didn’t seem to want to show it, but I could tell that


    he was sad. Even though I knew that he didn’t particrly care for this house and that he hadn’t spent


    much time there, I was sure that it was still sad to see his father’sst homepletely destroyed like


    this.


    “I’m really not sure,” Enzo replied matter-of-factly. “My father may have had something hidden in here


    that Lewis wanted. Money, probably. Either way, it seems as though he found what he was looking for.


    Either that, or they just wanted to destroy the ce to disrespect my dad.”


    “Oh.” I frowned and touched Enzo’s arm. “I’m sorry.”


    Enzo simply shrugged again, then turned to face me in the darkness. Without a word, he bent down


    and gently kissed my forehead. “Wait here,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”


    Before I could protest, Enzo walked off and jogged up the stairs, disappearing from sight. I felt a bit


    ufortable being there alone when Lewis could have walked in at any moment, but I upied


    myself with walking around and picking some things up. I picked up a few dining chairs and set them


    upright where they belonged, then stooped down to pick up a picture that had been thrown to the floor.


    When I picked it up, the ss was broken. The photograph inside the frame depicted Enzo’s father, a


    woman who I had never seen before, and a little boy. As I looked at it, I realized that it was a family


    photo with Richard, Enzo’s mother, and Enzo as a child. Enzo’s mother was beautiful, with curly ck


    hair that cascaded down her back and a stunning smile. She was holding Enzo and pressing her cheek


    against his. They wereughing together. Richard stood with his arm around them, smiling at the


    camera. I was surprised that I hadn’t seen that photo when I came to this house before; I must have


    missed it.


    I decided to pull the photo out of the frame and pocket it. Surely Enzo would refuse to take it at that


    moment, but I knew that he would want it down the road. And someday, maybe we coulde back


    here and clean the ce up. Technically, the house belonged to Enzo now. I didn’t know if he would


    want to keep it or sell it, but I could see its potential as a beautiful house; it just needed a touch of


    comfort inside, rather than the stark gray furnishings of a middle-aged wealthy widower. Maybe, after


    all of this was said and done, we could live here together. The thought made me smile, although I knew


    that it was just wishful thinking.


    A few momentster, I heard the sound of Enzo’s footstepsing back down the stairs. I peeked


    around the corner to see that he seemed to be slipping something small into his pocket; assuming that


    it was just something sentimental, I decided not to pry. Enzo walked up to me then and wrapped his


    arm around my shoulder, casting me a weak smile.


    “Let’s go home,” he said.


    “Are you sure?” I asked. “I thought you came here to look for Lewis.”


    “I did,” Enzo admitted. “But he’s clearly not here, and it’s gettingte. He’s the least of our worries right


    now.”


    For a few moments, I stared up at Enzo wordlessly. I was under the impression that Lewis was


    potentially stalking us, and if he was working with the Crescents, then it could be an issue. But at the


    same time, Mountainview was airtight. We would be safer going home and dealing with Lewis when we


    had the chance. Once we took down the Luna, dealing with people like Lewis would feel like childsy.


    Finally, I nodded up at Enzo and then reached up to cup his face in my hands. I pulled him down to me


    and kissed him, feeling the warmth of his lips on mine.


    When our lips finally parted, I pulled away and looked out into the trashed living room. Enzo followed


    my gaze, and as he did, I felt him be tense beside me. I squeezed his hand gently, and for a few


    moments we stood there in silence and looked solemnly at the ce that his dead father used to call


    ‘home’.


    “Once we deal with the Luna, I’m personally going to take Lewis down,” Enzo said, his voice barely


    above a whisper.


    I looked up at Enzo then to see his sharp jawline in the dim light being cast through therge windows


    from the moon. Now, in the moonlight, I could see that his face was grim and full of anger. Seeing him


    like that, and remembering how his fatherid lifelessly in his arms, filled me with anger as well.


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    “I’ll help you,” I said with purpose as I tightened my grip on his hand. “Lewis will pay for abandoning


    your father.”