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Chapter 3
Atlanta
Leo lets go, and theguard seems to visibly deflate. He turns and doesn’t even look at me as he hurries past. I draw a deep breath, and I should be afraid right now but I’m not. It’s so weird. I feel protected, nurtured, like a little baby bird tucked up safe in a nest.
Nothing can touch me here, nobody can hurt me. Because Leo Brickhouse is watching out for me.
“Sorry,” he says flatly, then draws a quick breath through his nose as he pushes the door open. “Come inside. I’ll get rid of everyone else.”
I meet his eyes. Those big, gray eyes, like an ocean in the fog. Beautiful but dangerous.
And it’s at that moment I do something I’m not supposed to.
I smile.
No more than a little, tiny smile, but genuine. And I see just an ounce of pain fall away from his face.
“Thank you,” I mutter. “That guy was an asshole.”
Leo’s jaw muscles tighten in fury, his gaze boring deep into my very soul. “He do anything to you?”
I shake my head quickly. “No. Just made assumptions.”
“He won’t be back. I promise you that. You won’t have to see him again in your life.”
I feel his hand gently touch the base of my spine, and he guides me in through the doorway.
The room inside is large and sumptuously decorated in brown and cream. This is my father’s casino, his hotel, although we never seem to have any money to spare, and after last night’srevelationsI know why. The casino owner is a habitual gambler, what a stereotype. I’m just lucky I had a college fund set up in my own name by my mother when she was alive. But this penthouse has been updated since the last time I was in here. The walls are hung with old movie posters now, the floor is carpeted with thick, swirling patterns.
I don’t want to know where the money came from, but I have to admit it’s tasteful.
“Everyone out. We’ll finish this tomorrow. I’ll get a conference room or something.”
A youngish guy, about my own age, with short brown hair, heavy tattoos and a ring through his bottom lip, gives me a nod and folds up a laptop that was open on the coffee table, while an attractive, tough-looking woman dressed in a men’s suit stands from the sofa, turns our way, and coolly runs a three-fingered hand through her gently graying red hair as she studies my face.
Then her lips curl, she nods, apparently satisfied, and she grabs a leather jacket off the back of the sofa. As she does, I spot the glint of metal tucked into her waistband.
“Sure thing, boss,” she says. “Come on, Chris, let’s check out the motel.”
The two of them seem deferential, but I get the impression they enjoy a little more status here than most people in Leo Brickhouse’s orbit.
“You too, Mike.” Leo points at the guard who’s standing by the table. “You can do your own thing for the evening but I’ll need you tomorrow. We’re not using Vincent’s men any longer, so you’re in charge of my security. Get on it early. Hire some local guys, nothing connected to Vince.”
Mike nods as he puts his radio down on the table. “No problem. I’m on it. You need someone outside the room tonight?”
“No. I’ll take care of myself.”
“You got it. Anything at all though, you know I’m on the next floor.” Mike looks at me, but keeps it professional. Whether that’s because he’s naturally less of an asshole than his colleague out in the hall, or just because he’s seen which way the wind is blowing, I’m not sure, but it’s appreciated. “Goodnight, miss,” he says, then heads out of the room behind Chris and the older woman, pulling the door closed behind him.
“Can I get you a drink?” Leo guides me forward into the room, his hand not leaving the small of my back until we get to the sofa and he’s settled me onto it. Even then, he looks pained as he lets me go. “The minibar is well stocked, or I can make coffee, tea, whatever you’d like.”
He takes his phone out of his pocket, and I think for a second he’s going to call my dad or something, tell him to come collect his wayward daughter.
Instead, a couple of taps and music starts softly playing through hidden speakers.
“Handel,” I say, the smile pulling at the corners of my mouth.
He nods. “You know it? I can put on something more modern if you like.”
