“You should’ve been there. She could’ve used the support.” I crossed my arms as I watched Leo lean against the island.
“Is that right?” Leo licked her lips at the challenge. “Bold little Princess, aren’t you?”
Despite the seriousness of my accusation, I could tell how much my antagonism was turning Leo on — her jaw tense with anticipation for a fight.
But instead, she moved around the counter, coming to my side and towering over me. She let her hand caress my chin as she tilted up to meet her light brown eyes, the morning sun making the flecks of gold shimmer. “Here’s the deal, darlin’: meand that asshole don’t get along. It’s not very kumbaya when I’m around. And I know those kids, have for a couple years now. It’s best for me to stay out of it.”
I kept a suspicious eye on her. “Sounds like a cop out.”
“Did Spencer tell you she wanted me there?” Leo challenged me.
Licking my lips, I shrugged. “No. But?—”
Shushing me, Leo tightened her grip on my chin as a charming smile flashed across her face. “No buts, Princess. Why are you picking a fight over something that isn’t a problem?”
“Because, if I wasn’t here, would you have let her go alone?”
“No.” Leo held my gaze. “I would’ve asked if she wanted backup. But you’re much easier on the eyes than I am. The best thing I can do for Spence and those kids is that.” Nodding her head toward the dining room, I knew she meant making calls.
Dropping my chin, Leo put her strong hands on my arms. I knew it would be easy for her to hold me in place. “If I can get those documents in Spencer’s hands, it’s evidence. A case built with legal documents that help get Caleb and Abi away from that monster as quickly as possible. It makes our little Spencer’s life a lot easier.”
I opened my mouth to fight it, trying to find the words to prove her wrong. But I came up empty. They’d been friends a lot longer than I’d been around. Fuck, even Spencer said the logistical help was more useful.
Maybe I am just picking a fight.
As if she could read my mind, Leo leaned down. Her eyes flicked between my eyes and my lips. “If you want a fight, I can give you one, Princess.”
Suddenly, it didn’t seem like such a bad idea to keep digging myself into this hole. I’d wanted to see Leo lose control, to let her really have me. I knew she’d been holding back when she took me after my kill. As I’d taken her into my mouth, I could feelthe way her hips begged to buck forward. She wanted to fuck my face, to make me choke on her strap. But she hadn’t.
Stepping toward her, I batted my lashes up there. “I fight dirty, Doctor.”
I looked up into her golden eyes, a fire of desire burning in each fleck.
But good things never seemed to last for me. Dom’s heavy footsteps fell into the room, followed by Spencer just behind her.
My stomach dropped, all the nerves of flirting with my captor overwhelmed by the tension of seeing Dom’s pissed off face. My new bracelet turned cold as she walked in, the metal chilly my skin.
At this point, I had no idea why she made me so uneasy. Maybe it was the auto shop whipping or knowing that Dom owned this mansion that just kept sparking more questions in my mind.
When my eyes flicked back to Spencer, I remembered my mission. My real one, not the culty investigation The Oracle was sending me on.
I’d seen Isaac Dumont’s name, somehow connected to Spencer and I. And I’d hoped the anxiety it had made me feel would disappear overnight, but it hadn’t. At this point, I’ve seen most of the property.
But one place remained that might jog the locked away memory that kept me awake at night.
The South Wing.
28
DOM
Stepping into the kitchen,the air felt off. My eyes snapped to Kiera’s, but that was a mistake. Her emerald green eyes made the pit of my stomach clench. Shaking my head, I turned away, shuffling toward the fridge.
Why is she looking at me like that?
Every time we locked eyes, the fear was there: that she finally recognized me, that she hated me.
I couldn’t keep living in that dread. But until things were resolved with Gabriel, there wasn’t a chance in hell that The Oracle would let me pass her off to some safe house.
