back to the beginning and have it happen some other way, but . . .” His voice trailed off as if he was waiting for me to jump in and say it was okay. That I understood. Sure, I understood. I understood that he’d started a relationship with me under utterly false pretenses. So even if the feelings we’d shared had been real, the foundation of everything was false. The bad canceled out all the good, and the fragile trust I’d offered him was irrevocably broken.
“How can I make this up to you?” he asked.
“You can’t.”
“I’m going to try anyway. I have to get these items back to Mrs. Wellington, but when all this is over, I hope you’ll forgive me, and maybe we can start again?”
Had he conked his head when he’d jumped on Mick? Did he have a concussion? Because he wasn’t making any sense.
“When all of this is over, Leo? It is over, and so are we. We are so very over. Go ahead and take all this gorgeous crap back to where it belongs, get your paycheck, and then don’t come back here. I don’t want to see you again.”
“You don’t mean that.” His refusal to take me seriously just added to my anger.
“Oh, I do mean that, and it’s the most polite version of my feelings that you’re going to get, so unless you want to hear me start swearing and calling you every vile name I can think of, you will back the fuck up and leave me alone.”
Leo may have been keeping his voice down, but I had not, and the others turned to stare. Mick snickered, earning him a cuff on the head from Gina.
“Ow,” he cried out melodramatically. “That’s police brutality.”
“I’m not the police, you moron,” she said, draping a coat over Mick’s handcuffed hands. “And remember, keep your mouth shut from the moment we leave this house until the moment we deliver you back to your parole officer, or we will turn you in for having a weapon and possession of stolen goods.”
“I don’t have any stolen goods.”
Gina picked up a bracelet laden with garnets and diamonds and dropped it into the front pocket of Mick’s shirt. “Possession,” she said.
She and Leo left soon after with a backpack full of very expensive jewelry, and each with an arm looped around one of Mick’s elbows. Leo cast one last glance my way.
“I’ll call you, Brooke,” he said.
“Don’t bother. I won’t answer.” And I meant it.
Dmitri sighed beside me as the door shut behind them. “Don’t be too hard on the kid. He was just doing his job.”
I walked into the kitchen and pulled the cork from a bottle of red wine. “He lied to me, Dmitri. About some pretty important stuff.”
“Yes, he did,” he said, joining me in the kitchen and pulling two glasses from the cupboard. “But for what it’s worth, I think he really cares about you. Don’t underestimate the value of that. I left behind a woman I loved and have regretted it every single day since. Don’t make that same mistake.”
“Our situations are totally different, Dmitri. You avoided Alice because you wanted to protect her. Leo did the complete opposite. He didn’t think at all about how any of this was going to affect me.” I filled the glasses with wine and took a gulp. This was not an occasion for sipping.
“I suppose, but there’s no way he could have anticipated any of this. And I want you to know how sorry I am for my part in it. I let you down, Brooke. You deserved better.”
I did deserve better, but somehow that didn’t make me feel any better. Leo was gone, and I knew what lay ahead. Weeks of heartache while my brain and my heart went to war with each other. I took another slug of wine and shoved those thoughts away. This wasn’t the time to indulge in tears. I’d save that for later.
“I expect a lifetime supply of free honey,” I said instead.
Dmitri lifted his glass to toast. “Done. Here’s to a lifetime supply of free honey for you and a life free of crime for me.”
We drank, and suddenly an expression of realization crossed his face. “Oh my goodness, Brooke. Do you know what this means?”
“What?”
“I don’t have to wear that stupid beekeeping hat anymore. No one is looking for me.” His bright smile exposed that gap between his teeth. “And do you know what else this means?”
“What?”
“It means I can take