Squid walks over and crouches down, getting a closer look. “Yeah. He’s one of Tink’s.”
“Where’s the passenger?” Leo asks, walking toward the SUV to stand beside me.
I shrug. “No clue”
Leo’s eyes swing up behind me as his gun does. I jerk my head, following his line of sight. Leo pulls the trigger on the guy getting ready to shoot my ass right in the head, hitting him neatly in the middle of the forehead. The guy’s head snaps back before slowly folding to the ground.
I jerk my head back to Leo, and he’s staring at the guy he just shot.
He just saved my ass without a second thought. I can’t tell by his expression if he is okay with that.
“Holy shit,” Squid breathes, slapping Leo on the back. “Nice fucking shot!”
Leo looks up, and I see a look in his eyes that I’ve seen before. He’s just taken his first life, and I know you never return from that.I need to get him home before he loses his shit.
Now I have to go home and face Alessa with a freaked-out Leo.
Fuck.
Chapter 26
Alessa
I’m fucking pissed.
When I found out Ryder took off with Leo, I panicked. Ryder barely speaks to Leo. Now he’s taking him on jobs? Not that I think Ryder will do anything to hurt Leo, but he might try to scare him off, and I can’t handle that.
I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to reign in my temper. Ryder and Leo are sitting on the couch in the living room while I relentlessly pace.
“Baby?” Leo says gently, and I hold up a hand to stop him. I just need to get my tongue under control before I kill Ryder.
I swing my eyes to Ryder, and he’s leaning back on the couch with his arms over the top, looking way too relaxed, but I can see how he’s warily staring at me.
“Did I miss it?” Gage says, running into the living room. He takes in the scene before him and flops down in the chair, ready for the show. He was just as worried that Ryder took Leo with him, and now he’s ready for me to chew Ryder out.
“Let me get this right,” I start, still pacing. “You woke up this morning, got a call from Squid that I didn’t know about.” I stop and move my eyes back to Ryder. “Then you decide to take Leo into Concrete Rowwithouttelling me. Then you get him involved in afucking drive-by!” My voice starts rising by the end. I’m so keyed up with anxiety over Leo or Ryder getting hurt that I’m about to fall right off the edge. “And if that’s not enough, you go looking for the guys who already fucking shot at you, and Leo has to save your sorry ass.”
“Wait. What?” Gage asks, sitting up in his chair. I forgot he missed that part.
“Leo saved my ass,” Ryder repeats, looking at Gage. “Some dude was trying to get the drop on me, and Leo took them out.” He turns dark eyes on me. “Il mio sole…”
“No,” I say, shaking my head, “Don’til mio soleme and try to sweet talk your way out of this, Ryder. You took him without telling me where you were going. Do you know how fucking worried I’ve been since neither of you answered your damn phone?”
“Baby, they were in the car. I’m fine. Ryder’s fine,” Leo says, sitting up on the couch. What? Are they blood bonded now, taking up for each other?
“You just fucking killed someone, Leo!” I yell and watch Leo wince. I take a breath to pull myself back together. “I need a minute.”
I hold a hand up when Ryder and Leo open their mouths before walking out of the room. I’m on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. I want Ryder and Leo to bond, and I knew there would come a time when Leo has to defend himself. But I was in meltdown mode when they wouldn’t answer the phone. I couldn’t get my heart rate to return to normal, I knew I was overreacting, but I was so damn scared.
I walk out onto the patio and take several calming breaths. Why the hell couldn’t he have just told me? Would I have been okay with it, then?
Probably not.
I hear the door open behind me and whirl around, expecting Ryder, but Dex walks out, shutting the door softly behind him. He nods his head to the table, and I follow him, sitting in front of him.
“I know this is hard, Baby girl, and I’m not excusing what Ryderdid.” He crosses his arms on the table. “But you wanted Leo to fit in and be a part of us.”
“I know,” I say miserably. “He killed someone today, Dex.”
