“Vivian?” The cheerful voice from outside interrupted him, and they both turned in stupid shock as the door opened. “Danny sent me with the—”
Leo stood on the threshold, the door swinging shut behind him as he stared at the two of them. Vivian had a moment to see that he held a bottle of champagne in one hand and two coupes in the other before the sound of shattering glass filled the air. Leo dropped the glasses and swung the champagne bottle.
Roy pushed Vivian aside to duck out of the way; the bottle glanced off the side of his head, shattering as it struck the wall. Leo didn’t hesitate, thrusting what was left of the bottle toward Roy’s face while the other man stumbled backward. Vivian scrambled out of the way. She was too transfixed by the fury on Leo’s face to think of calling for help.
Roy wasn’t a fighter. Looking panicked, he retreated from Leo once more, grabbing Vivian. He might have tried to put her between himself and the jagged remains of the bottle, but he didn’t have the chance as Leo tossed it aside.
Vivian heard the sound of shattering glass as if from a long way away. Her eyes were fixed on Leo, trying to understand how he suddenly had a gun in his hand.
He pointed it at Roy. “On the floor.” The gun was steady, the look in his eyes so cold she felt as though she were staring at a stranger.
She wondered for a split second what it would be like to see someone die in front of her.
Roy’s grip tightened on her arm, a moment of indecision before he shoved her toward Leo. It was only a few feet, but she was between him and the gun, and it was enough. Roy ran past while Leo, acting on reflex, caught Vivian with his free arm.
Roy kicked the door closed behind him while Vivian and Leo were still catching their breath. Even though Vivian pulled away and yanked the door open moments later, he was already gone. Darting down the stairs, she was just in time to see the door to the alley swinging closed.
The deep, panicked breaths she was gulping caught up with her a moment later. She doubled over in a fit of gasping coughs until Leo got her back inside the office and urged her into one of the chairs, their feet crunching over broken glass.
He tucked the gun into the back of his waistband as he did, and she flinched away as he crouched in front of her.
“Viv?” he asked. The coldness was gone from his eyes as he looked her over. Whatever he saw made him draw in a sharp breath, and he reached out to brush a hand against her throat, though he dropped it when she pulled away. “Talk to me, Viv. Are you okay? Can you breathe?”
She caught her breath through sheer force of will, just long enough to pull away from his hands and stand. “You should have gone after him.”
“He’s long gone.” Leo’s voice was still gentle, as if he were trying to calm a scared animal. She still flinched again as he stepped toward her. “I’ll get Danny to send someone after him as soon as I make sure you’re all right. You should sit down, sweetheart.”
“I’m not your sweetheart,” Vivian snapped, trembling. She could feel the fear building into a knot of tears that she refused to let out.
“Viv, it’s okay, he’s gone. We’re going to—”
“No.” In the silence that hung between then, she could hear the puddle of champagne fizzing against the broken glass. “What the hell are you doing here anyway?”
Leo frowned. “Danny had to finish getting the bar set up. He said you were in here waiting for a drink and asked me to bring it to you.”
The hurt and fear were bubbling up, sharp as the champagne and far more bitter. She couldn’t keep them inside. “And did Danny also ask you to show up where I work?”
“What? What does that have to do—”
“I almost got sacked this morning because of you.”
“You snuck out without a word. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Leo stared at her, his expression growing wary. Vivian glared back defiantly, but he must have seen behind that. His voice grew soothing again. “Viv, I think you’re mostly upset about what just happened. And you have every right to be,” he added quickly, seeing the quick flare of fury across her face. “I’m sorry about showing up at your work, but you have to know I’d help out if I got you in trouble. You don’t need to worry, about Roy or anything else.”
“I don’t need anyone to take care of me.” Her breathing was too fast, her heart was too fast, but she couldn’t think of a reason, much less a way, to calm down. “Especially not someone as shady as you.”
“Viv, that’s not fair—”
“How many people have you killed?”
“What?”
Vivian reached out to yank his coat aside, gesturing at the handle of the revolver sticking out of his waistband. “You were more than ready to shoot him just now.”
Leo jerked away from her. “Heattackedyou—”
“How many people have you killed?” she repeated.
He was glaring as fiercely as she was now, and his anger fueled her own. It felt right and good, because if she wasn’t furious—if he tried one more time to be sympathetic—she was going to break down in the middle of Honor’s office. And Vivian hadn’t cried where anyone else could see since she was six years old.
