10. Leo
Chapter ten
Leo
L eaning back in my leather chair, I swivel to the side, glancing out the window. The sun is just beginning to set, alerting me that I should be leaving, heading home to my wife, but instead, I’m stuck here dealing with a stubborn motherfucker who apparently doesn’t realize he’s dying whether he talks or not. And if he would just give us what we’re looking for instead of prolonging the inevitable, then I could give him the promise of a quick and painless death. But the longer he holds out on us, the longer we’ll drag out his painful demise.
And what the fucker also doesn’t comprehend is that I’ll wait all goddamn day for him to speak if I have to.
“Are you Le Diable?” Vin roars with intensity as his fist connects with the smug asshole’s jaw over and over again. The man hangs in chains wrapped around his wrists, his feet unable to touch the ground. Mauro stands to the side, arms crossed over his defined chest as he watches silently, impatiently waiting for his turn.
“If you keep doing that, he won’t be able to give you an answer,” Alex muses, typing furiously on his keyboard across from me.
After Scarlett and I raced home, I stormed into her bedroom and handled disposing of the flowers myself, bringing them out to the firepit and watching them turn to ash one by one. I then bid Scarlett good night and shut myself in my office to contact my brothers and Eli, ensuring we figured out who sent these fucking flowers to her.
It didn’t take long for Alex to hack into the security system of the local florist from which the flowers came. He then ran face recognition on each customer who entered the store, narrowing the culprit down to one felon with a mile-long rap sheet.
Michael Thatcher. Thirty-six. Single. Unemployed. Current residence is located in a mobile home about an hour from here. Drug smuggling, grand theft auto, rape, kidnapping, and armed robbery, were just a few things on this man’s record that made him stand out.
We’re doing the world a service today by getting rid of him.
Vin and Mauro picked him up a couple of hours ago while he was taking a piss in his trailer and brought him back here for some… questioning. After Eli came to the house to keep an eye on Scarlett, I made my way over to our warehouse, hungry for vengeance.
Is he Le Diable?
Did we finally get lucky and catch the monster?
Well, honestly, I’m not too optimistic, but that’s what we’re here to find out.
Although, we’ve been at it for a while now, and I’m getting antsy the longer I’m away from Scarlett.
“I’m not telling you shit.” The guy spits blood onto Vin’s pristine white shirt.
Vin rolls his shoulders, cracking his neck from side to side. “This was my favorite shirt, fucker. How am I going to get all this blood out?”
“Oh, I know how to get it out,” Alex starts. “First, you need to soak it in—”
“I wasn’t fucking serious!” Vin pinches the bridge of his nose.
Mauro’s lips curve up in amusement, a silent chuckle escaping him.
Alex keeps his attention on his laptop. “Well, sorry for trying to be helpful.”
“Enough.” I stand and roll up my shirt sleeves to my elbows. Approaching the bastard, I circle him, enjoying the familiar scent of fear permeating the air. “Do you know who we are?” I stand directly before him, crossing my arms over my chest.
Michael smirks as blood trails down his face. “Nobody. You’re nothing.” His swollen eyes move around the room. “The whole lot of you are nothing but worthless pieces of shit.”
My fist connects with his jaw, and a loud crunch echoes in the room. “Now, that’s no way to talk to your hosts. Is it, Michael?”
His head lulls to the side. “Fuck you.” My fist slams into his stomach, a gurgling noise leaving his throat.
“Let’s try this again.” I grip his thick neck, squeezing just enough to play the role of God as I control how much air I allow him. “We already know it was you who ordered the flowers for my wife. So are you or are you not Le Diable?”
A blue tint takes over his lips as he faintly shakes his head.
“Good. Now we’re getting somewhere.” Disappointment eases through me, knowing this isn’t the man we want. But I know he has something he can share with us. Something that will lead us that much closer to finding Le Diable. I snatch the handwritten note from my pocket with my free hand, holding it before his bulging eyes. Always mine . The fucker had the audacity to write that for my wife to see. “Who gave you this to include with the flowers?”
After his eyes catch on the card, I crush it in my hand and then toss it to the floor, bringing my other hand around his neck.
Michael gasps for air, his eyes beginning to bulge. I slightly loosen my grip, allowing him the gift of oxygen.
“No…one.”
I squeeze harder, watching as he struggles. “You have two options. One, you refuse to tell us anything, and we drag this interrogation out for as long as we can until your body eventually gives out on you. Or two, you tell us who sent you to order the flowers, and we end this now.” Seconds tick by, and I glance over at Mauro. “Get me the pliers. If he’s not going to talk, then I guess he doesn’t need a tongue.”
Michael suddenly squirms to life beneath my hold, ferociously shaking his head.
“Having a change of heart?” I loosen my grip. He gulps down air as I back away, giving him my back. “Talk.”
“Le.” Cough. “Diable.” Cough.
Every vein in my body runs like a river of ice. My hands at my sides clench into painful fists. “I hope, for your sake, you can do better than that. We want a real name. Now.”
His voice comes out hoarse. “I…don’t have another name.”
I spin on the balls of my feet, reaching my hands out to strangle him.
“Wait…wait!” He coughs up blood, his breaths growing shallow. “I have an address.”
“An address?” My arms drop to my sides.
He nods frantically. “Yes! Yes! It’s where he told me to meet him on Friday, right before midnight, for my payment. I never saw him. He…called me on an unknown number. Told me he missed his girl and just wanted to remind her who she belongs to.”
His girl?
Who she belongs to?
My vision grows darker, black and red spots outlining this fucker. “And you took the job just like that?”
He chuckles before choking on blood. “Would you say no to a grand just for ordering some stupid flowers?”
Wow. This guy really is a moron if he thought he was going to ever see his money.
“Where were you meeting him?”
“Over at the old docks in the Bronx, off of route ninety-five past the abandoned warehouses.” He spits to the side. “He said he’d meet me there on his boat with my payment.”
We have a place, a date, and a time.
Bingo.
“You going to let me go now?” He grins triumphantly.
Humor fills me, a laugh escaping me. “Oh, Michael.” I grip his chin. “Not a chance in hell.”
His eyes widen as his wrists tug on the chains. “But, but, you…you said you would end this now if I spoke.”
I nod, wiping my bloody hands on his shirt. “I did say that. And being a man of my word, I swear that’s what we’ll do. End this.” It’s almost humorous watching his shoulders sag with relief as if we are going to let him walk out of here like a free man. I nudge my head toward Mauro. “Have at it, big guy.”
Mauro grins as he strides over to him, a frightening beast to those who deserve it. A gentle giant to others. He grabs the baseball bat by the corner, and his smile widens.
The poor fucker pisses his pants, a damp spot growing between his legs. “Please, no. No!”
I drown out the screaming as I wash my hands and then plop myself on the closest chair, letting out a heavy breath.
Vin saddles up on the seat beside me. “Guessing we have a date at the docks on Friday?”
“We do.” I lean toward the bar cabinet, pulling out a glass and a bottle of whiskey.
“Interesting,” Alex murmurs, staring intently at his screen.
After pouring the amber liquid into the glass, I give it a quick swirl and then shoot it back, enjoying the pleasant burn.
“What?” I ask.
Alex turns his screen, pointing at an image of the black dahlia, the flower I burned to nothing more than embers. “It says here the black dahlia is a symbol of betrayal.” He looks lost in thought. “Do you think…” His eyes meet mine. “Do you think Le Diable feels betrayed by Scarlett because she married you?”
Betrayed?
Vin leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “He’s mad. But this is good.”
“Good?” I question incredulously. “How the fuck is this good? He sent flowers to my wife.”
His hand clasps my shoulder. “He’s coming out to play now. He’s getting brazen and no longer hiding in the shadows. This is a good thing. It finally gives us a chance to find him.” He takes the bottle from my hand and pours himself a glass. “We can’t catch a ghost, brother. This is what we’ve been waiting for.” He looks over at the dangling corpse. “Looks like the fucker got what he deserved.” He makes his way toward Mauro, helping him unchain the man.
I lean back in my chair, resting my head as I gaze up at the ceiling.
He’s right, of course.
But it doesn’t mean I fucking like it.
Not when it involves Scarlett.
Speaking of… I glance at my watch. She should have started her virtual therapy session a few minutes ago. I drum my fingers along the arm of my chair as I pull out my phone from my pocket and stare at it.
Would it be invading her privacy if I was only trying to learn more, to gain better insight into what’s inside my wife’s head, to help her heal, to…
Fuck it.
My index finger slides across the screen, turning it on. I discreetly glance at Alex to my left, but he’s too lost in his computer to notice as I enter my house’s security system. I pull up the live feed until I find the one that focuses on Scarlett. She sits on the sectional with the laptop placed on the coffee table. Her shoulders are hunched, her arms are wrapped around herself, and her knee bounces, informing me of her distress.
My fingers dig into the arm of the chair. Maybe therapy isn’t good for her if it’s making her this upset.
What could this so-called psychologist, Dr. Raven, be saying to her to make her this uncomfortable?
Without a second thought, I reach for one of my earbuds in my pocket and insert it into my ear, immediately pulling in the voices through the feed.
“Last time we met, you mentioned your nightmares weren’t occurring as often as usual. Is that still the case?” Dr. Raven asks.
Scarlett nods, visibly swallowing. “Yes. I’ve been… I’ve been sleeping much better.” She rakes her hands through her hair, twisting the ends.
“Still with the light on?”
“Yes.” Scarlett dips her chin, embarrassment washing over her features.
“You appear upset. Is something on your mind you’d like to discuss?”
Scarlett shakes her head, twisting her fingers together on her lap. “I’m… It’s just…” She looks down, rubbing her hands over her face. “I think something’s wrong with me.”
She thinks there’s something wrong with her?
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with her.
She’s perfect.
“Why do you say that?”
Scarlett takes a deep breath, closing her eyes. “The things I’m dreaming about…” She glances at the screen. “They’re not thoughts that someone like me should be having.”
“Someone like you?”
“Someone broken!” Scarlett’s eyes widen from her outburst. She wraps her arms around her torso, rocking back and forth. “I’m…sorry. I shouldn’t have shouted.”
“Scarlett, this is a safe space. This is your time to talk so we can unpack everything together.”
Scarlett nods, deep in thought.
“Can you tell me what these dreams are about?”
Scarlett’s knee stops bouncing as she runs her hands back and forth on her thighs. “They’re usually about…my husband.”
I freeze. Did I hear her correctly?
She said she dreams about…me?
“And why is this upsetting you?”
“Someone like me shouldn’t have thoughts of…”
“Thoughts of?”
Thoughts of what I almost scream out loud.
A blush spreads over Scarlett’s porcelain cheeks. “Sex.”
Sex.
I mold back into the chair, my body suddenly feeling heavy. My wife is dreaming about sex with me.
Suddenly, my pants feel about one size too small, and I quickly adjust my position.
“There is absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. Sex is a completely normal and healthy way of expressing our emotions. Especially toward a loved one like your husband.”
“You don’t understand… After everything that happened to me… After what he did to me, I shouldn’t be having these thoughts. I shouldn’t want to be touched or kissed or…” She swallows nervously. “But with Leo, I get these feelings that I haven’t felt in years… Urges. And I don’t know what to do. I don’t know if I should act on them or ignore them. It’s…overwhelming. Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night from a dream with him in it, and all I want to do is go to him. Run to his room. But I stop myself.” She shakes her head; tears slowly run down her cheeks.
My heart cracks at her admission.
She’s needed me, but she’s been too scared to tell me.
“And why don’t you?” Dr. Raven asks.
She bites her bottom lip. “I just…can’t.”
“Why not?”
She rubs her temple, her fingers digging into her scalp. “He doesn’t want to touch me.” She lets out a resigned sigh. “He told me so. On our wedding night, when we came home, he told me he wouldn’t touch me. And he’s stuck true to his word. Only doing so when necessary. Holding my hand, pressing kisses to my forehead, but nothing more than that. And why would he want to after what I went through? I can’t blame him. I probably disgust him.” She wipes at her eyes. “We went out to dinner last night, and someone who knows Leo…intimately came up to our table. She was stunning. And it killed me to know that she had been with my husband in that way.” She shakes her head. “I can’t help but feel like I’m not enough for him. Like I’m not good enough for him. Maybe once I was, but now… Well, I don’t think he wants me in that way anymore. Not like he used to. And I’m trying to be okay with that.” Tears stream down her cheeks. “I don’t understand what he’s getting out of this marriage with me,” she whispers that last part, sounding so utterly defeated.
And it breaks me. It fucking shreds my heart to pieces.
My fist slams down on the arm of the chair.
I’m fucking stupid.
The only reason I told her I wouldn’t touch her was so she knew she didn’t have to fear me. After everything she went through, I assumed she would need space and be repulsed by my touch. But maybe if she knew how I’d spent every night for years thinking of her and only her, she would know that disgust is the furthest thing from my mind when she’s in it.
“Scarlett, you have confided in me that, seven years ago, you were intimate with this man. You expressed that you felt safe with him. Close with him. Cared for by him. Perhaps, after living through so much trauma, you’re unknowingly seeking that same feeling you experienced with him previously because it’s comforting and familiar to you,” Dr. Raven states.
Scarlett holds her head in her hands. “Maybe.” She drops her hands, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “I’m just so confused about the physical part of our marriage. And to be honest…” Her gaze returns to the screen. “I’m scared.”
“Then talk to him. Tell him everything you’ve been telling me. Take time to sit down with him and let him know how you’re feeling about all of it. He could feel just as confused as you are, but neither of you will know unless you talk things out in an open dialogue. A relationship won’t succeed if there isn’t communication.”
I turn off my phone and slide it into my pocket, having heard everything I needed to hear. Loud and fucking clear.
Scarlett needs me.
My wife needs me.
I jump up from the chair, throwing my jacket on as I stride outside toward my bike.
“Where are you going?” I hear Vin yell behind me, but I don’t stop.
Not when only one woman has ever taken up all the space in my cold, dark, beating heart.
And it’s about damn time she knows the damn truth.
Scarlett Alarie is mine, and there wasn’t a moment in the past seven years when she wasn’t.
Shoving through the front door, I glance around, unbuttoning the top buttons on my shirt, my chest feeling too tight. My eyes immediately spot Scarlett through the glass wall on the deck, enjoying her favorite swinging chair with a book in her hands.
It kills me to know that I’ve filled her head with insecurities and doubts. Ones that are entirely inaccurate to the narrative of our story, and I’ll be damned if I let them fester inside her for a second longer.
It’s time she knows the damn truth.
I slide the glass door open with too much force, the wall reverberating beside me.
Scarlett drops the book in her lap with a small gasp, her hand slamming against her chest. She lets out a relieved sigh once she sees me, a beautiful smile tugging up on her lips. “Leo, you’re—” Her smile falters as she stands, her eyes scouring over my predatory stance. “What’s wrong?”
My chest heaves with each passing second. I’m ashamed I let it get this far. Boring my sight into her sapphire irises, I say, “You need to know.”
Her brows furrow. She rolls in her bottom lip, confusion written all over her face. “Know what?”
“My heart has only ever broken once in my life.” I point toward the north side of the property, directly toward the entrance at the front of the estate. “And it was when I was forced to watch you leave through the front gates, unable to do a goddamn thing about it. I watched you leave, and it nearly killed me, Scarlett. I was in such a bad place mentally after my father’s death, lost in a cloud of darkness. A darkness that has only grown throughout the years… But the moment you left…” My heart thumps wildly in my chest, coming to life for the first time in years. “That was the moment I lost all the light in my life.”
Her lips part, her shining eyes widening from my admission. “What…” She bites down on her bottom lip, blinking back tears. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying…” I pace toward her, realizing what I’m about to do should have been done the second she was back in my sight. I stand before her, our chests grazing as she looks up at me with something I haven’t seen in years floating across her eyes. “That you were always mine. Even when you left, you were still mine, Firefly.”
Reaching into my pocket, I pull out the folded document I’ve been holding on to—our marriage contract. The one giving us an out in this marriage. An end date to us. But there will never be an end between me and her.
As I shred it before her, letting the pieces float to the ground between us, her beautiful eyes lock onto mine, relief and longing swirling in her blue orbs.
It’s at this moment I know that I should have never promised not to touch her.
“Fuck it,” I breathe. My lips land hard on hers as I taste her for the first time in years. I wait for her to pull away or push at my chest. I’m ready to stop the second she needs me to, but instead, she fists the fabric of my shirt, pulling me closer to her as if every part of her has been waiting for this moment as much as I have. Her lips part, allowing me access, my tongue sweeping over hers. I wrap my arms around her waist as she moans into our kiss.
With reluctance, I pull away, pressing our foreheads together. “I want you, Scarlett. I want you so fucking badly it physically hurts. And I’m sorry if I ever gave you a reason to think I didn’t. But I didn’t want to scare you. I didn’t want you to fear me.” My thumb runs under her eyes, brushing away the loose tears. “It would destroy me to cause you any more pain. More heartache.” I brush my lips against hers, savoring her sweetness. “Our time together under the stars was the best moment of my life. A memory I’ll cherish until my last breath on this earth. So don’t, for one minute, ever doubt my feelings for you when I’ve only ever wanted you. Only you.”
She clutches my shirt, pressing her face into my chest. “I needed to hear that.”
“I know, baby.” I smooth out her hair, kissing the top of her head. “I’m so fucking sorry. I should have told you sooner.” She sobs into my shirt, holding on to me for dear life. “I’ve got you, Scarlett. I’ve always got you.”
After a few minutes of holding her tightly in my arms and never wanting to let go, she leans away and looks up at me. “I take it this means you heard everything I said in therapy today?” The playful grin she shows confirms she’s not mad at me.
“Yeah. But I needed to know what was going on in here.” I cup her cheeks, kissing the top of her head.
“I’m sorry. I should have told you. I just didn’t know how to bring it up or what to say.” She rests her hands on my chest. “I’ve been very confused. Feeling things when I’m with you that I’m not entirely sure I should be feeling.” She shakes her head, a few loose strands falling out of place, framing her face. “I want to…do things with you. I just don’t know what I’m ready for or how much I can handle. But I’d like to try.” She looks downcast, defeat weighing heavily on her. “My mind is just all over the place.”
I reach out, lightly gripping her chin with two fingers. She softens into my hold as I tilt her head toward me. “I will give you whatever you desire. All you need to do is tell me what you want and how you want it. We play by your rules. You control the speed of our marriage. You run the show. Not me. You.”
Her features relax as her eyes meet mine. “Thank you for being so patient with me. I’m sorry that you got coerced into this marriage.”
“Coerced?” I question. “Is that what you think?”
She nods, glancing down.
I sweep her hair back, tucking it behind her ear. “Remember when you asked me why I married you?”
“Yeah.” She bites her bottom lip. “I still don’t understand why you did when you gained nothing from it.”
I place my hands on her cheeks, bracing her face before me. My eyes bore into hers, my lips curving up. “I’ve got you, Firefly.” I press a kiss on her forehead, a foreign sense of warmth forming in the center of my chest. “I’ve got you.”