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“Wait.” Rosa covers her ears. “Okay.”
Leo glances at her and lowers his voice. He tells me what Matvei said when Dario questioned him. Along with the locations of some relevant Bratva houses, there was the location where he was going to take Rosa. He then gave the step-by-step walkthrough of what he was going to do to her when he got her there. It’s sick. It’s ugly. It’s wrong.
“Is he telling the truth?” I ask.
“He’s admitted to several other crimes against women.”
“Well?” Rosa says, removing her hands.
“I don’t know. If he’s telling the truth, he deserves to die, but what if he’s mentally ill and making it up, and then we kill him? Then what?”
This conversation couldn’t feel more surreal, so disconnected from how my life usually works. It feels like some twisted game show calledWho Wants to Be a Killer?
“I think you should find a way to corroborate what he’s telling you. Maybe liaise with any police contacts you have. What he did to you, Rosa, I hate him for it. Iwishhe were dead, but if he’s committed more serious crimes against other people…”
Rosa nods. Leo smirks with that proud-of-me glint in his eyes.
“That seems like a reasonable course of action,” Leo says.
“Dad,” Rosa mutters. “Who will do it if heisguilty of… of really bad stuff? Of the stuff he threatened to do to me?”
Leo looks around the room, clenching his jaws. He looks directly into my eyes for a long moment. We share something precious, an intense love and protective impulse for Rosa, the person we’re hurting most by having any connection atall.
“I’m not sure you need to know that.”
“Dad, Ideserveto know. It was me he was going to hurt.”
Leo sighs. “Your uncle has always loved you, Rosa. He’s always been there for you. He’s hated Matvei ever since he heard what happened. He’s wanted revenge ever since.”
He doesn’t need to say anything else. I think of Dario, aslightlyshorter, slightly younger version of Leo.
“This is all so much,” Rosa says, laughing surreally. “It must be even crazier for you, Emma. I bet Dad is annoyed at me for letting you hear all this. I bet he’s wondering if he needs to get some dirt on you to keep you silent, ha!”
“No,” Leo growls. “I’d never hurt her, Rosa.”
“I was kidding, Dad. Poor timing, I know.”
Leo tries to laugh, but he can’t hide the fierceness of his expression.
He’dneverhurt me. He’d always protect me. He loves me. Jeez, calm down, head.
“I need to use the bathroom. Excuse me.”
Rosa stands and leaves the room, leaving me and Leo alone. That’s a bad idea. She wouldn’t have done it if she knew how we felt about each other.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
Leo
I stare across at this woman,mywoman, feeling like it’s been years since I’ve seen her. I tried not to look at her when I first came into the room, believing maybe I could avoid this desire, this explosive certainty that never leaves me alone. I don’t want it to.
She folds her legs. I wonder if she’s doing it on purpose. She’s wearing a loose-fitting dress that, when the fabric settles, outlines the shape of her childbearing hips, her suck-me-now tits, and her perfect figure. Her smile is unsure as she looks across at me.
“So,” she says, in the tone of small talk. “How have you been?”
“Busy,” I reply. “And you?”
“Busy.”
