20. Leon
20
LEON
I ’ve never had the opportunity to host at the Brownstone beyond the occasional visit from Teo or Isabella. And, of course, Mia, but considering she legally owns the place, it doesn’t feel like it counts. Besides, she’s spent more time here than I have.
Needless to say, she already has a half dozen plans for decorating, compiling a list of “necessities” that are non-negotiable and needed immediately.
But who am I to deny her a thing?
For the first time in months, my woman was blazing brightly. Her swollen stomach was soft and protruding perfectly over her hips, carrying our children, instilling her with a glow that seemed to become more beautiful by the day.
Twins. The moment I saw them at the check-up, heard their fragile little heartbeats, I knew I would burn the world for them. All three of them.
“I’m going to stretch the perimeter out by another block,” Dante says as he sticks his head into the living room on his way out the door.
The party isn’t due to start for another hour, but both he and Max arrived early to help establish security. Neither have seen fit to comment on my paranoia, which would be unusual had we not been dealing with the Cartel these last few months.
They were both there at The Inferno . None of us had anticipated an ambush like that. None of us thought Amos Rubio was reckless enough to put himself out into the field.
But what was worse—especially in terms of feeding that seemingly infectious paranoia—is the fact we’ve barely heard a thing from them since.
Not for lack of trying.
I’ve spent weeks scouring the streets for even a lowly henchman from Rubio’s team. But it’s like the entire operation has simply vanished into smoke.
Our lead on the private property shipments has all but dried up. No one has been seen entering or leaving the Rubio mansion to the point that we’ve been theorizing about tunnels. Even the progress we were making on the hydrogen bombs came to a standstill.
It’s as if they’re intentionally trying to psyche us out.
Which means we’re all on high alert for whatever their next move will be.
“Security updates?” I turn to Max, who’s been pacing the room like a caged tiger.
“Dante and I swept all the floors twice,” Max replies. “No sign of trouble, and no one’s getting in or out without our say-so. Teo’s men are in place. This house is perhaps the safest place in the entire country.”
“Good,” I mutter, but my jaw stays tight.
I shouldn’t have even considered this. Having so many prominent figures in one place was too risky, but…
For weeks, Mia has been a ghost, fading into the background of every room she inhabits as if she isn’t entirely real.
I need to breathe.
I’d been so caught up in keeping her safe that I hadn’t realized I was suffocating her. It’s a necessary evil, one that I can’t bring myself to regret. Not when it means that our children are alive and healthy.
And yet…
She deserves this. She deserves to see the people who care about her. She deserves to smile again, to laugh, to find joy in this house that must feel like a glorified prison.
But my instincts rebel at the thought of letting my guard down for even a moment.
The first guests arrive just as I’m triple-checking the living room windows. I have to stop myself from drawing the curtains despite the fact it’s the middle of the day.
Cassandra walks in with her husband, Rocco. I haven’t seen either of them since the wedding, and the air between us suddenly becomes tense. These are Mia’s people, not mine.
Rocco, for all his talk of retirement, still carries himself like a soldier as he approaches. “Leon,” he greets me, shaking my hand. “Still the over-prepared type, I see.”
“You caught all that? I thought you were supposed to be retired,” I reply simply.
He smirks. “I’m on sabbatical.”
Further conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Isabella and Teo, who ease the tension with warm greetings and hugs between the women.
I almost don’t notice Marco slipping in. Mia’s father is dressed sharply and already heading for a glass of whiskey, as if that might do anything to ease the nerves of facing his daughter’s wrath.
It’s not my place to intervene. However, a part of me hates the man for causing her such unnecessary strife. The same part that hates him hates me, too.
And then, she arrives.
Mia steps into the room, her hand immediately going to rest lightly on Cassandra’s arm. Her presence is commanding and soft all at once, causing the room to seemingly swell all around her.
She’s wearing a simple black dress that blows out over her now-quite-noticeable bump. Her hair is swept up to expose the curve of her neck.
For a moment, I can’t breathe.
It’s not the dress or her smile, though both are stunning. It’s the light in her shockingly green eyes, the way she stands taller as if she’s reclaiming a part of herself I thought I’d stolen.
I step toward her without realizing it, my feet moving on instinct.
“Leon,” she says softly as if I hadn’t just interrupted her conversation. Her voice is like a balm and a dagger.
“You’re…you look beautiful,” I manage, and it feels like the most honest thing I’ve said in months.
Cassandra’s eyes flicker between us knowingly. “She does, doesn’t she? It’s that pregnancy glow, I think. I’m so jealous, you know. When I was carrying Cory…”
She carries on talking, but all I hear is the attentive chuckle that escapes Mia’s lips. All I can see is the way she tucks a strand of wine-red hair behind her ear, as if I haven’t been twitching to do it for her since the moment she entered the room.
I clear my throat. “Excuse me.”
For the rest of the night, I’m distracted. Teo speaks to me about Guild operations. I nod, but my attention drifts to Mia. Isabella tries to goad me into teasing Marco about his drinking. I brush her off, my gaze glued to Mia as she laughs with Cas.
Even as I exchange pleasantries with Rocco, my mind is on her.
My Mia. My wife. My family.
Tonight, she is surrounded by people who love her, and for the first time in a long time, she looks free.
Mia clears her throat, stepping toward the center of the room. The quiet hum of conversation dies down as everyone turns to her.
I can feel her nerves as if they were my own, see the way she clutches her hands together, and my chest tightens. I want to go to her, shield her from the weight of all those eyes, but I stay rooted where I am. This is her moment.
“I just wanted to say thank you,” she begins, her voice soft but steady. “For being here today. It means the world to me that you’d take a moment away from the insanity of your lives to celebrate something so small.”
“We love you, Mia!” Cas heckles, earning a ripple of laughter from the room.
She smiles at her oldest friend gratefully. “I know this hasn’t been the most conventional situation, and for the part I played in making it necessary…I’m sorry.”
Her gaze flickers over to Teo and then her father before she steadies herself once more.
“But today is about celebrating good news.” Her gaze finally lands on me, and I feel the heat of it all the way across the room. “And so, I have one last announcement to make.”
Her words trail off as she places a hand on her belly, and suddenly, there’s a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Leon and I are having twins.”
A ripple of gasps and laughter spreads through the room. Cassandra squeals, Isabella claps, and Marco—even in his half-drunken stupor—grins like he’s won the lottery.
But I can’t hear any of it. My world narrows to Mia—her smile, her joy, the way she glows under the soft light.
My family.
My chest swells with so much emotion it’s almost unbearable. I feel like the future isn’t just a dark void but something bright and real, something worth fighting for.
“Boss.”
Dante’s voice cuts through my reverie, and I turn reluctantly, tearing my eyes away from Mia. He’s standing at my side, his usual smirk replaced with something softer.
“Come on, man,” he says, nudging me toward the corner of the room. “I know that look. You’re totally gone for her. It’s written all over your face.”
I bristle instinctively, but Dante raises a hand. “Relax. I’m not here to give you grief. I just…I’ve seen you these past few months, Leon. Hell, we’ve all seen it. You’ve been fighting like a man with nothing left to lose. But now? Look at her. Look at what you have.”
I glance back at Mia. She’s laughing with Isabella and Cassandra, her hand still on her belly, the picture of happiness.
“You’ve got something rare,” Dante continues, his voice quieter. “And you don’t get many chances at that in this life. Stop pushing her away. Go talk to her. Be happy, for once.”
His words hit harder than I expected. Happiness feels like such an optimistic prospect; it barely feels like it could even be obtainable anymore.
But for Mia? For our family? Anything. I would do anything.
I nod, clapping a hand on Dante’s shoulder. “Thanks.”
But before I can take a step toward her, the room shifts.
The hum of conversation turns to murmurs, the air thickening with unease. And then?—
The explosion hits.