Nine
Gabe
When I’d said I needed to be alone, Leonie looked like I’d slapped her. The need to stay close grabbed me by the balls, but I had to clear my head. When I’d seen that soulless bastard fucking molesting her, I’d lost it.
My knuckles were raw, but I hardly felt them, I was so fired up. If I hadn’t gotten there, what would that fucker have done?
At the end of the day, if I hadn’t sent a clear message, Marco would have. I flexed my injured hand. It stung like a bitch, but it was worth it.
As I walked aimlessly through Soho, I instantly knew that my day was about to get even worse when a dark SUV with blacked-out windows drew up the curb alongside me. I kept walking, my eyes ahead but with an angry rev of its engines, the car shot forward and pulled up, blocking the side street I had intended to cross. The back door opened and Sean Walsh, a thug who worked for Gerard Kinlan climbed out.
“Gerry wants a word,” he said, straightening his suit. I wondered what Gerard Kinlan would do to this guy if he heard him disrespecting his name like that.
I ran an unimpressed glower over his huge body. Was this guy for real? He was dressed entirely in black apart from the crisp white shirt. The man couldn’t blend if he tried, he looked exactly like a gangster from the movies.
Moving back a step, I took in his black tie and suit and how it strained against his beefy shoulders.
“I’d get a move on it if I were you, or you’ll be late,” I replied.
I couldn’t see his expression as he was wearing aviator sunglasses, but he always looked as stupid as fuck.
“For what?”
“Someone’s funeral from the looks of it,” I said, dissing his choice of outfit.
“Funny fucker aren’t you. If you don’t get in the car, it will be yours next,” he threatened, flexing his massive shoulders, and taking a step into my personal space. That was the thing about criminals, they had no respect for a person’s boundaries.
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get in the car.”
I sniggered and said with a head tilt, “Where the fuck are we? In the middle of a poor man’s version of the fucking Godfather? Will I be swimming with the fishes next?” You could say it was suicide to wind him up but pissing him off may result in his loss of control, and that is exactly what I needed. “You gonna make me an offer I can’t refuse?” I added with a chuckle. It was all bravado, of course, deep down I was crapping myself.
“Something like that. Get in the car princess,” ‘Old’ Sean said with a lazy smile, totally unaffected by my display of rebellion. He was sometimes called Old Sean to differentiate himself from his son, who was also called Sean. If there was one thing I knew about the Irish Mafia, it was that they weren’t very creative when naming their kids. I can’t tell you how many, Sean’s and Patrick’s I’d had the misfortune to meet.
Another man I’d never seen before appeared around the back of the car and opened the backseat door for me, motioning for me to climb inside. He was tall and lanky, and his black hair was pulled up in a bun and shaved at the sides. He was dressed identically to his buddy. If I only had him to deal with, I probably could have taken him, but Sean was a burly sod, even Max would struggle there.
Dragging a hand across my jaw, I exhaled noisily and climbed into the car. The door clicked shut and I waited for the two men to join me. Mr Man Bun got behind the wheel and Sean joined him shotgun (no pun intended thank fuck).
Flicking a piece of lint off my sleeve, I pointed out in a tired voice. “Why can’t it wait until next weekend? I’m seeing him at the Charity Ball?”
“You know Gerard doesn’t like to mix business and pleasure. What did you do to your hand?”
I looked down at my skimmed knuckles and shrugged. “I was having my nails done and she slipped.”
Man Bun chuckled and shot a look at his colleague. “Gutsy twat isn’t he?”
As the car moved off down the side-street they’d hijacked me on, Sean turned in his seat, now pointing a gun at me. I wasn’t overly alarmed as this wasn’t my first time. He rested the gun on the top of his seat and peered at me over the rim of it, having now removed his sunglasses. Those beady eyes held a trace of humour. I sure hoped the road wasn’t bumpy as that ‘I shot Marvin in the face’ scene from Pulp Fiction swam through my thoughts.
Pulling my gaze away, I glanced around the car, taking in how pristine the interior was and that clinical smell. The last time I’d been in this seat I’d noticed that tinge of something similar to bleach. If only the car could talk, I imagine it had seen its fair share of action and then some.
“So, where are you taking me to dinner sweetheart?” I snarked with a twist to my lips. You couldn’t show these guys fear, they fed off that shit like sharks. My comment brought Man Bun’s soulless eyes to mine in the rearview mirror, but I looked away.
They had obviously decided to let me sweat it out, but I already knew they were taking me to Gerard. I didn’t fear for my life at that point. If he’d wanted me whacked, he would have done it there on the spot. Nope, this journey would be all about negotiation. I knew what Gerard wanted. I was so in touch with the pulse of this side of London, and I could read these guys like a book.
Sean didn’t answer me, and he turned to his colleague, the gun still trained on me. I took a deep breath and told myself to relax. I was surprised they hadn’t blindfolded me, to be honest, and I purposefully looked out of the window to establish where we were going. I knew London like the back of my hand, they certainly wouldn’t be able to take me to any place I couldn’t find again or get away from.
The journey felt surreal as I homed in on the conversation between two members of the Kinlan crime family. They were arguing about which actor played the best James Bond and then started to rate them in order. Under any other circumstances I would have joined in, everyone knew Connery was the boss of all the Bonds.
I flexed my grazed knuckles. “Daniel Craig you drippy fuckers,” I put in when they couldn’t remember the name of the most recent guy who had played him. If I’d had to listen to them calling him ‘the dude playing him now’ one last time I was going to grab the gun and shoot myself.
“Ah yeah, that’s right. Craig. I’d put him second to last behind Brosnan,” Sean laughed, waving the gun around to embellish his choice.
Fuck me, there was something I could agree on with this idiot as Brosnan was hands down the worst Bond ever.
I shelved the thought, dragging my attention back to the fact that I was about to meet with a fucking Don. How nice it would have been to be James Bond at that very moment, he’d get out of this shit without a scratch.
As I drew my gaze back outside, I recognised we were in Mayfair immediately; even more so when the car pulled off the road and drove down the ramp into the car park of my father’s building. What the actual fuck? So, I was meeting Gerard Kinlan in my father’s offices?
The cogs started to whirr in my head; now it made sense why they hadn’t blindfolded me or taken my phone. They hadn’t even patted me down, not that I took my gun out of the apartment much.
Man Bun parked the car and I waited in the back until Sean opened the back door.
We rode the lift up to the top floor in silence and when we arrived at my father’s private level, I released the breath I hadn’t realised I’d been holding.
Following the two goons through the corridor towards the boardroom, anxiety circled me like a massive bloodthirsty dog. Purely because that is what had happened at a previous meeting. The Kinlan’s bred dogs illegally for fighting.
And then we were entering the room, and my eyes immediately fell on Gerard fucking Kinlan, sitting in one of the huge leather chairs that sat around the large glass boardroom table. He looked as smug as fuck with a glass of whisky in his hand. Next to him sat my father, Garrett Knight. Both men sitting there like fucking besties sharing a drink.
Motherfuckers.
“Son?” Garrett acknowledged. He looked ashen faced, like he hadn’t slept for a while.
“Garrett,” I replied with a brief nod of the head before turning back to Gerard. “You wanted to see me?” I kept my gaze on Gerard, blanking my father as I approached them both from the other side of the table. I didn’t particularly care for dear old dad but him looking so unwell still didn’t sit right with me.
“Yes. I thought it best to break the ice before next weekend,” the mafia Don replied. “We don’t want things to be awkward in front of the ladies, do we?” I imagined he wouldn’t usually give a shit about what he did in front of the female of the species, but word had it that he had married again last year. No doubt he would still be trying to make a good impression on his latest whore.
Gerard raised to his feet, but Garrett remained sitting, cradling his glass against his chest. He was suited and booted, his signature look. You never saw my dad in anything other than business dress. Gerard was wearing a cream jumper and what appeared to be dark jeans.
The Don leaned over the table with a raised hand, and I reluctantly shook it. He then took his seat.
The man must have viewed his entire life behind narrowed eyes, the creases at the sides of them were permanent and had probably been there for centuries.
He looked older than his sixty-odd years, with grey hair and his infamous flat nose, if you could call it that. He looked like a little old man, as he wasn’t very tall, giving you the impression that he was no trouble at all, no threat. And that was the problem right there, people underestimated him. Something that was bound to put you six feet under.
A rattle of ice hitting glass dragged my eyes over to the bar area and my annoyance doubled. Kai Kilan was in the middle of pouring himself a glass of my father’s best scotch. He looked his usual imposing self, all in black. He raised his head, the smirk on his face adding to my fury as he tilted his glass towards me in a mock salute.
I yanked my focus away, my eyes drilling into the big boss.
There was a popping sound to my left which distracted me, you had to have your wits about you when meeting these types of people. I frowned as my eyes found a young girl slumped in what would have been my father’s chair at the top of the board table. She was pretty, with dark brown hair and piercing grey eyes, almost silver. They looked across at me with a bored expression, she clearly had issues. I watched as the noise repeated itself as she popped the gum she was chewing again. I noted she wore a school uniform of sorts with no tie. The sign of a rebel.
“Ava, go and wait out in the hall,” Gerard instructed, only to receive a loud huff at his orders. Interesting; she didn’t jump through hoops for the old man. My opinion of her shot up a notch. The girl”s stance screamed angsty teenager and I remained silent, waiting for her to do as she was told. She remained seated and started to pretend to check her nails.
“Ava,” Gerard said again, his tone much firmer this time and yet she still didn’t budge. I wondered about their relationship as I cast my eyes over my own poor excuse for a parent. Garrett was staring down at a file of papers and was putting them in some type of order.
A nerve in my cheek danced as Kai slammed his glass onto the bar and manoeuvred his large frame out from behind the counter. He then started across the room; his walk resembling a prowl. He was all threatening strength. Kai had removed his jacket, and his gun was clearly visible where it sat in its shoulder holster. The dude was huge, with massive shoulders and was tattooed to fuck, even on his neck and knuckles, making him look even meaner than Max.
As he advanced towards her, the girl pushed to her feet, her expression switching to a look of wariness. She still managed to stick her chin out as if to say do your worst. Fuck me, she had more balls than some of the guys I knew. I would say she was of average height for a woman but was fairly scrawny looking.
“You can call your dog off, I’m going,” she snapped. I bit my lip to stop myself from grinning. Calling Kai ‘The Bull’ Kinlan a dog was probably not the smartest of moves.
The feisty teen stood, straightened the ‘too short’ tartan skirt and blazer and then flounced from the room, slamming the door behind her.
Kai then lowered his large body into her seat, and lit up a cigarette, blowing a puff of air in my direction. He didn’t give a shit that my father’s building had a strict no-smoking policy.
“Kids,” he said with a smirk. And then the business got underway.
Gerard chuckled and shuffled in his seat now looking quite jovial. “Gabriel, please sit. Your father and I have been discussing your future. So, whose face did you graze your knuckles on? Do you want some ice?”
“No, it’s fine,” I deadpanned. I didn’t want to bring Leonie or her deadbeat landlord into the mix.
“Well done in your exams,” Gerard began in that deceivingly soft tone of his. Sean pulled out one of the high-backed leather chairs and put pressure on my shoulder so that I was forced to sit.
I did as I was told and lowered my body.
“So, Garrett told me you have reservations about joining the firm?”
Deciding to change the subject, I asked about the girl. Gerard was cagey about family for obvious reasons and anything to sidetrack him would be a plus.
“I didn’t know you had a daughter,” I said, ignoring Kai’s snort from the side of me.
Gerard’s eyes shot over towards the closed door she had left through. “Ava is the daughter of my latest wife. Suki.” Suki? Wasn’t that a cat”s name?
So, he’d inherited a stepdaughter. One that had ‘handful’ written all over her. “Ava is going through a difficult time, trying to readjust to her new boarding school.”
Now that made sense, who gave a shit if your latest bit of pussy had a daughter when you could just send her away to school. Out of sight out of mind.
“I see. I didn’t realise there was such a thing as boarding schools for mafia princesses,” I snarked, immediately wishing I could tug those ballsy words right back.
“They don’t unfortunately. Ava is at Brighton, but she keeps running away,” Gerard informed me with a troubled look. Yeah, like he gave a shit about his latest trophy wife”s kid. Although, kid was a stretch. I would have placed her around the seventeen mark. “She tried to turn Suki against me by telling lies and so I had to send her away to school. A good education is key, and I don’t turn my back on a child. Neither does Kai.”
Kai grunted and muttered something under his breath that I didn’t catch. No love lost there then. I decided to wave the red flag at The Bull.
Smiling, I shot Kai a pitying expression. “So, that means you have a new little sister to play with. I hope you take good care of her,” I smirked, using a tone to deliberately provoke. I knew from the look on his face that he was anything but pleased.
Kai drew on his cigarette and shrugged his shoulders in a non-committal way. “Believe me, if I had my way, I’d take care of her alright—for good.” His threat needed no footnote.
“Now Kai. Be careful what you say. Gabriel here may not get that you’re joking.”
“I wasn’t.” The way his son had said those words, I believed him. Fuck me, I didn’t fancy the girl’s chances of going up against The Bull.
I dragged my thoughts back to what was important, and Gerard”s bratty new stepdaughter wasn’t it.
“To answer your question, I don’t have reservations about joining the firm, I’ve decided not to, end of. I’ve had other offers and I want to go in a different direction.”
“I don’t understand. Surely you want to be your father’s successor someday?”
“Yes, and to do that, I need to stay alive.”
“What are you saying,” Gerard said, looking like I’d just told him I’d fucked his mother.
“With all due respect. If I work with you guys, I can’t see that happening for long.” My tone was bland but honest. I had been told that Gerard hated lies; he was a shrewd man and although I was afraid of him, I wasn’t going to take it up the arse. But I was safe, for now. He needed my father, and I couldn’t see dear old dad continuing to help him if he sent his son to meet his maker any time soon.
“The pack, Garrett,” he suddenly said. This brought my dad into the conversation as they spoke briefly in whispered voices.
I turned my head towards Kai with an arched eyebrow. “Those things will kill you,” I said tartly. The Bull just stared back and rolled the butt of the roll-up between his finger and thumb.
“So, I’ve been told,” he stated flatly, his white teeth flashing as he stubbed the tip out on the glass surface of my father’s table and pushed to his feet. His movements caught Gerard”s attention.
“Where are you going?”
Kai answered over his shoulder as he strode over to the exit. “To make sure the little witch is where she’s supposed to be.”
My eyes fell upon Sean as he stood lurking by the door, chuckling to himself.
Gerard then pushed an A4 brown envelope towards me, but I made no move to take it. “My terms are in there. Please read through those documents carefully. How involved you are in the family”s affairs is up to you. You may see me as a criminal Mr Knight, but I run several legitimate businesses, at least my son does. If you prefer to work for the safer side of things, I wouldn’t object. It’s nowhere near as fun, but you’d keep your nose clean I assure you.”
Yeah, looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life would be such fun. I dragged the envelope towards me, peering inside. It appeared to be the usual sort of shit you got before a job interview. At least the package didn’t contain any teeth or ears or anything. I rested my fingers on the top as I eyed him across the table.
“Maybe you can give me your answer at the Wright and Penn Charity bash?”
I ignored his short fucking timeframe for my decision and replayed what he’d just announced about Kai.
“So, by working with the legitimate sides of things, I would be working with your son?”
“Yes?”
“No thanks.”
“You have a problem with Kai?”
“Yes, he’s a fucking psycho,” I snorted, surely, he knew that.
“But you went to school together,” Gerard said, his bushy eyebrows joining in the middle. He looked surprised by my horror.
“Correction. We were at the same school but not together. We didn’t move in the same circles,” I pointed out, thrumming my fingers angrily against his fucking job offer and then some.
“Indeed. But he’s a changed man now, so very different. Kai is a fair man, yes, he has a temper. Most of the Kinlan’s do but he’s never irrational and everything he does is carefully planned.”
Yes, like my fucking demise if I worked with the cunt.
I’d had enough and I curled my hand around the envelope. “I will look at your offer and think about it. But if I say no, you must honour my decision. You have my father on your leash, and he appears to be doing a good job for you. You don’t need us both.”
“But that’s where you”re wrong. After your father’s diagnosis, his health is only going to get worse. I need to put his successor in place.
And BOOM! WTF? I felt like someone had just lit me up with a match and my eyes darted to my old man who had suddenly gone even paler.
“What is he talking about?” I snapped, pushing to my feet. My father too did the same, now looking deathly white.
Gerard’s annoying yet sinister chuckle rolled over my bones. “Oh dear. He doesn’t know, does he.”
“Know what?” I barked over the table, my eyes never leaving my father’s sallow face.
The Don’s words drew my eyes back and what he said next felt like someone had kicked my feet from under me.
“Why that your father is a dying man of course.” And just like that, the wind was dragged from my lungs.
I watched as Garrett swayed slightly on his feet. “I’ll speak to you later Gabriel,” he said. His eyes held a silent warning that I wasn’t to lose my shit in front of these guys.
“Fine, whatever, I assume I can see myself out?” I snapped, my head whipping towards Gerard’s muscle.
“Of course. By all means, unless you want a lift back to your apartment?”
“No, I’ll walk, thanks. It appears I have a lot to process.”
“As you wish,” Gerard replied with a smile.
I left the office, almost holding my breath, the shock that my father was unwell, and I hadn’t been made aware of it was like a kick in the face. Did my mother know? Asher certainly didn’t and why hadn’t Garrett told us?
Weakness. That’s what it was about. He never showed weakness. I wondered how Gerard had found out, probably by having him followed.
As I forcefully closed the office door behind me, Kai had Gerard’s stepdaughter against the wall. He wasn’t holding her there, he just stood in front of her delivering some type of lecture. She was leaning back against the concrete, in his huge shadow with her arms crossed over her chest and a strange smirk on her face, clearly not giving a shit. Good for you sweetheart.
“Looks like you’ve got your hands full there Kinlan,” I mocked as I passed by them.
“It’s nothing I can’t handle, Knight.”
Then paying them no more attention, I left my father’s building with the stain of my mafia confrontation eating into my gut.
Now what?
I caught a taxi; it had started raining and I didn’t do rain. I shoved Gerard”s paperwork under my arm so it wouldn’t get wet. I would still read his shitty offer, not that it would make a lick of difference.
Thoughts of my father bloomed in my head. Was he going to die, what had he got, how long did he have left? I didn’t really care that much for me or my brother, but my mother would be upset.
As the cab pulled up and I swiped my card to pay, my phone buzzed in my pocket, and I climbed out of the vehicle and swiped the screen.
I had a message from an unknown number.
Did you get my package?
It was cryptic but it didn’t take a genius as to who it was from. I keyed in my reply. Yes. I have it right here.
Have you decided what you are going to do with it?
FFS. I’d literally just left the premises twenty minutes ago and already the fucker was pressurising me. I blocked the number out of principle and set off for the lift to my apartment.
I suddenly felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. I just made it home in time as the heavens opened and a crack of thunder lit up the sky.
The sound echoed the chaos going on in my head.
I was fucked.
When I got back to the apartment, I felt an urgency to see Leonie. Hear her sweet voice and check she was OK after the attack, but she wasn’t there. I felt like a shit for leaving her when she was still considerably dazed, but I’d needed to calm the hell down. Ash wasn’t in either, so I plonked myself at the table and opened my laptop. Maybe he’d taken her out for supper or something. He wouldn’t have just left her alone, surely?
Logging onto Google, I opened my emails and located the last one from Gavin Preston, my mind was made up, and I accepted his offer to start some freelance work. I then closed the lid, leaned back in my seat, and waited for Garrett’s call.
Leonie
After the horror of being mauled by Simon, I knew I needed to unwind and the only thing to help me do that was to dance. Asher had been determined to get me in the bath and force sweet tea on me, but I’d stood my ground. I knew what made me feel better when I was anxious or hurting; I purged myself with movement, always had, always would. Dance was the only thing to help me get through my parents’ death. Not that I was there yet. And I knew it was the only thing to make me feel better.
After a good fifteen minutes of following me around the apartment as I put together a fresh dance bag, Asher had given in. I’d been instructed to take my phone into the basement with me, in case I needed anything; something I wouldn’t usually have done. I hardly ever used my phone, no one ever really texted me and the only calls I received were from my foster parents. Social media-wise, I was off the radar, but Ash was right, I was on my own down there. Gabriel had said I could continue to use the room across from the gym that hadn’t been refurbished yet. It had enough floor space but no mirrors to check my alignment. It was basic but it would do.
After around an hour of practicing my routine for the showcase, I managed to push the incident with Simon from my mind. I did still come back to that niggling worry that Marco had done something bad to him. He only tried to kiss me at the end of the day, not worth getting beaten to a pulp or killed for.
I had just started my cool down routine and was mid-quad stretch when the worst happened. The lights and music cut out and I was trapped alone in what must have been a power cut.
I held my breath, praying that it wouldn’t be for long, but as I remained there on the floor, attempting to calm that panic that threatened to surface, everything stayed pitch black. There was a slight glow from the streetlights which shone in through the tiny windows of the room, but there was still way too much darkness to settle my nerves. Flashes of being trapped in the car and my parent’s dead bodies thundered through my mind; my mother’s open eyes, lifeless before me. The rate of my heart accelerated, and I pushed onto all fours and crawled towards my bag, the flooring biting into my knees.
Finding my sports holdall, I scrambled inside, my fingers curling around my phone like it was a lifeline. The threat of a panic attack circled me as I entered my pin incorrectly several times. I needed to get a grip; I was in a large building. I had my phone and could call for help, as soon as I got the code correct!
Taking a deep breath, I pushed myself back against the wall and drew my knees up to my chest. Breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth, I started to perform the coping strategies the counsellors had given me weeks after the car accident which took my parents.
After around five minutes, the thump of my heartbeat settled; the organ no longer attempting to burst through my chest.
I glanced around the space, it now felt cold and empty, and I felt alone again. Drawing my phone away from my chest, I glared down at the screen and slowly re-typed my pin. Fortunately, the screen came alive, and I scrolled through my contacts, landing on Gabriel’s number. I didn’t need to rethink my choice as I felt safer with him than I did with anyone.
Gabriel answered immediately, his voice laced with concern. “Leonie? Where are you?”
I managed to speak but couldn’t keep the panic from my tone. “I’m downstairs, the room beside the gym. Please. It’s so dark,” I rasped, my eyes wide as I tried to improve my vision. It was still so very black in there.
Gabriel must have heard how terrified I was as he said in a soft, yet authoritative tone. “Stay where you are, I’m on my way.” He then hung up and I dropped the phone, hugging my knees to my chest again. He was coming and hope rushed through my veins, creating a welcoming warmth.
It had been warm in the space, but it now felt freezing, and I searched beside myself for my wrap but couldn’t find it. My limbs felt heavy, and my legs trembled. I was wearing my leotard, tights and leg warmers but had removed my dance shoes, my toes curling with the cold.
I must have been sat there for at least five more minutes.
“Leonie,” Gabriel’s voice barked into the space, and I pushed up the wall to my feet, searching across the area towards the door, relief jetting through my system.
“I’m here.” As I shouted those two words, he appeared, a faint shadow in the doorway, his large shoulders filling the space. I released a watery laugh, feeling a cocktail of embarrassment and relief.
He saw me and set off across the floor with powerful strides and I ran towards him, throwing myself into his arms. Gabriel’s large, strong, warm body stiffened at first as I clung onto him as if my life depended on it. After a beat or two, his arms came around me and he drew me further against his body, his face in my hair.
His scent and warmth made me feel safe. “Hey, easy. Calm down. You’re shaking. It’s only a power cut. I’m here, kitten. You’re safe,” he whispered into my neck in a soothing voice. And that is exactly how I felt; safe and for the first time in years; I didn’t feel alone.
Pushing myself further against him, his hold tightened, and we must have remained like that for several minutes; Gabriel was whispering reassuring words and holding me close. I felt him stroking my hair and I pushed against him, seeking his strength.
Eventually, he drew back and gently untangled himself, taking a step back to look down at me. I knew my face would be tear-stained as I could feel the sticky moisture on my face.
I couldn’t help but lean into his palm when he placed a hand on my cheek in an almost loving gesture, his eyes tangling with mine. I could see genuine concern and something else reflected in them. He was looking at me like I was his everything and it felt wonderful.
“Come on, let’s get you out of here,” he said with a smile and glanced over to my stuff. “Leave your bag. We’ll get it when the power comes back on. OK?”
“Yes, OK and thank you—for coming I mean.”
“Here, take my hand, let’s go.”
My fingers were swallowed in Gabriel’s large paw, and we made our way out of the room and down the corridor towards the stairs.
“The lifts are out so we’ll have to walk. Do you think you can make it? You look a bit wobbly.”
I pursed my lips and swallowed as he pushed the door open, and we stood before the bottom of the stairs. “I think so?” But I wasn’t sure, my legs were suddenly like jelly.
“You think so? Not good enough, kitten. Here.” My tummy somersaulted as Gabriel released my hand, bent over and swept me up into his arms again like I weighed nothing.
My hands came around his neck as my eyes searched his face. “Are you sure, it’s so far?” My voice didn’t sound like mine.
Again, the smile he gave me was one of reassurance. “Of course, you’re as light as a feather. Let’s do this.”
Gabriel, aka my ex-tormentor, was once again my saviour and as he carried me past each floor, I knew that he was now a hell of a lot more than that.
Gabe
To say Leonie was terrified would be an understatement. I had to get her back to the apartment. She should have been in bed after being assaulted earlier. She looked like she could pass out again at any moment and I couldn’t allow that to happen, not on my watch. I hadn’t a clue why a power cut had alarmed her so much, but I would get to the bottom of that once she was safe and settled.
Luckily the emergency lights which had recently been installed on the stairs worked so I was able to see, but it was still dark.
Leonie clutched my neck tightly, her bare pink-toed feet stiffened as I made my way up flight after flight. I was fit so it didn’t bother me; the soft bundle in my arms did, but that had nothing to do with size.
She felt amazing in my arms; her sweet scent teasing my nostrils and I couldn’t help but lean down and smell her hair again. Her dancewear was slightly damp from perspiration, but the scent of her body was like an aphrodisiac to me. I wanted to run my tongue over her neck and down her body.
My cock had thickened in my jeans as her soft frame pushed into mine. I shouldn’t be thinking such sexual thoughts; not at a time like that. I was supposed to be a champion, saving a woman in distress, not having thoughts about how she would taste.
Fuck me she was sweet, and I wanted her more than I had ever wanted any woman.
When we got back into the apartment, I didn’t put Leonie down straight away. I walked straight to my room and shouldered the door open before lowering her body onto the bed.
“Why have you brought me here?” she questioned, looking up at me with wide eyes. She was so beautiful as she peered at me through a mist of vulnerability; it was refreshing to see. Women today weren’t allowed to show their softer side, or they were judged as weak.
At law school, the women who were my peers were so very different. They had to be seen as tough career women if they wanted to be taken seriously. But with this woman, there were no lies, no mask she wore to hide her weaknesses and that spoke to the protective side in me. One I didn’t know I had until meeting her that first day on my doorstep. She had gotten under my skin, beaten off the beast and managed to strip me of my ugly.
“I thought you’d feel more comfortable, the power is still out, and you said you don’t like the dark.”
She gave me a shy smile and pushed herself into a sitting position.
“Do you want something to eat and drink?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No, I’m fine. Will there be any hot water?” Leonie asked.
I nodded my head, of course, she’d been practising and so would be wanting a shower. “The shower in my ensuite is thermostatic and runs off the mains, so yes. There are fresh towels in the cupboard next to the sink. Knock yourself out,” I offered.
She pushed off the bed with a quiet as a mouse thank you and headed into my bathroom. The backup lighting dimly highlighted her body in the skin-tight dancewear. Fucking perfect.
Retrieving my phone, I sat down in the chair beneath the window, my eyes intermittently darting towards the bathroom door. I hadn’t heard the lock click which meant she must have trusted me. That thought made me feel good. Again, another first. There was no doubt about it, I cared about this girl and there was nothing I could do to rein it in. I was fucked.
The shower started and to distract myself from the image of her wet naked body, I focused back on my phone.
The call from my father earlier had been awkward and strained; almost like there was someone in the room with him, which there probably was. They had found cancer, and it was aggressive at stage three. The consultant had explained that they could start treatment to shrink it, but it had spread to the bones. Garrett had explained that my mother knew but had been told not to tell us until after my exams. I’d finished them weeks ago and yet they’d still kept it to themselves. I knew this was because Garrett didn’t like to feel weak but the fact that his criminal counterpart knew about it before me was insulting.
When I’d heard about it from Gerard, this had explained how my father’s appearance had changed. The thinness, his tired gaunt face.
And now that I knew, I felt nothing. Just numbness. My father would die, and this hadn’t conjured up any emotion in me. If it hadn’t been for the way Leonie was making me feel, I would have accepted my suspicions that I truly was dead inside.
I now knew that was far from the truth, I was very much alive, it was my relationship with my father that was dead.
Placing my phone on the bedside table, I listened to the sound of the water from the shower. My cock stirred again as I thought of joining her in there. And that’s all that would remain, a thought. After what the girl had gone through today, she would be needing space. Which is exactly what would happen when she came out of the bathroom. I would escort her to her own bedroom, tuck her in, kiss her on the head and leave her the fuck alone.
CLICK.
Then Leonie came out of the shower, wrapped in my robe and all my good intentions flew out the fucking window.