“Your mom deserves better than having cops kick down her door to arrest her son.”
“You’re right. And thanks for not telling my mom that I basically kidnapped you.”
“Basically?” The temperature of my voice was ten degrees colder than the December air.
That didn’t faze him in the slightest. He gave a languid shrug of those broad shoulders. “You know I won’t hurt you. I’m all bark, no bite.”
I’d used that phrase myself, but only referring to me. “That’sa lie. And I’m still your ‘problem.’”
“That’s right. I hope you stay my problem for a while longer.”
I stiffened, not sure what he was implying. He sounded sincere, and his expression was somber, but most women had been fooled at least once by a few seemingly heartfelt words and a serious look.
But when Leon didn’t elaborate, I was forced to prod him for something more. “Maybe you can explain what you mean.”
“You’ve got two choices. Declan’s got a place out in the wilds of Jersey if you can believe it. No one knows about it. I only found out about it today. He offered to let us use it.”
“Why would I want that?”
If Leon was offended by my question, he didn’t show it. “I want us to stay there and lie low. At least until I can find out why I was paid to kill you and who is involved. I don’t want to leave you on your own when neither of us knows who your enemies are.”
I bristled. I was a big girl, used to taking care of myself. At the same time, this was a part of my family’s life I never thought I’d have to deal with directly. I was frightened and with good reason.
But did I trustthisman enough to go to some place isolated with no car of my own, no cell phone, and no money or credit cards? I’d be completely dependent on him.
“What’s my other choice?”
Was that a flicker of disappointment in his eyes, there and gone again almost too quick to see? Ha. I thought it was. I almost preened.
“The other option is me dropping you off somewhere you can contact your father directly. Not at your penthouse. Somewhere safer. Somewhere public.”
I couldn’t believe he was making the offer to let me go. Did he really expect me to choose anything other than escape?
“Take me back to my family.” An intense yearning to be somewhere safe again hit me hard. Those occasional fantasies of me leaving my old life behind and doing something new and crazy with no ties to the past now only felt dangerously naïve. I’d had enough “new and crazy” to last me a lifetime.
He stared at me, his expression unreadable. Finally, he nodded curtly. “If that’s what you want, I’ll keep my word.”
I didn’t know if I dared to believe him. He’d done everything he’d said he would so far, so part of me did have faith that he would do as he’d said. At the same time, the possibility of having this nightmare over soon seemed so achingly wonderful that I felt stunned.
But still, my big mouth couldn’t help but push things, even with escape dangled right in front of me.
“Aren’t you afraid my father will try to have you killed?” I asked him.
“Yes.”
“They’re going to ask me questions. The police. My father. Aren’t you afraid of what I’ll tell them?”
“Yes. But I don’t think your father will involve the police.” He said it bluntly, speaking as though there was never any doubt.
“Because of that code of silence?”
Leon nodded again.
“Why would you want me to stay with you a second longer than necessary? You hate me. You think I’m a spoiled little princess.”
I hated the wrenching twist to my words as if his opinion of me caused me any kind of pain.
“I was wrong.”
