Chapter Thirty Four
Victoria
"You're with us, Ella." Leighton grinned as the other guys moved to change again, and Ella stepped toward the front door. "Come on, Snickerdoodle, I'm gonna take you to do something nice for a change."
"Snickerdoodle? Seriously?" I huffed. "Absolutely not. And don't you think you should, I don't know, maybe cut back on the armory you're wearing?"
Ella's gaze flitted between the two of us, the way her face scrunched up betraying her desire to laugh.
"Nah, better safe than sorry. Come on. I got the perfect idea to make you feel better." Leighton grinned.
I rolled my eyes, and Ella covered a slight snicker with a cough. "Fine, but I need to change first."
Leighton's hands fluttered as if to say, ‘hurry up,' and I made my way back upstairs to change into something more presentable than Joey's sweats and t-shirt. We hadn't been back long enough for me to buy a new wardrobe, but I did have some nice jeans and a blouse that would work for anything Leighton thought was a ‘nice' outing. Throwing my clothes on, I made my way across the hall to the bathroom, quickly brushed my teeth, and pulled my hair into a ponytail. By the time I made it back downstairs, Leighton was leaning on the wall by the front door, twirling a knife in his hand, and Ella was nowhere to be seen.
I moved toward him, and his eyes jumped to me, causing a smile to spread across his face. It was so sweet that I felt horrible for the way I'd been behaving. Hormones or not, I'd been a jerk.
"Hey, thank you for whatever we're about to do. I'm sorry I've been acting like such a bitch. It's not really an excuse, but I'm pretty sure the implant is making my moodiness worse. The Doc said it might. It still doesn't make it–"
"None of that!" He said, sliding the knife he'd been playing back into its sheath on his thigh and grabbing my hand. "Just because I'm not the best at knowing what to do about it, doesn't mean I'm blaming you for it. We know it's not your fault. Now, let's go get you pampered!"
His words were so sweet, in his way, that I couldn't help it when my eyes burned with unshed tears again. His eyes got wide, and he took a small step back.
"Oh no, please don't start crying again. I don't… There's no one to fix it and no one for me to hurt to make you feel better! Come on, please?!" He said in a panic. The shift from sincerity to panic was so stark I couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up out of me.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to rain all over your parade. Now, are you gonna tell me where we're going?"
"Definitely not." He grinned and pulled me outside. Ella waved from the front seat of the blacked-out SUV, but I didn't get a chance to respond before Leighton pulled me behind him and practically shoved me in the open sliding door of the back and climbed in beside me. "You know where we're going." He told his driver as he shut the door, and we pulled away.
A little while later, we pulled up outside of an upscale spa in Northside. A Touch of Nature Day Spa was such a popular spot, that it was usually reservation only.
"Love the idea, but… is it even safe to be here? Also, this place is reservation only usually. How do you expect us to just pull up and get a spot?" I said incredulously.
"Well, we usually don't have our gang wars in this part of the city," Leighton deadpanned. "And we own this spa, so we can roll up and get right in anytime we want."
"N-No, you fucking don't. There's no way you guys own A Touch of Nature. I've known Brenda for years. Me and Tiff have been coming here since college."
"If you don't believe me, call Az. His name is on all the paperwork and everything." Leighton said, raising an eyebrow and rolling his eyes. "Why the fuck would I lie about owning a spa of all things?"
"What… even is life?" I mumbled, catching Ella's chuckle from the front seat as she climbed out of the SUV. "Wait. Does that mean Brenda is a gangster? There's no way."
Leighton looked at me like he was explaining something to a child. "What? Of course not, but she's a fantastic manager. We can't staff our legitimate businesses with gangsters, or we would be very bad at our jobs. Az does have an actual payroll." He rolled his eyes at me again as he swung open the door and pulled me out of the SUV.
Without another word, he led me inside, Ella following directly behind us, and strolled to the counter. The petite redhead behind the counter smiled at him politely.
"G-Good afternoon, sir. How can we help you today?" she asked, struggling to ignore the weapons strapped to his body and remain professional.
"Give these two whatever services they want." He replied, pulling a wallet out of his pants pocket.
"Oh, unfortunately, we don't take walk-ins. I can make an appointment for your… companions if you'd like." the woman replied.
"No, they'll be taken care of today ." Leighton demanded, pulling a black card from his wallet and sliding it across the counter.
"I sincerely apologize, sir, but we are fully booked out today. I am more than happy to book an appointment, as I've said."
"Ugh," Leighton groaned. "Where's Brenda? Just get Brenda out here. brENDA!" he bellowed.
"Sir, if you insist on making a scene, I will have to call the police and have them escort you from the property." The redhead clipped.
"brENDA!" He yelled again, ignoring the woman.
The receptionist opened her mouth to speak again but didn't get the chance as Brenda strolled through the office door behind the counter. The woman was in her mid-forties, in a smart pantsuit, with her hair pulled up in a bun.
"Leighton, how lovely to see you!" The older woman smiled as she put her hand on the receptionist's shoulder. "Dear, you should have called, and I would have let Rebecca here know to watch for you."
"Yeah, it was sort of a last-minute surprise for my girlfriend. She's had a rough day, and I wanted to treat her and her new best friend." Leighton offered the woman a smile that didn't quite touch his eyes.
"Oh!" The woman's eyes slid over to me and lit up with recognition. "Victoria Bristol! It's been how long since I've seen you in here? The better part of a year, at least. Well, I certainly hope that you're keeping this young man on the straight and narrow. He needs to find someone to settle him down." She came around the counter, and we hugged briefly. She turned back to the receptionist. "Rebecca, start calling this afternoon's appointments to reschedule them, and if there's anyone in the back, please let them know that, unfortunately, their appointment needs to be rescheduled since we'll be closing for the day. Give them a complimentary appointment if needed. Once that's done, see me in my office. Since Tina didn't give you this portion of the training before going on maternity leave, I'll do it."
The receptionist looked baffled, blinking several times at Brenda before standing and moving out of the lobby to clear out any guests that were already here.
"She's new." Brenda sighed. "Tina is on maternity leave and delivered early. I wasn't aware she didn't get a chance to go over how we do things when you boys show up."
"So… those times that mine and Tiff's appointments were rescheduled… were because the five of you needed a spa day?" I looked at Leighton. This day was getting more and more unbelievable.
"Perks of the job, sugartits." He grinned.
"Immediately, no." I rolled my eyes.
Leighton just shrugged before Ella cleared her throat to speak.
"I appreciate the… bonus, sir." Ella spoke softly. Her body language betrayed her uncertainty over being included in my impromptu spa day.
"It's not a bonus, Ella." Leighton frowned. "Az chose you to be our girl's new bestie, and this is just part of that. Consider it a promotion from bodyguard to best friend. Do you know how to walk in heels? I'm pretty sure that's something you're going to need to do at some point."
"Leighton," I sighed. "You guys can't just force someone to be my friend."
"Yeah, yeah." He replied, waving his hand in front of him. "You girls get whatever services you want. But make sure they include a pedicure on that list. I'll be waiting outside, keeping an eye out for any trouble, while you two become best friends. Maybe after I can take you two shopping."
Brenda snickered as Leighton moved toward the front doors. "If you ladies would follow me, I'll get you set up in a room and grab you some drinks."
Ella gestured for me to go first and fell into step behind me as I followed Brenda down the hall to one of the larger massage suites. I settled into one of the lounge chairs and picked up the tablet on the side table to begin selecting my services.
"You're not actually obligated to be my friend." I told Ella once Brenda left the room to grab our refreshments. "I'm pretty sure Leighton just doesn't know how that works. But you should definitely take advantage of him paying for the spa treatments. Consider it my apology for them trying to force you to become my friend."
Ella's face split into a genuine grin, and she moved to take the other open lounge chair, picking up the second tablet. "Thanks. The guys pay well and take care of us even at the bottom of the totem pole, but being at the bottom keeps me too busy to do something like this for myself."
I snagged her tablet and pulled up the menu to start selecting every service she could possibly want. "You're definitely going to want to take advantage of this then." I laughed as her eyes widened at the growing list I was putting together. Brenda came back with two champagne flutes and a big grin on her face. "Brenda, is there a ‘select all' button on this list somewhere, or do I have to just keep doing them individually?"
Brenda set our drinks down on the table, tossing her head back with a full belly laugh. "There's not, sadly. But I like how you think, young lady."
Ella shifted uncomfortably in her lounge chair as she looked at my ever-growing list. "Uhm… Can we not do the micro….ablation and triphasic… combination facial? I don't even know what that is, and it sounds kinda painful."
I laughed. "Fine, we can skip that part. But pick whatever you want. Make sure it's the good shit. None of this basic services crap as a cop-out."
"Oh, don't forget, Leighton specifically requested pedicures. So, we've already got that ready to go while you decide what else you'd like." Brenda said, still smiling in amusement. "You ladies have fun. Give me a shout if you need anything."
Brenda stepped out of the room as the pedicurists entered. They introduced themselves and made idle chatter as they set up and started their work. It was almost amusing to watch Ella sit stiffly as they removed her shoes and socks. I didn't miss the raised eyebrow of the pedicurist as she set Ella's combat boots aside. They started with foot massages, and it wasn't until the woman working on Ella hit what must have been a sore place in her arch that the soldier's demeanor shifted. She let out a loud groan and visibly relaxed.
"Fuuuck, that's good."
"Told ya," I smirked.
Ella chuckled, and soon we were chatting like old friends. She told me about her life as a soldier for the guys, and I complained about managing four boyfriends and one raging asshole. Ella was surprisingly easy to talk to and before long it felt like we were old friends without all the craziness of the guys' world throwing us together. She was someone I could see becoming good friends with once the dust settled.
Hours later, we emerged from the spa, fully pampered and relaxed. I smiled softly at Leighton as I pushed through the glass double doors and stepped into the late afternoon sun. He was studying something on his phone and didn't see us exiting the building as a large body collided with my side, and a thick arm wrapped around my waist.
"Hey!" I shouted, just as I was jerked away from the entrance of the spa.
Leighton's eyes snapped up from his phone at the same time a gun cocked behind me.
"Let her go, or I'll blow your fucking brains all over the pavement." Ella snarled.
The man ignored her, letting out a whistle that had the sidewalk suddenly flooding with people. I lost sight of Leighton for a moment as the crowd overwhelmed us, and the stranger attempted to drag me further from the spa. The training Az put me through at the cabin kicked in, and I let my body go limp. The man grunted and stumbled, trying to hold on to my sudden dead weight. Taking advantage of him being off balance, I slammed my head back toward his, and was rewarded with the sickening crunch of his nose, and his arm releasing my waist as his hand flew to his face.
Gunshots sounded out in the crowd, and I finally caught sight of Leighton slashing his way through the mob. Ella was crowded against the building, firing her pistol in rapid succession, each shot hitting its mark as bodies dropped on the sidewalk.
"Come on, ma petit. " Leighton shouted as he reached me. "We've gotta go."
I allowed him to drag me back to the SUV and shove me inside.
"What about Ella?" I asked as Leighton clambered in behind me. My eyes flicked over his shoulder in time to see the woman fighting hand to hand with a man at least three times her size. "Leighton! We can't leave her he-"
Another shot rang out, and blood sprayed from Ella's face as her body slammed backward before falling to the ground. A horrified scream tore from my throat as Leighton slammed the door of the SUV and screamed at the driver to go.
He pulled me into his chest as the driver pulled away with the sound of screeching tires. Weaving his fingers in my hair, he shushed me until my screaming turned into sobs. I was so unbelievably tired of the people in my life dropping dead, being constantly in danger, or turning out to be enemies. It felt like something inside me was fracturing, and I didn't know how much more it would take before it broke entirely.