Chapter 16
Leon
Alex’s soft snores break through the movie’s soundtrack, and I realize she fell asleep.
Her legs are in my lap, the blanket gone and the shirt I gave her riding dangerously high.
A smile overtakes my face when my gaze lands on her peaceful expression.
The idea of her willingly agreeing to sleep over seems far-fetched, so this lucky coincidence is a chance I’m not wasting.
With a click of the remote, the TV turns off, and the room turns dark.
Careful not to wake her, I move her legs from my lap and position myself so I can carry her as gently as possible.
The lights from the neighboring skyscrapers illuminate my way as I take her to my bedroom and place her on the side of the bed furthest from the door.
I take my shirt off, holding my breath while she shuffles to get comfortable and releasing it once I realize she isn’t waking up.
After a quick trip to the bathroom, I return with fresh breath, and lie down next to her.
I stare at the shadows on the ceiling, feeling awkward.
She’s right next to me, but I keep my hands to myself, unsure what to do.
My life was the furthest thing from sheltered, but I can’t say I ever cuddled a woman while sleeping.
Or even wanted to. But now my fingers itch to pull her closer.
To slip under the shirt, not to have my way with her, but to feel the silkiness of her skin and the softness of her flesh under my fingertips.
“For fuck’s sake…” I mutter out, turning to my side and spooning her to me.
It’s as good as I’d imagined. My body fits her perfectly, and she releases a small sigh. Dom would be furious with me, but he’s not the boss—I am. My body soon relaxes, sleep overtaking me.
Abeeping sound jolts me from the best night’s sleep. My hand reaches out, feeling the nightstand in search of my phone. My vision still blurry, I accept the call.
“Yeah?” I croak out, my voice laced with sleep.
“You still sleeping?” Dom’s voice fills the speaker.
I rub my eyes to check the watch. Ten am. “Obviously.”
“Well, get up and open the door for me.” He ends the call, and I drop the phone to my side, sighing.
My eyes catch movement to my left, and it’s then I remember I didn’t sleep alone last night. Alex stares at me with wide eyes, obviously surprised we’re sharing a bed.
“Good morning,” I say, moving her hair from her face.
Her mascara is smeared under her eyes, her hair messy, but she looks beautiful. “What happened? Why am I here?”
I let out a chuckle. “You fell asleep while we watched the movie. I didn’t want to wake you. Hope you don’t mind.”
She contemplates her answer for a second, her eyes narrowing at me. “I guess,” she answers, and I exhale a relieved breath.
A doorbell sounds out, making me groan. I check the security camera on my phone and let Dom inside. Alex’s eyes widen again. “It’s just Dom.”
Instead of relief, a different expression crosses her face. Something akin to wariness.
“You can stay here if you’d like,” I continue. “I can send him away shortly.”
“It’s okay. I need to get going.”
I dip my head, disappointed at the idea of her leaving. Not that I could afford for her to stay. There’s a ton of work to do. “I’ll bring you your clothes. There are extra toothbrushes in the cabinet below the sink.”
I have half a mind to land a kiss on her forehead but stop myself in time. Forehead kisses are not something we do. I grab the shirt from the floor and slip it over my head, making my way to the kitchen.
Dom stands in the living room, holding Alex’s dress in his hands, like it’s a piece of evidence to be investigated.
“I doubt you could fit in it,” I say, and I turn my back on him to pour myself a massive cup of coffee.
“Funny. I was thinking the same thing about you.” The bitter, dark nectar pours down my throat as he continues, “I’m guessing your relationship has progressed to sleepovers.”
“I’m not sure why you think it’s any of your business.”
“I told you why. I don’t trust her.”
The coffee cup lands on the kitchen counter. “Good thing you aren’t the one dating her.”
His nostrils flare, but I grab the dress from his hands, pick her shoes up from the floor and head to my bedroom. Dating isn’t a word I ever thought I’d use, but it feels natural. Not that Alex would agree, but maybe I can convince her otherwise.
She has already brushed her teeth and made her hair look presentable by the time I get back to the bedroom. “Thanks,” she says, taking the dress from my hands and leaving for the bathroom.
“You sure you don’t want breakfast? A coffee?” I call after her.
“Yeah, I’m sure. I really need to bounce.”
Her answer doesn’t surprise me. She’s been jittery since she realized Dom was here. It makes sense, I guess. Getting caught during a walk of shame isn’t comfortable for anyone. Though it’s hardly a walk of shame if we did nothing shameful last night.
She returns fully dressed, and I walk her out. Dom dips his head in a greeting, and she does the same, scrambling to get the hell out. I close the front door behind me to give her a proper goodbye.
My hand wraps around the side of her face, pulling her in for a kiss. Her body stiffens before relaxing fully, melting into my touch. The taste of my toothpaste on her lips does more to me than I’d like to admit. I could get used to this.
“Next time, you’re staying for breakfast,” I say as she pulls away an inch.
“Next time, don’t have other people knocking before we’re even out of bed.” She smirks before sauntering off.
I shake my head, a smile playing on my lips before I’m met with Dom’s annoyed expression.
“We should set some boundaries. What do you say?” I propose getting back to my coffee.
“Like what?” He bites into an apple from the fruit bowl on my kitchen counter. My housekeeper handles all the food in my house, including the freshly washed fruit aesthetically arranged in a bowl.
“Like not showing up without an invitation.”
“Because of her?”
“Are you fucking jealous or something? Or harboring secret feelings for me? What’s the deal here?”
He practically growls at me. “I’m your head of security.” He pokes a finger into his chest. “I’m responsible for keeping you safe. You knew how dangerous it was for Luka to be fucking around with that girl, and look what happened to him!”
His words are a punch to my stomach, making me cough.
“This has nothing to do with it. Luka was an idiot who fell in love with the daughter of our enemy. I’m just messing around with a random girl, which helps me deal with all the stress I’m under.
” The words taste sour escaping my mouth.
Alex is hardly a random girl, and to be honest, I’m not sure if we’re only messing around.
Maybe she’s karma, showing me what a hypocrite I was when I was criticizing Luka.
Dom shrugs, but I know he’s not over it. Too bad, because I am.
“Why are you here anyway?” I ask him, placing the empty cup into my sink.
“We may have a lead.”
My ears perk up.
“It’s not much. But it’s more than what we had.” He slides a folder across the table, and it’s the first time I notice it.
Inside, I find a blurry, pixelated picture of a car. It’s nighttime, and the quality is horrific, but I’m pretty sure it’s Luka’s car. “Is it…”
“Yes, it’s his Rover.”
“When and where was this taken?”
“That’s the thing. It was taken a little after your uncle’s time of death window. It was nowhere near the club, which is why it took us so long to find it, but it was on a road that technically leads from the club to Luka’s penthouse.”
“Technically?”
“Well, it’s not the shortest way for him to get home…”
The wheels in my head start spinning. We haven’t found Luka’s car, so our best guess was that the Russians took it along with him.
This could mean he went home after the club.
I squint to zero in on where the driver should be, but the sun visor is down, covering the face.
Same thing in the passenger seat, but it’s obvious there were at least two people in the car. “Do we have anything else?”
“Not yet, but we’ve expanded the search to all the CCTVs close to his apartment.”
“What about the building’s security?”
He shoots me a stern look. “The footage was wiped clean.”
“So the car made it to his place? And managed to erase the footage?”
“That would be my guess, yes.”
I drop into a chair, still holding the photo as if it’ll clear up on its own. This changes everything. Did they take him to his place before kidnapping him? “What were they looking for?”
“That’s what I’m here to ask. Did Luka keep something at home? Something valuable?”
“Valuable for common thiefs, yes. But I hardly think it was something of interest for the Russians.”
“The plans for the business?”
“No, they’re all held in my office.”
“Well, you think on it, and I’ll keep checking the security footage.”
I nod, dropping the papers from my hands. “Anything else?”
Dom looks apprehensive now. “Yeah… The Russians raided another warehouse. We lost a shipment of weapons.”
“Fuck.” My fist connects with the glass table.
“Yeah, I wanted to give you the good part first.”
It was hardly the good part. More like neutral. Now we’re back to the bad part. “Give me fifteen minutes to shower and get dressed, and we’ll get going.”