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I laugh. “Are you pouting?”
“No.”
“You totally are.”
Leo yawns, his eyes cracking open. “Maybe a little. At least let me make you breakfast?”
I smile so wide my cheeks start to hurt. “How can I possibly say no to that?”
I’m just about to throw my legs over the bed and get started for the day, when Leo says, “Wait, I have something for you.”
“For me? Is this another one of your surprises?”
Leo sits up in bed and reaches to his side, pulling something small from the bedside drawer. A square box that fits in the palm of his hand. At first, I think it might be a ring which sends my heart into a tizzy. It’s a little early to be thinking about such things, isn’t it? But then I realize the box is much bigger, the size of a notepad. I tell my racing mind to calm down.
He hands it to me. “Saw this and thought of you.”
Nibbling on my bottom lip I lift the lid and peer inside excitedly. My face falls when I see it. A bracelet. Silver with intricate etchings, small inset diamonds in the metal. It looks familiar.Toofamiliar.
I gave them almost all of your and your mother’s jewelry to pay for everything.
Dad’s words scream loudly in my ear.
This has to be some sort of coincidence. Surely more than one version was made and sold. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation here.
The Bratva. I owe the Bratva.
That ugly fucking word again.
“Is something wrong?” Leo asks, his brows furrowing.
“No,” I say quickly. “It’s just so beautiful. It just took me—”
“By surprise?”
I laugh weakly. I hope he doesn’t notice. “Yeah, exactly.”
Leo takes the bracelet from me and slips it onto my wrist. A perfect fit. Almost like I knew it would be. “It looks good on you.”
“Where did you even get this?” I ask as casually as possible. I have no reason to be suspicious of him, but my guts are tying themselves into knots. There’s no denying this is incredibly strange.
“A pawn shop,” he says smoothly. “I was passing by. Saw it in a window. I thought you might like it.”
I can feel the tips of my ears burning. He saw it in a pawn shop? Daddidsay he sold our jewelry because of the money he owed. Leo wouldn’t lie to me, would he? What reason would he have?
Bratva.
“Come on,” he says, offering me his hand. “I’ll make you breakfast.”
The moment I slip my palm into his, my worries wash away. How ridiculous am I being? Leo, a member of the Bratva? How silly. There’s simply no way. Wouldn’t he have guards or something? Everything I’ve heard about the Bratva is terrifying; Leo is far from terrifying.
I throw on one of his large shirts because I frankly can’t be bothered to pick up all my clothes right now, and I like the way he smells. He throws on a pair of sweatpants before wrapping his arm over my shoulder, our hips bumping as we make our way down the hall side by side, laughing softly.
Everything is normal until we round the corner. I stop short, swallowing a yelp when I see a group of people standing in his kitchen. Four men, two women—the latter of whom are identical twins. They’re dressed rather well for so early in the morning, business casual with discrete pieces that hint at their wealth. The men have their silver Rolex watches, the women have understated diamond stud earrings. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say they were just about ready to start some sort of conference.
“Leo?” I say, looking up to him. “Who are they and what are they doing in your breakfast nook?”
“Sorry,” one of the women says. She has vibrant red hair and dazzling blue eyes. “We didn’t realize Leo had company; otherwise we would have called first.”
