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“Here.” He holds the case out to Vince, who takes it with a grin.
“You know this is only business, right? I kind of like you, Leo. Always did. I remember you sitting at the kitchen table doing your homework while your brother and your dad discussed business. You should have stuck to your studies, you know?” Vince sets the case down on the floor, then pushes the catches to unlock it. “It’s just, I’m going to make a better head of the family than you ever did. A quick signed declaration from you, naming me as head honcho, and we can all be on our way. No harm, no foul. Nobody even has to die here.” He looks up before he opens the case. “You’re probably thinking you’ll just tell everyone it was under duress. I gotta tell you, our guys won’t respect that. You let an asshole like me walk all over you, they’ll be wondering if you’re right for the job anyway. Better you should just walk away. Retire. Enjoy your life with this little beauty.”
“Don’t worry,” Leo says. “I intend to.”
As Vince pulls open the case, I see movement out of the corner of my eye.
Glancing across at Hannah, I’m surprised to see her step away from the post, her hands...miraculously unbound. She reaches down between her legs, and it’s not until then that I notice my purse lying open on its side next to me.
“What?” I murmur, but it’s then that the lights all go out.
The first shot makes me scream, the flash from the muzzle shockingly bright in the darkness. Machine gun fire comes from the catwalk, and I cover my head, ducking down. Another single shot, a cry, and the firing stops. The grunts and thumps of flesh hitting flesh come from beside me, the sounds of a struggle, and two more shots ring out in the darkness.
The sound of screams makes me start to panic, until I realize it’s my own voice. I try to make myself as small as possible, expecting at any moment to feel the cold sting of a stray bullet, even if nobody’s aiming at me. I curl into a ball on the floor and try to silence myself, quiet sobs all I’ll allow while I lie there, afraid that this is the end.
But when the lights come back on, everything has changed.
“Wait! Leo, don’t!” Vince’s eyes are wide as he’s held against the wall by one of Leo’s massive arms. “This was just business!”
Leo doesn’t even look hurt. He turns his head and calls over his shoulder. “Everything secure?”
“Yes, boss,” Hannah replies. “Four dead motherfuckers.”
“Atlanta? Speak to me, baby.”
“I—” My voice sounds hoarse, and I clear my throat. “I’m fine. I think...” I dare to turn, to look myself over, and don’t see any blood. I don’t feel any pain. “I’m OK. What just happened?”
Nobody gets a chance to reply, because the door flies open and Chris almost falls inside, scanning for trouble. His eyes dart around to the dead men lying in various positions around the room, then fix on Hannah. Without a word, he runs to her, gathering her into his arms and kissing her hard, even as she keeps the revolver gripped tight.
And all I want is that same comfort.
I don’t even think. I just rise to my feet and run to Leo’s side, starting to sob into his chest.
“It’s OK, baby. It’s all OK.” He kisses the top of my head. “I’m sorry I had to do that. These bastards wouldn’t have listened to reason, and I had to get a gun to Hannah somehow. She’s the only one here with enough skill to hit four targets from memory with the lights out.”
“But how did the lights turn out?”
He nods at Chris. “We got here early and found where the substation is. Chris knows what he’s doing with a fuse.”
Vince is sweating, his eyes wide. “Look, Leo, this was all just business, right? You don’t have to— Shit, fuck!”
He squirms against Leo’s arm, as Leo just tightens his grip.
“Shut the fuck up. I’m not going to kill you, Vince. Don’t get me wrong, I want to. And you deserve it. But I’m trying to do things differently. I’m trying to drag our organization into the twenty-first century. That’s what everything I’m working on with Hannah and Chris is about. But more than that, I’m trying to be a better person, too. For her.” He glances at me, then squeezes me tight against him.
Vince nods. “OK. OK, I get it. I’m a screw up, but I get it. Just let me go, right? Please?”
Leo huffs out a breath, but he steps back. Then he turns away from Vince, wrapping his arm around my shoulders, and I couldn’t be prouder. “Come on, baby. Let’s get you out of here.”
“Yes, please,” I say, breathing out a sigh and smiling. “Are we going back to the hotel?”
He shakes his head. “The hotel room is fucked, sweetness. You want to meet my mom? She’ll love you. We can stay with her for a few days, then get someplace of our own. I’m done with living out of hotels.”
“Sounds good,” I whisper, grinning up at him. “But first, I really,reallyneed to pee.”
Leo laughs and nods as he pulls me with him towards the door. “OK, we’ll make a rest stop.”
“Boss?” Hannah meets Leo’s eyes as we pass. “What do you want us to do with Vince?”
Leo shrugs. “Up to the two of you. Just make sure it’s all clean when you’re done. I’m already going to have to answer questions about the hotel room, the last thing I need is dead bodies turning up here.”
“Sure thing.”
“Wait! Stop!” Vince’s voice comes from behind as Leo pulls the door open, and we step outside. “Leo, you said you weren’t going to kill me! Leo, come back here!” The door closes, muffling the next words. “No, wait, Chris, it doesn’t have to be like this, man...”
Leo leans down and places his lips against mine, their warmth spreading through me, soothing the hyper emotions from what just took place. Then he gazes into my eyes, cupping my face in his hands.
“So beautiful,” he says. “I’m never letting you out of my sight. Never again.”
