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.”

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