“Stop!” I cry. I stomp over and grab Leo’s arm, startled by his heat but holding on and tugging just the same. Benny and Baz finally snap out of it and move in to help. “He brought me because I asked him to, Leo. Get off him now!”
My touch snaps him out of whatever berserker rage grips him. He hops to his feet and turns toward me, crowding close. He cups my face and peers into my eyes. My breath catches at the intensity in his brown eyes. I think he’s about to kiss me, which would be an epic mistake. The man he just beat up has the unhealthy opinion that I somehow belong to him. This could go even more sideways than it already has.
I shoot Maddox a silent plea for sanity to prevail here if he can make it happen. But Leo pulls back as if he’s touched an open flame, putting distance between us. I flinch at the sudden shift in his demeanor. The wild passion that had gripped him must have clouded his judgment just long enough for me to see something different—something I wish I saw more often from him.
“Are you fucking crazy, Celeste? There are people in this city who’d stop at nothing to get back at Papá Flores and use you to do it. Why isn’t Manny with you?”
I don’t see the point in correcting him. Those enemies might have existed a few years ago, but my father’s dealt with everyone in Los Angeles who could truly harm us, and my need for a bodyguard twenty-four seven isn’t as dire as it used to be. The only real enemy Papá still has is in Mexico, and as far as I know he doesn’t set foot in Los Angeles at all anymore.
“I gave Manny the night off. I don’t need to be protected just to visit buildings we own.”
“You don’t think she’s safe with me?” Gustavo challenges. He pushes himself to his feet, hand cupping his cheek. Blood wells between his fingers and his eyes are black with anger. Leo’s the one in real danger, but I don’t think he realizes it at the moment.
I grit my teeth as I step between the two angry men.
“My safety isn’t an issue, got it? I came with Gustavo because I wanted his opinion on something.” I dart a glance at Maddox, opting not to divulge the reason for this visit.
My father’s organization owns several properties downtown, including this building, which has been on our books for thirty years. Situated on a busy corner near downtown, it’s an old two-story building that was once an auto-body shop. The space was repurposed years ago to house a dance studio, which still takes up the majority of the first floor. Evidently, Maddox has turned a portion of it into a tattoo shop within the past year. The building sits on a piece of land worth millions, yet Papá has made no move to sell despite it clearly being the most financially sound decision. My hope was that bringing Gustavo down here to assess the place would help me convince Papá it’s time to let it go and invest the money elsewhere. Since real estate is the biggest piece of our legitimate income, we can’t let opportunities like this lie fallow.
Maddox’s presence here is unexpected, though, and changes everything. I hadn’t expected to be bombarded with old memories, even though this place holds a lot of important ones. I was ready to let them go and move on with my life until I stepped through that door. But Leo and Gustavo are barely able to contain their animosity, and my interference is losing its effect. Thankfully, Maddox steps up and claps a hand on Leo’s shoulder, steering him to one of the chairs nearby. Benny and Baz close in around Leo, who is more of an idol to them than Gustavo is, thank God, and settle down beside him.
“Sit and cool off for a second while I handle this.” Maddox glances at me, then his eyes slide to Gustavo. “You want to come back and let me take a look at those cuts?”
Gustavo gives him a wary look, and Maddox’s eyes narrow. The pair don’t act like strangers by any stretch. There’s a chance they’ve met already—under much more violent circumstances.
After a beat, Gustavo nods. He grabs my hand as he rounds the counter to follow Maddox, shooting Leo a challenging look as he drags me along with him. I’m too stunned by the circumstances to resist, and as much as I want to check on Leo, I’m far more curious about the tattooed man who has returned to haunt my life, the ghost of a past I thought long buried.
That it’s him shouldn’t surprise me. His mother holds the lease on the dance studio and has for decades. What surprises me is that he’s even here. I haven’t seen him since we were teens.
He’s all action when he directs Gustavo to sit, then heads to a cabinet and hauls out a large, dun-colored backpack and proceeds to pull out supplies. Turning once, he scrutinizes Gustavo’s bleeding lip and bruised knuckles.
“I’m going to kill that fucker,” Gustavo mutters.
Maddox meets my eyes, his lips pressed into a grim line before redirecting his attention to Gustavo. He probably knows Gustavo doesn’t make idle threats.
He pulls Gustavo’s hand away from his face, places gauze over it, and presses tight for a second, then pulls it away again. I wince at the fresh flow of blood that wells from a deep cut slicing across the top of Gustavo’s cheek.
“Hold this tight,” Maddox says, and Gustavo takes over pressing the blood-soaked gauze to his cheek while Maddox fishes in his kit for more supplies.
What the hell was Leo thinking? Gustavo calls the shots for my father’s men, Leo and his brother Manny included, when they aren’t on task to watch me. He has the means to destroy Leo for what just happened,
