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“Oh, you mean the part where you shattered her heart, trampled all over it, and then fed it to a wood chipper for good measure?”
I’m on the brink of pounding down this damned door, when Leo’s voice slices through the air.
“I made the only choice I could to keep the people I love from getting hurt,” he admits, his voice raw. “It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, and it cost me everything.”
Resting my palms on the wall above my head, I struggle to draw in my next breath. What does he mean the people he loved would get hurt? I did get hurt! He broke me. Could he mean something else? My mind spins, tossing his words about like a Rubik’s Cube, frantically trying to solve the riddle. Because the only truth I know is that Leo Kozlov did exactly what he promised he wouldn’t.
He discarded me like trash on the floor.
He told me he didn’t love me, never had. That we were a mistake.
I spiraled into a dark place after that, and the only escape was distance. So, three days after he broke things off, I packed up my life and moved to Paris while he pledged his loyalty to the Kozlov Bratva. He became a vor, the one thing I could never accept in a partner.
I stiffen, my back pressing into the wall as I slide down onto the cold floor.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize,” Kira says, her voice softer now. “You’ve never opened up about what happened with you and Aly.”
“It’s not something I find easy to talk about. With anyone.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Kira exhales a heavy sigh. “But the two of you alone for days on end… how’s that working?”
Leo scoffs. “Once Daniil is back from Russia, we’ll have a better understanding of the situation. Until then, nothing else matters. This is the safest place for her to be.”
The faint sound of a clock ticking fills the silence. “It’s not safe for her heart. Keep that in mind.”
Exactly what I confessed to Kira two bottles in, I don’t remember. But there’s a flicker in the back of my mind, a sliver of memory hinting that I may have confessed a truth so raw, I can barely admit it to myself.
The fact that I’ve never truly gotten over Leo.
“Why would you say that?” Leo prods, a new tension in his voice.
And that’s my signal to make my presence known before Kira spills any more of my secrets.Thump, Thump, Thump. “Leo, can we talk?” I call out.
“Kira, I need to go. We’ll catch up soon.”
“Remember what I said,” she reminds him.
Seconds later, Leo swings open the door, his gaze latching onto mine. A storm rages in his deep-brown eyes, holding me captive. I squirm under his scrutiny but do my best to keep my expression neutral. If he suspects that I eavesdropped, he doesn’t mention it, and I’m certainly not about to confess.
Instead, I flash him a breezy smile and stroll past him into the office. “Am I interrupting something?” I ask, perching on the edge of his desk.
Three heavy beats pass before Leo answers. “Nah, Kira was just checking in, wanted to make sure everything was okay. I’m sure she would have wanted to speak with you.”
I cross my arms in front of my chest. “I bet a lot of people would like to speak with me, but considering you took my phone, I guess that’s not happening.”
He smiles, but it feels forced. “Safety first.”
"Whatever." I swallow, making a conscious effort to avoid his gaze, because every time I meet it, I lose my bearings. I swear, his warm brown eyes are like a trap. “So… any news about my situation?"
He gives a slow shake of his head. “No news from Brooklyn. What happened to you seems to be an isolated incident. No one’s made a move on the Kozlov Bratva or anyone linked to us. I suspect it’s personal. Whoever’s after you is after you for a reason.”
A shiver creeps up my spine. “I’m being targeted?”
Resting his hands on the back of a chair, he leans forward, lines of frustration etched on his face. “We don’t know anything for certain yet,” he admits. “Daniil’s in Russia trying to dig up answers. Once we know what we’re dealing with, we’ll head back to New York. You just need to tolerate me for a few more days, then I’ll be out of your hair.” His jaw clenches and releases. “That is what you want, right?”
I clear the lump in my throat. “Yes, of course that’s what I want.”
His eyes dark, Leo runs a fingertip over the scar on his chin. “What did you come here to talk to me about?”
