Leo (Vigilance #3) - Silvia Violet Page 0,63
can’t handle. Leo asked me to help you close the shop and take you to a safe location.”
“We’re not safe here?”
“You won’t be once the rest of us leave.”
I frowned. “Where is Leo?”
“I’ll explain once we’re in the car on the way to our destination.”
“Is he still here? Did he already leave?”
Niall hesitated, then said, “He needed to go on ahead.”
I tried not to let Niall see how hurt I was. I’d thought Leo and I would have at least one more night together, but it looked like the plan to get Swain was in motion.
I should be thrilled. I wanted Swain taken down, but the knowledge that once he was out of the picture everything would be over made me feel like I was going to crack apart. I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting back tears so I could focus on what needed to be done before leaving the shop.
I’d already rescheduled most of Leo’s appointments for the week, knowing he might have to leave. I checked with the other artists and made sure they were set for the day and that there wasn’t anything they needed before I left.
Niall escorted me from the building to a black sedan. I moved like an automaton as I sank into the passenger seat and closed my door. “Are you taking me back to Leo’s apartment?”
“No. We’re going to Weston.”
“Why? What’s there?”
“Swain.”
“Wait, you’re taking me with you on the—What do you call it? Takedown? Mission? Some super-secret code word?”
Niall smiled. “Operation works fine, but I’m actually taking you to one of the Marchesis’ homes. It’s close to the house where Swain is hiding out.”
“I thought Leo wanted me as far away as I could be from all this.”
“He might’ve thought that at one time, but the most important thing to him is that you’re safe. The Marchesis have security that almost rivals X’s.”
“Will they be there?”
I was curious to meet Angelo’s cousin, Devil, and his brother, Lucien, but I didn’t think I was up for that tonight.
“Devil won’t be. He and Joe are on their honeymoon. I’m not sure about the others.”
“Leo told me Joe was part of your organization.”
Niall glanced over at me briefly. “What else has he told you about us?”
His surprised tone made me wary. “Maybe I shouldn’t say.”
“He rarely talks about our work with anyone, not even the things we do that don’t need to be kept secret.”
“The other night, when I ran out of the shop to help him and saw him shoot a man, he must have decided he better tell me a little bit about what he did.”
Niall laughed. “You would think that, but if Leo doesn’t want to tell you something, he’s not going to.”
I didn’t want to talk about Leo anymore. “How did you find Swain?”
“Our… computer expert—”
“Hacker?”
Niall smiled. “You could call him that. He tracked Swain down for us.”
“That couldn’t have been easy. I’m sure Swain has done everything possible to hide if he’s evaded you for this long.”
“He has, but our guy is really damn good.
“So Swain is in Weston?”
“Yes. The house where he’s hiding out used to belong to a relative of his wife, but it changed hands fairly recently. The new owner only exists on paper.”
“Meaning it’s some alias of Swain’s?”
“Right, a persona he created to hide behind.”
“And now that you’ve found him, you’re going to…”
Niall glanced at me then back at the road. “Don’t worry about the details. We’re going to take care of the situation.”
“I know what you do, and I understand that in Swain’s case it’s necessary. He’s hurt a lot of people.”
“He has.”
“But it’s still dangerous going after him.”
He glanced over at me again. “Leo is the best. Giorgio too. X brought the three of us in because he knew our skills were unrivaled in our agencies. You don’t need to worry.”
Leo was going after a man who had everything to lose, a man who was willing to sell teenagers as sex toys. How the hell could I not worry?
An hour later, Niall and I were settled at the Marchesis’ house. It was massive and beautifully decorated without being showy. Their housekeeper, Gemma, insisted we have hot beverages and something to eat. She brought me coffee that was perfectly brewed and a slice of apple cake with caramel frosting that was to die for. I actually felt happy for a few moments as I sat in a tall-ceilinged room that looked out on the back lawn.
After a few bites, I couldn’t help but tune back