Leo (Vigilance 3)

Fuck. I needed to get out of my head. “Have you had breakfast?”

Ezra looked up, seeming startled by the question. “I… No. I was going to eat something after I started my shift, or when I got a break, or—”

“You shouldn’t skip breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day. You need fuel if you’re going to work all day.”

“I… I really was going to eat.”

I smiled at him, trying to tone down my bossiness. “Once you’re done with your paperwork, go over and grab something for us both. Have your aunt put it on my tab.”

“You don’t have to—”

“I want to.”

There was a flash of something in Ezra’s eyes. I wasn’t sure if it was fear or lust. Maybe it was both. I had to stop fucking flirting with him, but he reacted so easily, and he was just so fucking cute.

If Niall or Giorgio saw me acting like this with him, I was fucked. I was never more than polite to Ezra when we all ate at the café. I’d played a hell of a lot of roles both in the CIA and for Vigilance, but I was used to being as real as I could be around people when I was with my teammates. With Ezra in the shop every day, that might have to change. I’d told my friends the truth; Ezra wasn’t right for me. I wasn’t going to let them see that I couldn’t play by my own rules.

5

Ezra

My first week of work went more smoothly than I’d expected. I did drop a box of Devilish Ink promotional pens on Leo’s foot, but otherwise, I managed to keep myself together. As long as he wasn’t watching me, I did an excellent job and actually enjoyed myself.

I’d always liked organizational tasks, so on my first day, I rearranged the storage closet, which had been a haphazard mess. I also streamlined the calendar system. Leo loved the changes and gave me free rein to do whatever I thought would help make things run more efficiently. For the first time, I was doing something I enjoyed and feeling valued for it. As a bonus, when things were quiet, I could sit at the desk and read. Really, it was a dream job.

The business card holder on the front desk was empty, so I headed to the storage closet to get more cards. When I closed the door behind me, I heard Leo yelling, “Fuck no! He’s not getting away.”

He was meeting with the friends he usually had brunch with, Giorgio, the long-haired man I’d first seen arguing with Leo the day we’d met, and Niall, a beautiful blond man who always wore expensive suits. This wasn’t the first time they’d been in the back for hours. I had no idea what was going on, but I’d gotten more and more convinced it was something nefarious, probably because I read far too many mysteries.

I paused by the room they were in, but after that single outburst, Leo and the others kept their voices low. I knew I shouldn’t eavesdrop, but what if Leo was in the mafia, or running drugs, or something worse? I needed to know I was really safe working at the shop. If only Cathy would tell me more. Why was she being so secretive?

She wouldn’t let you work for him if she thought you were in danger.

But she’d also warned me off him.

I started to walk away when another man—Giorgio, I think—spoke loudly enough for me to hear. “The only way we’re going to put an end to this is to kill him.”

Kill? I couldn’t have heard that right. I stepped closer and pressed my ear to the door. What the hell was I doing? If they caught me, what would they do?

“Even if he’s arrested, he’ll get out,” Leo added.

“You’re right. He needs to die.” That was Niall.

“You’re usually the one I can count on to be rational.” That was their other friend’s voice, the one I’d only heard Leo call X. I’d only seen him once, and he’d been wearing shades and a hoodie, so I didn’t really know what he looked like, but there was something familiar about him. I was sure I’d seen him somewhere. His voice sounded oddly muffled, like it was coming through a speaker. Maybe they’d called him.

Niall spoke again. “After what happened to Marco? Fuck no. I’m not going to let him get away.”

Who was Marco, and were they seriously planning to kill someone? I wanted to have misunderstood or for there to be a good reason. Were there good reasons to kill someone other than self-defense? Maybe, but not many.

My heart pounded. I should walk away. Whatever was going on, I was sure Leo didn’t want me to hear about it. He’d been kind to me even if he was absurdly bossy.