Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 83755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Matteo was not going to break the “code.” If anything, I thought that kissing me would weigh down on him for a while. To him, this code was too important. Too sacred to be broken. He wasn’t going to betray his cousin by starting something with me. His relationship with Cesare was too precious for him to fool around with me.
It was Leo that I expected to hear from.
I might have not had a relationship in months, but I could recognize great chemistry when I saw it. It was true; we had connected on the night my brother was wounded. Both in and out of the hospital, the two of us got along very well. He made me laugh and helped me take my mind off Felix’s terrible behavior. In spite of that, Leo kept his distance from me. For some reason I couldn’t put my finger on, he chose to ignore me.
Nevertheless, I wasn’t going to contact him. I liked him, yes, but I couldn’t overlook something very simple about him: He was part of a group that invited trouble. I had seen that too many times already. I didn’t know what those three had been involved in, but it wasn’t real estate, sports or anything legal. Besides, I liked my peace of my mind. I appreciated waking up in the morning, feeling carefree.
Finishing the afternoon shift, I took the elevator to the ground floor. It was a bit after ten pm, and I couldn’t wait to go home, take a shower and watch some TV. It wasn’t thrilling, it wasn’t exciting in any way, but I had missed doing this. Being by myself, enjoying something I liked, without my mind drifting off to gunshot wounds, explosions, or anything of that sort.
Still, finding myself out in the parking lot, I realized that spending the remainder of the night in my pajamas, with a bowl of popcorn on my lap was an unlikely scenario. Nearing my ancient car, I caught a glimpse of a big, masculine man just thirty feet from my car. Walking in my direction, his usual swagger and his black leather jacket gave away his identity. It was none other than Leonardo Turner.
“Hey there,” he said, tipping his head down, hands in his pockets.
“Leo…” I murmured his name, pressing the unlock button on the key fob. “What a surprise.”
“Pleasant I hope,” he confessed, coming to a halt near me. Looking closer at his face, a mix of disappointment and curiosity came over me. His good looks had been spoiled. He had several scratches across his cheekbones, while the area over his right eye was yellowish.
“I don’t know,” I said honestly.. “I thought you’d have called me by now. But now that I see you, I understand why you’ve been out of touch.”
“I wasn’t in a bar fight if that’s what you mean,” he claimed, his voice losing its relaxed tone.
“Then, what happened to you?”
“Too fucking much,” he said, dragging his gaze away from me.
“You’re not going to tell me?” I reached for the door handle. “Too bad. Have a good night, Leo.”
“Wait!” he shouted, taking a large step towards me. “I’ll tell you. Just not here—it’s too public. Can we go to your place?”
I sighed and rubbed my forehead, buying some time for my answer. It didn’t take me long to open my mouth again. This was Leo. He had had the decency to reveal how Felix had wound up in hospital. Had it been one of his friends, my response would have been a big, fat no.
“All right,” I agreed with a nod. “This had better be good, though.”
“Trust me.”
I waited for him to turn away and entered my car, wondering just how in the world he’d gotten those scratches. The bar fight he mentioned wouldn’t have surprised me. In fact, any kind of fight wouldn’t have shocked me. Just like his buddies, Leo had a knack for getting in trouble. I just didn’t know what sort of trouble he had been in.
Whatever it was, it had to have been big.
He was an athletic guy. More than six feet tall and with a great build, one would think twice about starting a fight with him.
Or not think at all. There were plenty of dumb morons out there, ready to use their fists to settle a dispute.
Unwilling to believe scenario number two, I arrived at my apartment building a few minutes later. Just because he had run into somebody stupid, didn’t mean that Leonardo had to engage him in a fistfight.
I walked into my apartment, with the same amount of curiosity in my head. He clicked the door shut, and his gaze settled on mine.
“A blast in a Brooklyn bar,” he began, his sullen eyes and his words sparking worry within me. “Did you read about it?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “But witnesses said there was gunfire before; something about three gunmen.”