If I were being honest, his bossiness was one of the things I liked best about him.
They dropped their voices once again. I listened closely, but I could only catch part of what they were saying. Something about lavender? That didn’t make any sense. And Swain? Did they mean the congressman?
I heard Leo speak in a growly voice. “He won’t get away from me.”
I didn’t—couldn’t—think Leo was a bad person, but… What had he gotten himself involved in?
I wished I knew a hacker or a cop or someone who could do a background check on him for me. The amateur sleuths in the books I read always conveniently had access to the information they needed. Of course, they usually misinterpreted it until the very end, but still…
I was lost in that train of thought when the door was flung open, and Leo crashed into me as he stepped out.
Anger flared in his eyes when he looked down at me. It was the first time I’d ever been afraid of him.
I took a step back.
His hand closed around my upper arm. “Come with me. The words were low and clipped. I could fight him. I wouldn’t win, but at least I could make the effort. I didn’t, though. I just surrendered.
Leo glanced over his shoulder at the other men who were exiting the room. “I have an issue I need to straighten out with Ezra. I’ll call you later.”
Giorgio raised his brows and smirked. “Enjoy yourself.”
Leo growled. “Get out.”
“Oooh. Impatient. I like it.”
What was that about?
“He’s in so much trouble,” Niall said.
Did he mean me or Leo? It wasn’t like I could do anything to hurt him. He could fire me or do something much worse. I was at his mercy. Thinking about that made me shiver. I shouldn’t like the idea of him taking charge so much. If he could talk so easily about killing someone, what might he do to me?
Leo pulled me into the smaller of the two rooms in the back. It contained a dark wood desk with an expensive looking rolling chair behind it and three chairs with blue, upholstered seat cushions facing it. There were two shelves in the room, but they were bare except for a few books on one. He gestured towards the chairs.
I stood there, not moving.
Leo glared at me, and I looked pointedly at his hand around my arm. “You have to let go of me first.”
He blew out a breath as his fingers slowly unclenched, freeing me.
He hadn’t held me hard enough to hurt, but my arm seemed to throb where his hand had been, and I still felt his heat. What would it be like to have his whole body pressed against mine?
I sank into a chair and closed my eyes for the space of a breath. Leo was angry, I was sure of that, but he’d never been easy to read. I wish I knew what was about to happen.
“You were listening in.”
“No, I…” I wanted to deny it, but he’d caught me standing there. “I needed to talk to you.”
“So you stood outside the door without knocking?”
“I had just—”
“You’d been standing there for at least five minutes.”
My mouth dropped open. “How do you know that? Do you have a camera in the hall?” If so, he would’ve seen me leaning in and pressing my ear against the door as I tried to hear every word they said. I should have been honest from the beginning.
“I heard you approaching. You hesitated instead of walking away.”
“You noticed that?”
Leo nodded. “I notice everything.”
“Why didn’t you say something, then?”
“Why did you stay?”
I’d noticed he rarely gave me a straight answer. “I was curious. You’ve been so mysterious about what happens back here, and I was worried.”
He smiled, but he didn’t look the least bit happy. “I can take care of myself.”
“Oh. I know. I meant… I was worried you were mixed up in something… I just don’t want to be…”
“You don’t need to worry about what goes on back here. Just focus on what happens up front.”
He was not just going to dismiss me like that. “Am I safe here?”
“As long as I’m around you are.”
His words sent heat rushing through me. I wanted to believe him, and I did to an extent. No matter what he was involved in, I felt confident Leo would do what was necessary to keep me physically safe.
Emotionally? That was more of a problem. If they weren’t doing anything illegal, he would have no need to protect me.
“You said you were going to kill someone.” I clapped a hand over my mouth. Why the hell had I admitted to hearing that?
Leo’s eyes widened for a second, then his grimace returned.
“Or… maybe I misunderstood.”
“You didn’t, but you’re better off not knowing any details. You would’ve been even safer staying up front and not listening in. The man we were talking about deserves what’s coming to him. The things he’s done would make you sick.”