Rising Hope by Edie James

11

Enzo hauledhis tired butt out of his truck and headed into Giuseppe’s, inhaling the scents of fresh pizza and hot wings. The official aromas of Friday night.

He inhaled again, drawing the comforting smells of fresh-baked crust and hot cheese deep into his lungs. His regular Friday shift had been quiet, boring even, until the call about the sailboat floundering twenty miles offshore. The rescue started well, a textbook example of Coast Guard bravery and efficiency. At first.

He shuddered, still feeling the cold in his bones. A long, hot shower had taken some of the chill off, but he wasn’t sure he’d warm up any time soon. He hoped company would help.

The eatery had been the end of the week gathering place of choice for his friends and family since forever. Tonight, especially, he needed the company.

Daniel Talenti, longtime family friend and currently his brother, Teo’s roommate, held up the case holding his custom darts. “Are we playing for the check tonight? Without Big Bro in town, there’s no way Noah wins.”

Enzo was by far the best player in the group, but his eldest bro, Rollo, ran a close second. Noah wasn’t far behind. Teo and Daniel were next in line. With Rollo still on his honeymoon, and Teo at a medical conference with his new lady, Noah would have to partner with one of their sisters. Viv had a little skill, but his twin Emmie was flat out dangerous. As in duck-and-cover dangerous.

He grinned at Daniel. “I’m in if you are.”

“Always.” The big fish and game officer they called Gonzo waggled his blond eyebrows. “How you feeling? On it tonight?” He patted his flat stomach. “I’m starving. I might order another pitcher of root beer. Team Noah will be buying.” He tapped his handsome chin. “I think I’ll make it an extra large. Extra meat, too. I like to live big.”

Enzo snorted. “Eat all that and you’re gonna be big.”

He pulled his own case of darts out of his backpack and set them on the table, lifting out a custom dart. He hefted it as he squinted at the board, enjoying the perfect balance. The bull’s eye called, a red circle nestled in the center of the board. He pictured the needle-sharp tip piercing the exact center. Playing darts calmed him, sopping up the excess adrenaline he carried after a mission.

Today, he needed it. The retrieval of the victims had gone well, until the boat’s owner, an overweight, middle-aged man, coded in the helo. The medics did their best, and Enzo diverted the Dolphin straight to the closest hospital, but they lost the man before they landed.

Not his fault. Not anyone’s fault. Still, an unsuccessful save never felt good.

The weight of the man’s death pressed down on him, but not as badly as this new, secret assignment. He shouldn’t have taken it, but now it was too late. He could ask his CO, or even Halliburton directly, to find a new pilot, but that felt way too much like quitting.

Except for that time in junior high when he walked out of the chess club, he’d never quit anything in his life. He did what he said he’d do. Completed goals. Challenged himself physically and mentally. He figured the Lord had gifted him with physical and mental strength for a reason.

But the secrecy didn’t sit well. Hopefully, his small part in the mission would be completed long before he had to lie to the people he cared about.

He took a steadying breath and threw the dart. Two inches off-target. Yikes. He hadn’t missed that badly in forever.

Eyes wide, Daniel stared at the board. “Yeowza. Your blood sugar must be low or something. Grab some of that root beer, dude. I’ll order us some garlic bread.” He smacked Enzo on the shoulder. “Let’s get you right before the opposition gets here.”

“Good idea.” Food wouldn’t fix the problem, but Enzo didn’t want his friend to know that.

While Daniel headed to the bar to order, he tried to clear his mind and get centered.

Not to be.

The doors up front burst open, and his sisters Viv and Emmie breezed in, heads together, laughing. Viv’s fiancé Noah followed. Enzo lowered the dart. Was that grinning fool behind the dark-haired detective Dante? His older bro had never been a sunny type. More of a grouchy loner, he rarely even showed up at family gatherings, let alone Friday night pizza. And rarely smiling, let alone flat-out laughing.

But there he was, arm in arm with his pretty new girlfriend, Rachel. The whole family loved her. She brought out a sweet, tender side of Dante no one had seen since before their mother’s death.

Dante pointed at him over the crowd. “Yo, Enzomatic! I call next game. But pizza first.”

Enzo shared a look with Daniel. Their friend shrugged. “I don’t know who this new Dante is, but I like the guy.”

“No kidding.” Enzo replaced the dart in his case and helped shove a couple tables together so the whole group could sit together.

Emmie tucked a hank of dark hair behind her ear and looked up at Noah. With her dark eyes and innate intensity, his twin could never be mistaken for anything but a MacKenzie, despite her petite form. “Any news from the newlyweds?” she asked.

The detective shook his head. “Radio silence.”

“Good,” Viv said. “I told Rollo to stay out of the loop. They need this time to themselves.”

No kidding. In the year since Rollo and his daughter, Wren, moved back to town, he’d taken the chief of police position, helped save his now-wife from a killer, fallen in love, and managed to continue raising a teenage girl. If anyone deserved a vacay, it was Rollo.

Confusion, and plenty of good-natured trash talking, reigned as the group decided on food. Once the pizza arrived, Emmie asked about their mom’s case.

Their mother had been killed seven years ago, her car shoved off a cliff by a drunk driver. The driver, Alyssa’s first husband, died in the crash as well. Until about a year ago, Enzo, and his sibs had no idea that ever since the accident, their retired police detective father had been conducting his own investigation into the crash, convinced her death was not an accident.

At first, he and his sibs worried about their father’s mental state. But over the past few months, Rollo and Noah had uncovered evidence that supported their father’s hunch.

Now, it looked like there was more to the crash than simple drunk driving. By all accounts, the driver, JJ Archer, was drunk off his feet when he left the bar and slammed into their mother’s car, sending both vehicles over the fifty-foot cliff to the rocks below.

Only it turned out Archer had been drugged, too.

So far, they had no idea by who. Or why.

Was Archer the intended victim, or was it their mother?

At first, like most of his sibs, Enzo figured their father was just going through a rough patch in the grieving process. Viv had recommended encouraging Dad to look into the case as a form of therapy. No one dreamed they’d ever find evidence of murder.

He still wasn’t certain dredging up the past was a good idea, but he wasn’t law enforcement. So far, working the case seemed to bring healing both to their father and to Dante. Two huge wins, in his book.

Still, he dreaded the day they found out who drugged Archer. Forgiving a hopeless alcoholic was way different than having to find grace in his heart for a cold-blooded killer.

Viv finished her slice. “We’re planning a welcome back brunch for Rollo and Alyssa next Saturday,” she announced, then turned her attention to Enzo. “I’m ordering donuts from Jaeger’s. Could you pick them up on your way over?”

He hesitated. Sarah had told him they made their buys every four or five days. They’d already gone three days since the last one. If the schedule held, they’d be doing another trip tomorrow or Sunday. But that could change. Which meant he had no idea if he’d be free a week from now.

He clenched his fists beneath the table. This was exactly what he hated. Not being able to make plans. And not being able to tell anyone why.

Viv’s eyes narrowed. “Is everything okay?”

Oh man. He was a terrible liar, and Viv, the professional psychologist, was practically a human lie detector. Not good.

He shook his head. “I’m fine. It’s just… My schedule’s really wonky right now.” He concentrated on separating another slice of pizza from the pie so he didn’t have to look her in the eye when he lied. “We’re down an aviator for another few weeks at the station. I have no idea when I’ll be pulling extra duty.”

She raised a hand. “No worries.”

“Thanks.” He folded the slice in half and shoved the tip into his mouth. He didn’t really want it, but chewing would keep his mouth occupied so he didn’t trip himself up by over explaining.

Viv smiled softly in that knowing way she had. “It’ll all work out.”

His breath froze in his lungs, until he realized she couldn’t be talking about his problems. She meant the brunch. Duh. He took another bite of his slice.

Eyes gleaming wickedly, Emmie gestured at his box of darts. “You ready to get on with this, Twinnie? I feel a beat down coming on.”

Mouth full, he looked from Dante to Noah. Both men shrugged helplessly.

Dante was trying not to laugh. “She says it’s girl power night. Her and Rachel against all comers.”

Daniel’s eyes widened. “Anybody bring their bullet-proof vests?”

Enzo forced himself to laugh along with the others, but the pizza had turned to stone in his gut. He hated lying but lying to his family…well that was almost as bad as feeling he’d disappointed his Savior.

Sarah Walker’s face flashed through his mind. Did she mind the roleplaying? The lies?

Or did she find the cause worth the stress?

Either way, he’d been appointed to protect her on the drug runs. No way he’d quit on that.

Praying for a quick end to the operation didn’t mean he’d do any less than his best.