Chapter Seventeen
Alicia
The elevator descends, and I realise that in my haste to get out of the apartment, I didn't grab myself a jacket, but with the fury sizzling through my veins from the words written on that paper, I convince myself I'll be warm enough.
A soft chime sounds before the doors open, but as I take a step, a leg shoots out across the doorway, blocking my way.
Grinding my teeth together in frustration, I move to the side as my eyes follow the length of the leg up to the man seated beside the elevator staring down at his phone.
"Not today, princess," he grunts, flicking his gaze to mine for a second before looking back down at his screen.
My eyes trace the side of his face, catching on the gnarly scar that splits through his eye, and I gasp in shock.
His jaw clenches, and his eyes narrow, but he still doesn't look up at me.
My stomach curdles as I unabashedly rake my eyes over him, spotting the tattoos I knew I'd find on his hands.
"Leo," I state, finally garnering his attention as his eyes snap up to meet mine. "Leo Black."
His eyes widen as he finally drops his leg from in front of me, and a mix of uncertainty and fear flashes across his face.
"That's your name, right?" I probe, even though I already know I'm right, not only because of his unique identifying features, but also from his reaction.
"How do you know that name?" he asks, his voice quiet as he stands from the chair, pocketing his phone as he steps towards me, worry lines spreading across his forehead.
I raise a brow, glancing around the grand, marbled lobby, and I shrug, a smile playing on my lips, knowing I can use this to my advantage.
"How about we make a deal?" I ask, looking up at him, my eyes searching his, waiting to see what his decision will be.
His nostrils flare, and he kisses his teeth as he tears his eyes away from mine, staring out at the front of the lobby, giving me the perfect, up close view of his scar. I struggle to contain the proud smile that wants to spread across my face at the sight of it.
"Fine," he grumbles, turning back to face me, stepping closer, towering over me as if expecting me to cower, but I smile in delight, and I see the curiosity in his gaze before he steps back.
"You allow me out of here, and I'll tell you all about how I know your name," I propose.
He sighs and shakes his head, warring with himself for a moment, before he steps to the side and sweeps his arm out in front of him, indicating for me to walk past him.
"You even think about running, or trying to lose me, I'll drag you and that fluff ball back here, with or without the information I need."
I tut at his dramatics, and Jellybean barks, as if she knows what he said.
"I don't have a clue where I'm going," I tell him. "I'd be stupid to run. Besides, you look like you can handle yourself, so I think it'd be smart to keep you by my side in case anything happens."
"Don't jinx it," he grunts, leading me through the lobby and towards the golden-framed glass doors. "This family has a habit of getting themselves into situations they're lucky to get out of."
I roll my eyes. "It's kind of part of the lifestyle. I thought you'd know that, bodyguard."
His eyes snap back to mine, and seeing such an intimidating, terrifying man like him seem frightened just by a word coming out of my mouth puts a pep in my step as I hop down the steps and onto the bustling streets of London.
"Come on, scar face," I shout over my shoulder. "I need some coffee, and then we can go on a little walk and talk."
After getting coffee from a cute shop on the corner, Leo leads me to a gated park. The winding paths are surrounded by large patches of grass and trees, along with beautiful flowers scattered around the further we walk through.
Jellybean is off the lead, bounding around us as she zooms back and forth as quickly as she can, spreading her tiny legs and happily yapping away as she sees some pigeons and chases after them.
Moving to a bench beside the paved slabs beneath our feet, I sit down, leaning against the flaking wood as I keep my eyes glued to her, making sure she doesn't run too far away from us.
Leo sits on the other side of the bench, eyeing me cautiously as I sip the piping hot coffee from the takeaway cup. I let the molten liquid warm my insides as I suppress the shiver wanting to pass through me from the cold air biting at my skin.
"Are you gonna get on with it?" he grinds out, glaring at me.
Flicking my eyes over to him, I nervously gulp as a trickle of fear runs through me at the sight of him.
His eyes soften ever so slightly seeing my reaction to his cold look directed at me, and I silently sigh. I break our stare off, looking back at Jellybean as she sniffs around the trunk of a tree.
"I knew Avery," I tell him, watching his reaction from the corner of my eye.
His face is stoic, his eyes darting away from me as he stares out across the park, and although he seems unfazed by what I've said, I can tell by the way he swipes his hands across his pants he's somewhat affected by the mention of my old friend.
"That's why you thought my name was Leo Black," he says, his eyes now watching my dog as she walks back over to us and sniffs around his feet.
When she doesn't growl at him or try attacking him, I smile down at her, and the tension in my shoulders dissipates.
Jellybean's a good judge of character, and although she's growly with everyone when they're too close to me, she's usually extremely reactive to men when she and I get a bad vibe from them, so seeing her relaxed around him makes me feel slightly more comfortable.
"Are you telling me that isn't your name?" I ask, peering over at him, my curiosity piqued.
He shakes his head.
"Not exactly, no."
Blowing out a breath, I scoff. "Well, I should've known that. She told me you lied to her, so I should've guessed you'd lied about that, too."
He hangs his head, his tatted fingers running through his hair as he closes his eyes and sighs.
"How much do you know?"
Tapping my fingers against my cup, I roll my lips, wondering if I should lay all my cards on the table so early, or if I should continue to use this against him, but when he looks up at me with a tortured expression on his face, my decision is clear.
"I know you betrayed her," I state, gulping more of my coffee as I watch my words settle in.
"I know you lied to her for years, making her feel like she could trust you and love you, just to pull the rug out from beneath her years later after sending her father to prison and upending her whole life. "
He winces, and his eyes drop away from mine in shame.
"I know she's the reason you have that scar on your face, and I know you're the reason she doesn't allow people to get close to her anymore."
"I didn't intend on hurting her," he mutters, staring down at Jellybean, who's sitting between his feet, peering up at him.
"Well, unfortunately, you really did a number on her, buddy."
Slowly, his regret-filled eyes meet mine.
"Do you know how she is?"
My brows raise, surprised by his question.
"I haven't spoken to her in a while, but I became friends with her a few years ago at college… honestly, she's a cold-hearted, badass bitch."
He frowns, his lips turning down and his brows shadowing his dark eyes.
"We were roommates. Probably because we were both from Mafia families, and for some reason, the dean thought it would be a smart idea.
We didn't get along at first. She hardly spoke, just shot me threatening looks any time I tried to speak to her.
When she did speak, she was a bitch, but eventually, I managed to break through all the walls she surrounds herself with, and we became friendly. "
"How'd you know about me?"
"Well, we went out to a party, got stupidly drunk, and as I was practically dragging her back to our dorm, she broke down in tears.
It was the first time I'd really seen any emotion from her.
She was so angry, to the point where she ended up hitting me, telling me to leave her alone because she couldn't trust me. "
Jellybean moves away from Leo, padding over to me, and I lift her up onto the bench beside me. She lies down, tongue lolling out of her mouth.
"I wasn't going to leave her alone on a dark campus in the middle of the night when there was a bunch of drunk guys around, so I kept prodding her for information, trying to get to the bottom of why she was so upset and hellbent on being alone.
That's when she spilled her guts, telling me all about you.
She even showed me the one picture she still had of you two together on her phone.
She'd drawn a dark red line across the left side of your face, exactly where she'd marked you. "
He shakes his head, making a sound of amusement.
"Of course she did… and that's how you recognised me?"
I nod, twisting my lips together as I drag a hand through Jellybean's fur, and watch as the man beside me digests all of the information I just dumped on him.
Guilt wafts off him, and although I'd promised Avery if I ever saw the bastard who hurt her, I'd gut him, I know I never could.
There's clearly more to their story, more that Avery either didn't tell me or doesn't know herself. But going off how broken the man beside me currently looks as he stares off into the distance, I can tell he really did care for her, despite the fact he hurt her.
After a few minutes of silence, he clears his throat and stands from the bench, the disinterested, cold look back on his face as he glances down at his watch.
"We should start heading back," he grunts.
Rolling my eyes, I stand up, throwing my empty coffee cup into the bin beside the bench and then clip Jellybean's lead back onto her collar.
"Nope. I want to go and explore some more," I tell him, walking off in the opposite direction to where he was about to start walking. "If you must insist on babysitting me, then you can follow along behind."
He grumbles something I don't hear, but then I hear his heavy footsteps on the path as he catches up to me, and I smirk.
My husband may think he can control me and keep me locked away in his apartment, but he's sorely mistaken.
Not even his broody bodyguard can help keep me in line because I know the right tool to use against him.
My lips spread into a broad smile as I walk through the park with Jellybean at my feet, and Leo following along behind me.
Game on, mi marido.