Page 60 of The Tower

He wanted it all. And then he wanted to take her even higher.

“Damn,” said a soft voice behind him. “Did I miss the early show?”

Liam turned to face his little brother, who was leaning against the doorjamb. “Funny.” He grabbed his trousers off the floor, then moved into the connecting room, pushing Leo further inside. Then he tugged the door to the bedroom closed, leaving only a crack so he’d hear if Sasha woke up.

“I could have sworn you gave up B-and-E,” he said, sliding on his pants before settling into the overstuffed chair.

Leo snorted as he took a seat on the couch, his boot-covered feet landing hard on the polished coffee table. “Nah, just cut back. And if you didn’t want my company, you should have put the chain on the door.”

“And that would have kept you out?”

“Hell no. But it might have bought you another minute or two.” He lifted his chin, indicating the door beyond which Sasha slept. “That was quite a show. Tell me what you’re up to.”

“And I’m required to do that because why?”

Leo spread his hands and flashed his most charming smile. “Hello? Because it’s me. And because I helped you out tonight. And because you’re an impulsive SOB who needs to be held in check, and⁠—”

“I’m impulsive?”

Leo waved the words away. “I’m the youngest. I’ve got a rep for being reckless, careless, all that shit. If I go and burn down Nevada, folks’ll just nod and say, ‘Well, what did you expect from Leo?’”

“You’ve got a grudge against Nevada?”

Leo wrinkled his nose. “It’s all the buffets. Any state with that many buffet meals has some serious issues.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

“And you can’t keep changing the subject. When did you dip your toe into the high-risk yet often profitable vocation of kidnapping? Because both Victor Reed and Desmond Bane are losing their shit in the media.”

“I know,” Liam said. “Delightful, isn’t it?”

“It’s a pretty sweet sound, sure. But I thought you hated Sasha Reed.”

“And I thought you knew that there are a lot of ways to manipulate a woman. Sex sits pretty high on that list.”

Leo grinned. “So, we done with the sparring?”

“For now. And thanks for the help tonight.”

“Anytime,” Leo said, and Liam knew he meant it. In his entire family, Leo was the only one who would come through for him without question or hesitation.

“From where I was standing, it looked like you’re a little sweet on the girl. Don’t suppose you noticed she’s a Reed.”

Liam met Leo’s gaze dead on. “So’s Ruby, more or less. I guess you’re saying you felt nothing for her.”

“Got it in one,” Leo said, his animated face turning to stone. “She was just a good time that went very, very bad.”

“Uh-huh.”

Leo recrossed his arms. “So what’s the deal? You steal her out from under Reed’s nose at the gala, and then what? Tell me the endgame.”

“Another time,” he said.

“Dude, don’t leave me hanging.”

“I’ve got her father in the crosshairs. That’s all I’ll say,” he added, wondering why he was hesitant to talk to Leo about how Sasha fit into his plans, especially since, of all his friends and family, Leo was the only one he could truly talk to.

But not about her. Not about this. Not yet. Maybe not ever.