My Hockey Alpha Chapter 282: Once a Home, Now Empty
Nina
“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
minutes later, 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 planning 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 place 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
account 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 place 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 particularly 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’s last home
completely 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 place 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 uncomfortable being there alone when Lewis could have
walked in at any moment, but I occupied 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 glass 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 black hair that cascaded down her back and a stunning
smile. She was holding Enzo and pressing her cheek against his. They were
laughing 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 could come back here and clean the place 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 moments later, I heard the sound of Enzo’s footsteps coming 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 getting late. 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 childsplay.
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 become tense beside me.
I squeezed his hand gently, and for a few
moments we stood there in silence and looked solemnly at the place 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 the large 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 father laid lifelessly in his arms, filled me with anger as well.
“I’ll help you,” I said with purpose as I tightened my grip on his hand. “Lewis
will pay for abandoning your father.
