Chapter 13
LEO
Mia clings to her side of the backseat, gripping at the door just to get away from me.
It’s kind of funny, actually. Just a few hours ago, she was grinding against my hand, trying to get closer.
I’m not surprised. I could see the disgust laced in her eyes when we were done. She wanted to wash her hands clean of me, and I never wanted to wash mine again.
So long story short—instead of making her scream my name in the back of this car, she’s playing the silent game while I flip through emails on my phone.
Mia’s phone rings, pulling my attention away from some annoying constituent complaints clogging up my inbox.
She pauses as she looks at the screen, discreetly side-eyeing me before answering.
When the screen won’t quit lighting up, she lets out a frustrated groan and accepts the call. “Hey, Keith.”
I can’t hear much of what’s on the other end of the speaker. All I get is the rapid murmuring of her irritating partner’s voice.
“Yeah, I know,” she says when she finally gets a second to speak. “I’m fine, Keith. I swear. I just wasn’t feeling up to it tonight.”
Well, that’s a hit to my ego. I thought she was feeling great.
“Okay, I promise I’ll come next time. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Goodnight.”
She hangs up and casually slides the phone back into her pocket before turning back to her window. But I’ve decided I’ve had enough of the ice out, so I unbuckle her seat belt.
“What are you—”
Before she can say anything else, I grab her thigh and pull her across the bench seat. “That’s better.”
“Are you fucking crazy?” Mia yells, attempting to wrestle my hand from her thigh. When it’s obvious I’m not budging, she lets out a disgruntled exhale and crosses her arms.
“Why is he calling you? Isn’t he having drinks with some of your cop friends?”
She looks up at me, surprise coating her features. “How do you know—” and then she stops herself as her face melts into a cool understanding. “Wow, you really are crazy. Do you stalk all the women you’re blackmailing?”
“Contrary to belief, I’m a one-woman kind of stalker,” I wink, pulling my hand back to my lap before I give in to the temptation of what lies underneath those clothes.
Mia snorts one second, and the next her eyes widen as she slaps a hand over her mouth.
“It’s okay to laugh. I’m actually quite funny.”
That doesn’t earn anything other than an eye roll, much to my dismay. “Whatever. Since you know so much about my life, then I don’t feel the need to answer your question.”
I silence the growl building up in my throat. I thought women liked it when you asked questions about their personal life. “I’m just trying to fill the silence.”
“I know. Men like you can’t bear the sound of their own thoughts.”
“That almost hurt. Except, I’m quite content with what’s going on in my head. I keep replaying the scene of you fucking my hand until you screamed my name.”
A light blush coats her cheeks, and it’s almost endearing. Until she opens her mouth again. “Well, I hope you have a good memory, because it’s never happening again.”
Before I can partake in some more of my chosen love language—aka threatening her—the car comes to a stop, and the Russo’s bar appears.
“Thank God,” Mia says, attempting to slide over to her door. Before she can go too far, I grip her forearm tight enough to make sure she looks directly at me.
“Careful. You keep saying ‘never’ like you’re trying to convince yourself, not me.”
Tension pulls across her forehead. Her lips part to say something, but our moment is cut short when my driver opens up the door.
Mia jumps out of the vehicle and stomps ahead to our destination. Usually, I’d be upset after being dismissed so rudely, but what’s there to be upset about when the view is this good?
When I enter Dante’s office, I have to blindly walk through a thick cloud of smoke. It makes my insides itch for the sweet taste of nicotine, but I quit years ago when Maribella threatened to shove an entire pack down my throat if I didn’t stop.
“Mia, what are you doing here?” Dante questions, stamping out his cigarette butt in a black ashtray.
“Ask him,” Mia commands, flicking her head toward me.
I can feel a threat careening on Dante’s tongue, so I beat him to it. “I’m sure Mia told you about our little arrangement. Until I get what I want, she’s going to make a nice little accessory. Doesn’t hurt that she’s not bad to look at.”
“You son of a bitch,” Dante curses, rising to his feet. I don’t flinch. I brought his sister here for insurance, and if he touches me, both of their lives are over.
Mia clears her throat and directs Dante’s stare toward her. They exchange a silent argument before he loses and lets out a puff of hot air, then sits down. He kicks out the chair on the other side of his desk, nodding his head for me to sit down.
Before I can oblige, one of Dante’s goons steps out from the corner to pat me down. “You don’t trust me?” I smile, already knowing the answer.
“No,” he says, not even attempting to consider it. “I figured if you didn’t bring your lap dog, you wouldn’t be dumb enough to walk into my bar completely unarmed. Where is the traitor anyway?”
I want to sneer at his snide comment, but I keep a steady, stoic expression. I didn’t bring Michael because I want Dante to know I’m not afraid of him. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t a phone call away.
“He’s busy,” I lie, considering if asking Mia to frisk me instead of this oaf would be worth Dante launching himself at me.
“He’s clean, boss,” the man says, retreating back to his post. I take two steps and ease into the plastic chair. It creaks under my weight, threatening to snap at any moment.
“Let’s get this over with. I don’t want you here any longer than I have to,” he says, looking at me like I’m a smudge on his calendar.
All of these made men are the same. They think they’re more important than they are. Some would say I’m like that and I’d agree—but unlike these assholes, I’m not afraid to admit it.
“First of all, your brother left me something. I want it.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dante counters, thin slits giving away his lie.
“Right,” I laugh, shifting my weight in the flimsy chair. “Mia, why don’t you sit down?” I say, keeping my eyes locked with my opponent’s.
“There’s nowhere else to sit,” Mia deadpans, folding her arms and leaning against the wall.
“Come here, then.”
“No.”
“Now, Emilia,” I command, my patience wearing thin. “Or maybe I need to take a closer look at your partner. He’s young. I’m sure he’ll land on his feet.”
Tension clouds the room, replacing the stench of stale cigarette smoke.
I can hear Mia’s throat constricting as she debates what to do next.
I half-expect her to look to her brother for help, but she doesn’t.
She just stares at me—no doubt wishing small laser beams would magically appear, searing off the side of my face.
“Fine,” she grunts, walking around the room to my side.
She stops a few inches away, staring down at my lap like it’s lava. Something snaps inside me, and I grab her arm and haul her onto my lap. The movement is so sudden, she has no choice but to wrap her arms around my neck.
“As I was saying,” I begin, clearing my throat and gripping Mia’s hips. Dante’s eyes cling to that point, wishing he too could manifest the power of laser vision. “Vince said he had something for me. He couldn’t give it to me the last time we spoke because it was in his safe.”
I feel Dante’s eyes flare to life, spinning with a million and one ways to kill me. I even see his hand flinch a few times, inching to reach for the gun on his desk placed there to intimidate me. But it’s hard to focus on all of that with Mia’s incredible ass pressed into my groin.
It might be easier to enjoy if she wasn’t stiff, so I reach up and tuck her hair behind her ear before whispering, “Relax.”
Although it has the opposite effect, making her grind her ass harder into my lap. So hard I have to bite down on my lower lip to keep from groaning in pleasure.
“Fine,” Dante stammers. He gives me one more charged look before pushing to his feet and heading toward a side room that no doubt contains their family safe.
“You’ve proven your point,” Mia says behind clenched teeth. “Let me up.”
I let out a low chuckle. “I think you’re right where you belong,” I answer, placing a chaste kiss on the side of her neck. She relaxes into it for a moment before snapping back into pure hatred mode.
“Fuck you.”
“Right here in your brother’s office?” I ask with a grin. “I like it, but that’s a little twisted even for you.”
Mia’s face turns a deep shade of red as obscenities gather on her lips. She doesn’t get a chance to use them before her brother returns.
“Here’s what you’re looking for; now stop fucking with my little sister and get the hell out of my bar,” he says, dropping some documents and a flash drive onto his desk.
“Even if this was everything I needed, I don’t take kindly to people telling me what to do.”
“Fine, but if you want to continue this conversation, Mia has to leave,” Dante says, puffing out his chest. He obviously ignored the second part of my statement.
“I can be a reasonable man, so I agree,” I say, gripping the side of Mia’s neck and pulling her closer to me. “Go grab me a drink, Cara. I’ll be out soon.”
And then I meet Dante’s stare and place a hard kiss on the corner of her mouth. It’s enough to push him to the edge, but he keeps his temper locked inside.
Dante has always been the hothead out of the two Russo brothers. Vince was calm and a natural-born leader, where his brother was the type that broke jaws first and asked questions later. But it looks like Dante has to lock away his wild side to run things.
Mia doesn’t waste any time scrambling off my lap and through the entrance. The momentary feeling of loss is almost enough for the possessive demon inside me to pull her back in for a proper kiss, but I let her run away.
I prefer the chase anyway.