16. Leona
LEONA
Leona: I just punched Max in the face
Fallon: Fuck yeah
Zoya: Really? Why?
Willow: …
Willow: As a doctor, I’m concerned, but as a friend, I wanna know what the fuck he did lol
After that joke of a sparring match, I needed a cup of coffee. I started a fresh pot using some grounds Giulio had dropped off with supplies earlier. The pot bubbled away while I tried to decide what to say.
Leona: He deserved this
Willow: Oh no. What happened?
Leona: …
Leona: Uhh
Fallon: Who kissed who?
With a grimace, I dropped my phone onto the counter and rubbed my eyes. Was she standing behind me? How the hell did she know?
Leona: What are you talking about
Fallon: Clearly your tension came to a head, and my guess is that it started with a kiss, but something went wrong. I mean, you fucked your other boyfriend in Max’s house a couple weeks ago, so you guys were bound to kiss eventually
I stared down at the screen like it was accusing me of committing a crime. Fallon’s level of perception was mind-blowing.
Zoya: So who kissed who???
Willow: Your silence is very telling
Fallon: I think “damning” is the better word
I huffed a breath through my nose and rolled my eyes. After a calming drink of fresh coffee, I finally responded. My cheeks burned, and I tried incredibly hard not to cast glances at Wynn and Max, still talking in the grass where I’d left them.
Fuck. I couldn’t avoid it forever. What else was the girls’ group for, if not to confess one’s most sinister crimes?
Leona: I guess he kissed me first
Fallon: And when did this happen?
Leona: Last night
Fallon: Fucking knew it
Zoya: FIRST?! There was more??
Fallon: Oh, brilliant observation, Zoya
Leona: No, okay, look. Here’s what happened. We got into a big fight, we were yelling at each other, and then suddenly he kissed me
Willow: How was it?
Fallon: Damn, Willow. Wants all the juicy details
Willow: Of course I do! He’s the number one enemy!
I chewed my lip. He was the enemy. Or he used to be? I groaned and pressed my forehead to the cool marble. I didn’t fucking know what to think.
To be honest, it had been a long time since we felt like enemies.
Fallon: Was it good?
Leona: I guess! It was good until I asked him to tell me how he felt, and then he totally shut down, and so I told him I wasn’t going to chase him and I walked away
Willow: Good for you. You deserve better than that
Zoya: When exactly did the punching happen?
Leona: He was training with Wynn this morning and asked me to spar, so I sparred with him and I punched him in the face. For the record, I won the match
Fallon: I’m dying laughing right now. That’s too fucking funny
Willow: Why is he exercising instead of resting? His stitches can’t even be out yet
Zoya: Oh come on. We know all these men push themselves to the limit. They’re practically not human
Fallon: Maybe he wanted to be punished. Classic self-sabotaging behavior
Yeah, that was probably it. And you know what? He deserved it. I’d punch him again if he asked.
Fallon: Are you going to kiss him again? What did the rest of the guys think?
Leona: I don’t know. Feels like they’re not upset by it, or at least not upset with me, but it also feels like they’re pissed at him.
I was intentionally ignoring her question about kissing Max and instead focusing on the guys. For some reason, I had a feeling she could tell.
Zoya: I don’t blame them. Sounds like he’s being a dick
Fallon: By the way, how is the safe house? What’s going on up there?
Leona: So far, we’re still safe. We met with Piero Greco, and he demanded our loyalty, and I promptly told him to fuck off. We have some plans to hit them back
Fallon: Good on you
Fallon: Let us know if we can help
I took another drink of my coffee. If we called any of our allies, I knew they’d come to our aid, but I didn’t trust Greco, and if the shit was about to go down, I did not want Fallon to get caught in the middle of it.
It felt likely that Greco already knew of our connection and was probably going to be watching her, or Philadelphia anyway.
It was better that she stayed there, where she was safe.
We could handle things up here—especially with the plans Obi was putting together.
Leona: I don’t want to drag you away from Philadelphia and into this. I’m not even sure what Greco is capable of yet. I’m hoping he’s terrified of how badass I am and runs back to Italy without bothering us again
Fallon: Yeah, let’s hope lol but if you need us, we’ll come
Zoya: I know I can’t speak for the Russians, but I know my brother will help as much as he can
Willow: I can’t offer an army, but if you ever need anything, I’m just a phone call away
Willow: You can call me for reasons other than someone’s immediate need for life-saving care lol
My lips pressed together as emotion welled in my chest. After spending so much of my life lonely and isolated, excluded from the camaraderie around me, this was…a lot. I could never have imagined I’d have friends like this. I knew in my soul that if they ever needed me, I’d come running.
Leona: Thanks, Queens. I’ll keep you all posted on how things are going, but I know you only really want the juicy details about my love life
Zoya: Pretty much. That’s at least why I hang around the group chat anyway
Willow: Just please don’t tell me anything about my brother
Fallon: I want to know the logistics of six men in bed. Please let me know how you all manage that. Three is nice and simple. But six? Boggles the mind
My cheeks burned, and I put the phone face down onto the table so I could shake the images from my head. My five guys were enough… but six? Nope. I doubted that would ever happen.