Chapter Twenty-Two
Leo De Luca did notbelieve in signs.He believed in contracts, leverage, and people showing their cards eventually.Signs were for mystics and mediums and Instagram captions.
Still, the fact that his smoothie lid popped off the second he stepped out of the shop felt personal.
“Fantastic,” he muttered, stopping just long enough to reseat the lid and wipe a streak of mango off his thumb.He glanced down at the cup of protein powder, berries, and something aggressively green that claimed to boost brain function.He needed all the help he could get lately.
He lifted his gaze toward the curb and stopped dead.
The space where he’d parked his black Range Rover not five minutes ago was empty.
Leo stood there, smoothie in hand.His brain stalled like an old laptop.The delay was brief but unmistakable, the moment before panic figured out where to land.
“No,” he said flatly.“That’s not funny.”
He turned in a slow circle, scanning the street as if the vehicle might materialize out of sheer audacity.It didn’t.The curb remained stubbornly bare.A minivan idled nearby, and someone laughed across the street.Life, apparently, was continuing as usual.
“Son of a—” He pulled his phone out, already dialing before the panic could fully set in.He didn’t call the police.He called Kayne.
“Hey, Leo,” Kayne answered, voice easy, Cajun warmth threading through the line.
“My car’s gone.”
There was a pause.The warmth vanished.
“Where are you?”
“Smoothie place on Delmar.I was inside for maybe four minutes.”
“I’m on my way.Don’t move.”
Leo let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.“I’ll try to resist chasing after it on foot.”
“Leo.”
“I’m kidding.Mostly.”
The line went dead.
Leo stayed put, pulse ticking too fast now.He took a cautious sip of his smoothie, eyes constantly moving.He hated that his life now was measuring threats, replaying timelines, and wondering which small, stupid detail he’d missed.
He was halfway through composing a mental list of insurance calls when tires squealed.
Kayne’s SUV slid to a stop at the curb with controlled aggression.Chloe was in the passenger seat, face pinched with worry.Anja climbed out of the back before the engine had fully cut, eyes already sweeping the area.
Relief hit Leo hard and fast.
“Wow,” he said weakly.“You guys travel as a unit now?”
“Yep,” Anja said, already scanning the rooftops.“You okay?”
“Physically?Yes.Emotionally?I’ve just been robbed of my heated leather seats.”
