Leo (Vigilance 3)

Before he’d cut through Giorgio’s ropes, a man burst through the door. He roared when he saw Swain on the floor and raised his gun, aiming for Niall. I shot him in the center of the chest. His mouth dropped open before he crashed to the floor. I looked down at my gun, then back at him, then back at my gun. My hand seemed alien, like it was connected to someone else’s body. “Oh my God. I…”

“Saved us,” Niall said, laying a hand over mine and taking the gun from me. “You did exactly what you needed to do.”

A larger man raced down the hall, and I tensed. “It’s okay,” Giorgio called. “That’s X.”

There was a smaller, thinner man behind him who didn’t look much older than me. Was that Emilio?

I focused my attention back on X and sucked in a breath. No wonder Leo had said I’d recognize him. Was he really the leader of Vigilance?

I glanced back down at Swain, expecting him to leap up like some kind of movie monster. Giorgio shook his head. “He’s very dead.”

Leo had killed him in a split second with his bare hands, and I’d… The world started to spin around me.

The man I thought of as Massachusetts royalty wrapped an arm around my shoulder, steadying me. “Let’s check on Leo.”

“Oh God. Leo… Is he…”

The man I was struggling to think of as X encouraged me to kneel at Leo’s side as he checked Leo over. “None of his wounds look serious. He’s lost a decent amount of blood, but not enough to really make me worry.” He turned to Giorgio then. “What happened?”

Giorgio looked like he was struggling to remember. “We were shot with tranquilizer darts before we reached the house. After that… I don’t know. I’ve been out of it. I think they used the fucking dose for a bear.”

“Jesus. At least you’re all right now. I’ve got men on their way to clean this up.”

“How… how are you going to…” I never finished my question because Leo opened his eyes and tried to sit up. “Ezra? Is that really you?”

“Yes, it’s me.” He held out his hand, and I clasped it, not caring that it was covered in blood.

“You’re okay, right?”

I wanted to kiss him so badly, but I held back. “I’m fine.”

He said something else, but I couldn’t make out the words. The ones I thought I heard had to be wishful thinking. Before I could ask what he’d said, he’d closed his eyes and lain down again.

“Help me get Leo to the car,” X said to Niall. The younger man and I each took one of Giorgio’s arms and walked with him. We got them loaded into X’s SUV, which he’d parked as close to the front door as possible.

“Emilio?” When X spoke, the man I’d guessed to be the hacker looked at him like X was his lifeline.

“This is Niall.” X gestured toward the former FBI agent. “Although I suppose you recognize him from running surveillance for us.”

Niall held out his hand, realized there was blood on it and pulled it back. “It’s nice to meet you in person.”

“Um… you too.” Emilio looked even more unsettled than I felt.

“And this”—X turned to me—“is Leo’s boyfriend, Ezra.”

“Hi,” I said, knowing my hands weren’t any cleaner than Niall’s after holding Leo’s. I wasn’t going to argue about being called Leo’s boyfriend. That was sure as hell what I wanted to be.

X focused on Niall again. “Lucien’s best men are on their way with Angelo, and Dr. Morelli is headed to the Marchesis’ house. Coordinate with the crew here, then bring Ezra and Emilio back. Until then, don’t let them out of your sight.”

He took Emilio’s hands in his, and Niall’s eyes widened.

“Are you all right?” X asked the younger man.

“Yes. Um… I think so.”

“I will make sure no one hurts you.”

Emilio’s eyes were wide as he glanced down at their intertwined hands, then back up at X. He looked like he worshiped the man, but X was straight, wasn’t he?

A few moments later, the men who were coming to clean up the mess arrived, and X departed. True to his word, Niall kept Emilio and me by his side as he talked to them. I learned they were going to hang Swain’s body from one of the exposed rafters in his bedroom and leave a suicide note. They’d take care of any evidence that Leo, Giorgio, or any of the rest of us had ever been there.

I wanted to ask how they were going to manage that, but I didn’t dare. From what I’d learned, both Vigilance and the Marchesis had friends on the police force, so certain irregularities might be overlooked.

Emilio didn’t say anything, he just watched silently. I stood there with him, longing to check on Leo.