Leo (Vigilance #3) - Silvia Violet Page 0,9

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.

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