I’m assuming it’s not a bomb, which means it can only be one thing. A fucking camera.
“Hey, you okay?” Leo steps around the counter toward me. He holds out his hand, so I slip mine inside his and let him pull me up.
Instead of finding my balance, I fall against his chest, lifting up and whispering against his ear.
“Please follow my lead. Trust me,” I implore before moving my head and tugging him down until I can press my lips to his.
He freezes for a minute, and just when I think he’s going to push me away and demand to know what the fuck is going on, he starts responding. His hands slip to my hips before dropping to my ass.
Before I can catch my breath, I find myself hoisted up, my legs circling his hips as I wrap my arms around his neck and whisper in his ear, “Bedroom.” He doesn’t need telling twice, moving across the room at a rapid pace, shoving a door open with his hip before I find myself in his bedroom.
“Closet,” I mutter, feeling him thicken against me. I can’t lie, the effect his kiss is having on me is making everything else fuzzy.
“Closet? Okay.” He chuckles, likely thinking I’m just a little odd. I mean, he’s not wrong, but if he thinks I’m bringing him in here to be fucked, he’s sadly mistaken.
He pulls open his closet door, and as soon as we’re inside, I wriggle until he places me on my feet.
I push the door closed and turn to face him, my chest heaving.
“Babe, are you sure about this?” he asks, confused, but his eyes are filled with lust.
I step forward until my front is against his and place my fingers over his mouth.
“I found a camera in your kitchen, so unless you put it there, someone is watching. If there are cameras, I’d imagine there might be listening devices too.”
He pulls back, looking down at me with anger this time, all signs of lust disappearing.
“Are you fucking serious?” he growls.
I nod. “It’s under the kitchen cupboards. If I hadn’t dropped the spoon, I wouldn’t have even noticed it. But that’s not all.” I chew my lip as I dig inside my pocket and pull out the item I found near the stool earlier—a bright pink pacifier.
His eyes widen for a second before I find myself pinned to the door with his hands wrapped around my neck.
“Whatever the fuck you think you know, you don’t,” he snaps, his hands tightening a little in warning.
I don’t fight him. I’m not sure I could if I tried. Even though I have my knife in my bra, I’d rather not use it when I can see fear guiding his actions.
“Let me go and I’ll make you a deal,” I choke out.
He releases me abruptly, making me stumble a little. Running his hands through his hair, he looks at me warily before a flash of regret crosses his face. I have a sinking feeling it’s not because of what he’s done but what he’s about to do to keep his secret.
I talk quickly. “Listen to me, I’m guessing you have a daughter?” He doesn’t answer, but I can see a twitch in his cheek.
“Do not bring her here under any circumstances. Whatever has been seen can’t be changed, but it can be underplayed. It could be your girlfriend’s kid. You can claim you’ve broken up and she has taken off, taking the kid with her.”
“Why the fuck should I trust you?” he spits.
“Because right now, I’m all you’ve got. You’re in this up to your neck, and it’s not just your life on the line. It’s your little girl’s. I can’t do much to help you, and after seeing you fight I doubt you’ll need it, but I can help with your kiddo. I’ll make you a deal. Form an allegiance with me, not division twelve and ten or Gemini and Leo, but as you and me, the kids from the gutter. We can have each other’s backs, and I swear on all that’s holy that if anything happens to you, I will protect your daughter as if she were mine.”
His chest is heaving now, his breath rushing in and out as he processes my words, his eyes flicking around the closet before returning to me.
“Why?” he grunts out, but I don’t miss the flash of relief in his eyes.
“Because I can, because it’s the right thing to do, and because I’ll be damned if I