Page 15

Katie

“Oh no, please, Leo, don’t—I beg you. Please.”

Leo’s serious expression turns into a laugh.

“You are very easy to wind up, Kat-er-een. I’m not completely evil, you know. I’m not a good person, either, but I have reasons for what I do. Plus, I think his fear of what might happen to him will be punishment enough.”

“What is it, exactly, that you do?”

Leo looks at me, eyebrows furrowed. He’s clearly contemplating how much to tell me.

“I am the leader of the Guerra organisation. We rule everything in our territory, from the drug dealers on the streets to the highest-level government officials. We provide protection for those who require it while eradicating problems efficiently.”

“So you sell drugs, corrupt the government with blackmail, probably, charge people money for not killing them, and kill anyone that stands in your way?”

Leo is visibly annoyed by my interpretation.

“No, that is not how it works,” he huffs.

“Well, explain it to me then.”

Leo sighs—though, really, it's more of a growl. He leans back on his hands and looks out to sea.

“The world will never be a perfect place, Katherine. There will always be good, and there will always be evil. Both are needed; there cannot be one without the other. The police and government cannot stop or control all crime, drug dealing, or human trafficking. But we can. We ensure all drugs which are sold are safe and of good quality. I only import the best. We do not sell to children. We keep crime rates at a low because if you steal from the corner shop, you are stealing from me. I despise human trafficking; I do not tolerate it, which is more than I can say for our rivals. Truth be told, this isn’t the life I would have chosen for myself.

I wasn’t born to rule. That was my brother.

But when he passed, the duty fell on to me. ”

Stunned into silence, I open the cooler bag and take out two bottles of water. I hand Leo one and take a drink of mine. I’m unsure what I expected him to say, but it wasn’t that. I actually kind of understand, which shocks the hell out of me .

“I have done a lot of bad and cruel things, and I will continue to do so. But I have done these things to bad people so that I can protect the good ones.”

Lying down on the blanket, I close my eyes to shield them from the sun. Leo lies beside me, his arm and fingers slightly touching mine. A tingle runs through me.

“I don’t expect you to understand or agree, Katherine. But you will need to accept it, and I swear, I will never hurt you; you will forever have my protection.” He turns on his side, and I can feel him watching me.

“You know, Leo, I have dreamt about this for so many years. I prayed that one day we would find each other. I’ve imagined lying on a beach with you again so many times.”

“Do not lie to me.” He slumps back down onto his back.

I sit up to look at him. “I’m not lying. What do you mean?”

He sits up, staring at me hard. He’s guarded again in Guerra mode. “I came looking for you. I saw you with him. You had moved on.”

“What, when?”

“I hadn’t heard from you for months, years; my letters were sent back. My phone calls went unanswered. As soon as I was able, I flew to England. I found you. You had changed your name and were living with some guy—Paul?”

“Paul?” I laugh.

“I don’t find this funny, Kat-er-een. During the days I wasted my time searching for you, my brother was being hunted down and killed.” He stands up and walks away; he’s so angry.

“Leo, wait.”

He continues to walk away from me.

I run after him. “Please, Leo, let me explain.”

“There is nothing to explain. Pack up, we are leaving.”

“No!”

“No?!” Leo turns; he looks twice his size, so fierce.

Pushing down the fear filling my body, I stand my ground.

“If I am to be your wife, Leonardo Guerra, you will respect me and listen to me.”

He tilts his head to one side but says nothing, so I continue.

“Paul is my dad. And the reason I never answered your calls and letters was because we were evicted from our home. I came home from school one day, and everything I owned had gone. I was left with nothing. Believe me; I fought so hard to get my belongings; the only things I actually cared about were my letters from you. My mum had got herself in a mess with the wrong guy yet again, but that’s a story for another time.

It was the last straw for my dad, so he took me in.

I didn’t change my name. My dad has always called me Katie; it's a nickname, like Leo, short for Leonardo?”

He stands tall, staring right through me, obviously processing what I have just said.

“Come on, let's sit back down and have something to eat.”

He doesn’t move. Just looks at me. I calmly walk towards him and take his hand. He lets me guide him back to the blanket.

We sit together, and I get out the food Alga has made.

Leo takes the sandwich I offer him but doesn’t eat.

Just stares out to sea. Deciding not to push him, I make small talk about the food Alga has made, how much I have enjoyed her cooking, and how lucky he is to have live-in help.

Growing up, I lived off super noodles and cheese on toast until I moved in with Dad.

When living with my mum, we’d go from one month having hardly any money to the next living in luxury.

It all depended on how wealthy Mum’s boyfriend at the time was.

Most days, I’d make my own meals, so it was whatever we had in and the easiest. My parents were only teenagers when they had me; they did the best they could .

Curiosity fills me. I need to know what happened when he came to find me. I need to know what happened to his brother. Our silence is broken when a wet fluff ball comes and sticks her nose in our picnic.

“Macy! Get back here!” I hear Emmaline shout.

“Oh, hello again, Macy dog,” I greet my little friend. She’s so cute.

Emmaline and Alfie make their way over to us.

“I’m so sorry—oh, hi, Katie. It’s good to see you again.”

At this point, Macy is climbing on Leo, trying to lick his face. I worry for a second, but he soon starts stroking her and rubbing her ears.

“Hi, Emmaline, Alfie, it’s nice to see you again too. This is Leo.” I gesture to Leo, who seems quite taken with their dog.

Emmaline does a double-take, her face flushing. I’m not sure if it’s because she knows who Leo is or it’s just the fact that he is incredibly hot sitting here in his tiny swim shorts.

Leo’s phone rings.

“Excuse me for a few minutes.” Leo walks away while he speaks.

“Come join me, guys. We’ve so much food here, and I owe you from last time.”

Emmaline and Alfie both help me make a small dint in the amount of food we have. With the box full of fruit and refreshments plus the picnic Alga made us, which could feed about ten people, we have far too much.

“Can I go look for some crabs, Mum?”

“Sure, just be careful you don’t slip on the rocks. And don’t go too far out!” Emmaline shouts after Alfie, who is already making his way along the breakwater.

“Katie, how long have you known Leo for?”

“A long time, actually. Well, we met about fifteen years ago and have met up again recently.”

“Ahh, so… you know who Leo is, right?”

I sigh. “Yes, I know.”

Bark! Bark!

The sound of barking fills my ears.

“Is that Macy?” I ask.

Macy is in the sea, barking frantically. Macy does not like the water, yet she is running into the waves.

“Oh my god, Alfie!” Emmaline makes a run for the water.

I see Alfie lying half on the rocks and half in the sea .

He isn’t moving, apart from a slight sliding movement as he is edged further into the waves.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a flash of olive skin. It’s Leo. He is running along the wall of rocks, each step a fast, precise movement. He reaches Alfie, lifts him with ease, and more slowly and carefully carries him back to the beach. Macy follows barking behind them.

After placing him in his mother’s arms, he checks him over. Emmaline cries and falls to her knees. Leo supports them both, settling them in the sand.

Leo calls his name. “Alfie, can you hear me? Alfie?”

Emmaline just holds him. She is clearly in shock and has no idea what to do.

Leo checks his pulse and then checks his head.

Emmaline starts to panic. Her breathing becomes erratic. “We need to get him to a hospital.”

“Emmaline, look at me.” Leo instructs. She instantly does as he says. Even during such a traumatic event, Leo still commands the power.

“Alfie is going to be fine. He has a small cut with a bump on his head. He’s just knocked himself out for a while.

” As Leo talks, Alfie begins to stir. “My team will be here shortly—ahh here they are now.” Leo nods in Marco’s direction.

He is with a guy I don’t recognise carrying a green medical bag.

I back away to give them some room; I feel useless just standing here. There’s a crowd starting to gather around.

“The boy will be fine. Thank you for your concern. Please give the family some privacy,” the guy with the medical bag says as he moves people out of the way.

The crowd quickly disperses except for one man. Leo glares at him, but he doesn’t get the message. He then gets his phone out; surely, he can’t be taking a photo.

“Are you deaf? Leave!” The man jumps as Leo snatches his phone from his hand and throws it into the sea.

After a few minutes, Alfie is fully awake, thank goodness.

Leo arranges for Marco and the medic to take them home and for the medic to stay until Alfie is out of danger.

I pack up their things from the beach and get Macy’s lead on.

We follow Marco, who is carrying Alfie, and the medic, who talks to Emmaline as they walk up the beach and then gets them settled in the SUV.

I’m amazed at Leo’s prompt organisation.

“You saved the boy’s life, Leo.” Grabbing his arm, I give it a little squeeze. “How did you get Marco and that medic here so quickly? ”