Page 27

27

RYUJI

O f course, Obi was awake when I went out to the suite’s kitchen for a cup of coffee. It was already past noon; the light streamed in through the windows and illuminating his doom and gloom.

Obi had overturned the bowl I used to hide our phones and his was missing. I swiped through mine. Some update messages from Ciel and Wynn, but nothing pressing. It was a good idea to hide them. If Leona knew her bodyguard was out tracking a cartel last night, she never would have been able to relax.

Our meeting with the realtor was in a few hours, but there was no need to rush. I poured a cup from the pot Obi had already brewed. He looked up from his laptop, eyes haggard, and slightly accusing.

I grinned. “Don’t act like you didn’t love that.”

He always tried to act remorseful—like we’d made a mistake—after we’d had a good fuck. Something about not letting his inner demons out. Whatever, I kept my inner demons on full display. They liked to play just as much as I did.

I knew as well as he did that nothing had ever compared to what we did last night.

After she’d screamed my name—exactly as I promised—and he’d finished on her, we took a little break. But while Leona and I were relaxing in the bathtub, Obi slipped out of my room and disappeared for the rest of the night. I’d taken Leona back to bed and played with a finger in her ass, making her come twice more. She’d loved it, just like I knew she would. That girl was a goddess. Then we both fell asleep, tangled up in each other’s arms. Obi never returned, despite how much Leona watched the door, waiting.

He dragged a hand down his face. “Where is she?”

“Still sleeping.” I sipped my cup. “You look like you’ve been up all night.”

“I do not wish to talk about it.”

I snorted. “Well, I do. I’ve never felt better.”

“Oh, believe me, I’m aware.”

I eyed him. He had always been like this. If his control felt threatened, he pulled back. But the idiot didn’t realize letting loose was the sweetest release. “You should have come back.”

“It wouldn’t have been a good idea.”

I took another drink and shrugged. “She was waiting for you.”

His typing fingers paused mid-air, but he said nothing.

“You know, eventually you’re going to have to deal with…” I gestured the length of his body. “ This. You’re missing out.”

“You’re one to talk, Ryu,” he said, voice tight. He didn’t look up from his keyboard.

“What does that mean?”

“She is not a play toy,” he warned, glaring at me. I frowned. “She is not a quick fuck or someone you can throw away when you get bored.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

He rubbed his eyes. “You have not accepted a woman into your life in ten years. In fact, if I remember right, you have often sworn you would never. Do not play with her if you have no intention of overcoming your own problems. You will break her heart. And then where will that leave us?”

I stared, coffee cup frozen halfway to my mouth.

Breaking hearts? Where the fuck did that come from? We were having fun, and if last night were any indication, she loved it. She knew we were playing, enjoying ourselves.

“This is a business relationship,” he said as he stood and stomped to his room.

My problems.

I didn’t have problems.

All I did was protect myself and make sure my future was not dependent on anyone but me. Fucking Leona had nothing to do with that. I had been wrong about her originally, sure. And she had shown me she didn’t want to take away my freedom. So what was the issue?

This wasn’t about me. Fucker couldn’t turn it around on me.

“A business relationship?” a small voice said from behind me. I whirled.

There she stood, a sheet wrapped around her naked body. Her hair was mussed, the curls flying out at all angles. Pink colored her cheeks while her fingers tightened around the sheet.

I placed my cup on the counter and flashed her a smile. “Hey, sweetheart.”

With one hand, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “I heard him.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. I wasn’t going to make his excuses. “Yeah, that was a dickish thing to say.”

Her entire body seemed to deflate. “Why doesn’t he like me?”

I was reminded of when she’d stood in my bathroom at the penthouse and wondered the exact same thing. She’d wondered if his attitude would turn the rest of us against her. She’d second-guessed.

Fuck. This was only going to get worse.

“He does like you, Leona dear, and that is exactly the problem.”

A frown turned down her lips. “What does that mean?”

Obi’s past was not mine. As much as I wanted to explain what I knew about him, I also couldn’t explain what his fucking deal was. “You’ll have to ask him. But he’s got his own demons, and he’s just projecting.”

“I shouldn’t have?—”

“Absolutely fucking not,” I growled, interrupting her to grip both her shoulders. “Don’t you dare regret anything we did last night. Did you enjoy it?”

She nodded.

“Good. That’s what matters. It was harmless fun, and it was amazing.” I brushed my thumb over her cheek. I leaned forward so my lips brushed against the shell of her ear. “For what it’s worth, I enjoyed being buried deep inside you. I enjoyed watching your ass as I slipped into your pussy. I loved the feeling of painting your insides with my hot cum. And I can’t wait to do it over and over and over.”

She giggled, punching my chest. “Stop it. God, every word out of your mouth scandalizes me.”

I smiled, lightly flicking the tip of her nose. “Don’t worry about him, sweetheart.”

She reluctantly nodded, but shadows of doubt danced in her eyes. She would definitely worry. “Can you hand me my phone?”

Damn. Back to reality.

I grabbed it off the counter but held onto it. “Before you look, everyone is fine.”

“Oh, no.” She frowned. “What happened?”

“Everyone’s fine,” I repeated, placing the phone into her palm. “Even your bodyguard.”

She read through Ciel’s update messages, worry creasing her forehead, before she finally said, “Never a dull moment.”

“Never.” I wrapped my arms around her hips. The sheet might hide her bare skin, but I could still feel every curve underneath it. I tilted her head back and took her mouth in a deep kiss.

Her palm pressed against my chest, and she pulled away. “Chiara texted me, too.”

The best friend engaged to Volpe. I saw the video of her semi-smile. I saw how she pushed her father in front of my bullet. Even if it was an accident, even if there was no way she could have known I’d be firing at Volpe at that exact moment, I still didn’t trust her.

“What did she say?”

“Just a date and a time. That’s it. What is she trying to tell me? Why text me this? How am I supposed to know what the hell this is?”

This best friend was choosing to be awfully fucking cryptic, and it was getting on my nerves. Did we need to go rescue her, too? Should we add that to our infinite list of to-dos?

“Maybe she wants to meet.”

“Maybe. But why not just ask to meet?” She gripped the top of the sheet to keep it wrapped around her body. “Obi thinks I should try to pump her for information about Max.”

Of course he did. Always planning and always thinking ten steps ahead. “And what do you think?”

“I’m afraid she’s being used against me. I don’t want to use her back.”

“I get that. My old oyabun always tried to do shit like that to me.” I finished the rest of the coffee in my mug and felt her squeeze my hand in a gesture of support. “Send the text to Ciel and see if he can figure it out.”

“Good idea.” Her fingers tapped the screen as she forwarded the message. “When’s the meeting with the realtor?”

“In an hour or so.” I grinned, running my hands over her hips again. God, her curves drove me crazy. “Plenty of time. Let’s go back to bed.”

She stared down at her phone and shook her head. “I want to shower and get dressed. I’ll go back to my room.”

“Stop.” I reached out to grab the sheet as she stepped out of my arms. “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head, waves bouncing. “Nothing. Let’s just get today’s business done and over with. I need time to think.”

This time I didn’t try to stop her as she opened the connecting room door and disappeared inside.

“Fuck.” I stomped to Obi’s room and pounded on the door. “She heard you, fucker. A business relationship? After you came on her tits? Please .”

He didn’t answer the door, and I didn’t care to press it.

He heard me loud and clear.

The meeting with my realtor was quick and easy. The club was a perfect fit for my portfolio of properties. Apparently, the current owner was another businessman like me, on the more criminal side of the law, who was looking to offload and expand business elsewhere. Their loss. It was in a prime location for nightlife, and I’d only need to do minor renovations in order to bring it up to the level of quality, security, and discretion that I expected. It could be open in just a few months if I bought it.

Even Leona seemed impressed as she took it all in. Her eyes had lingered on the hidden alcoves in the back. Prime spots for… private conversations. Her thoughts were written all over her expression, in the way she bit her lip and in how her cheeks went bright pink. She was imagining exactly what I was imagining.

I was going to fuck her in those once the club was open.

So, obviously , I had to buy it.

But despite that, I’d told my realtor I needed the night to think it over. Something about buying it felt off. It would be easy to move forward. All I really needed to do next was sign the paperwork and pick a name.

I was thinking Lioness .

But maybe that was too fucking soon. Leona. Our lioness.

I still hesitated. Obi’s warning about not treating her like she was something to throw away echoed in my ears. My jaw clenched. Maybe I was getting in too deep.

I was thinking about naming my club after her? The club that was supposed to replace the one that blew up because of her? The one I was buying so my revenue streams would continue uninterrupted—the perfect backup plan if none of this worked out?

Damn.

I had no idea what to make of that.

“Are you going to buy it?” she asked, interrupting my thoughts. We slid back into the fortress of a car. He’d barely spoken all day, but at least Leona had cheered up a bit.

The G-Wagon roared to life with Obi driving us back to the hotel. We had a dinner reservation at a restaurant Obi recommended, but he said we needed to dress more appropriately.

I stared out the window even as my palm found Leona’s thigh. Was I going to buy it?

Owning another property that I was positive would have a tenfold return on investment, at least, was not a bad decision. Having another way to pad my bank account would be the smart choice.

But I didn’t have to buy it.

If everything went great in New York, if all our plans worked out, maybe I didn’t need it.

No. I didn’t let my dick make business decisions.

Call it whatever, a backup plan, or a future investment, but buying this club was the right choice. There were no downsides, and only upsides.

Finally, I turned to her, and nodded. “If I’m going to fuck you in it, I probably should own it, don’t you think?”

She gaped. “Ryuji. Do not buy that club just because you want to have sex there.”

I studied her. “Why not?”

She leaned across the seat, so close our noses almost touched. Her eyes flicked down to my lips with a twinkle of amusement. “Because you can fuck me anywhere.”

I instantly went hard as my mouth pulled into a grin. “Damn. Compelling point.”

She leaned back to her side of the car and eyed me. “Be serious, though. Are you going to buy it?”

I caught Obi’s eye in the rearview. It was like he could read all the insecurities of my deepest thoughts. Fuck him. He had his own problems, and he didn’t need to be getting into my head.

“Yeah. It’ll make a good addition to my portfolio.”

She nodded. “Guess it was a good idea to buy the car, Obi.”

He glanced in the rearview as he made a turn, opening his mouth to respond before his eyes went wide. “Get down!”

My body instantly went into fight mode. I grabbed the back of Leona’s neck and shoved her head down. I pulled my gun from where I’d tucked it into the back of my waistband.

Something slammed into the car. My brain took a second to register that we were spinning. The car hit the curb of the intersection, barely missing the traffic light pole, before screeching to a stop. I squeezed my eyes shut and blinked rapidly, trying to ground myself, and get ready for a fucking fight. What the hell just happened? Accident? Or worse?

“Leona!” Obi said, twisting in his seat. “Ryu! Are you both all right?”

“I’m fine,” I replied, keeping my hand on her back. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary outside the car yet, just people stopping and staring. “Sweetheart, talk to us.”

“I’m okay,” she replied, voice shaky. She moved to straighten, but I kept her down, just in case. “Did we get in an accident?”

Obi scanned the area, pulling his gun, and checking the ammo. He popped open the center console and pulled out another. “Duffel in the back?”

I nodded. We’d packed our extra bag of weapons before we left the hotel. Looks like they’d come in handy.

“Listen to me, Leona. Stay down,” I said as I double-checked my knives were still secure and positioned correctly for me to pull them. “Ambush?”

Obi nodded. “I think so.”

“ Ambush ?” Leona said, still bent over.

As soon as the words left her mouth, a line of bullets peppered the car, all the way from the back wheel, up the door, and finally to the driver’s side window. It was loud as fuck as the metal echoed off the SUV’s armor, but thankfully, nothing penetrated.

“Damn it,” Obi hissed, ducking away from the window. A bullet cracked the glass right by his head.

I locked eyes with him. “So, just to repeat, it was a good idea to buy this behemoth.”

His eyes flashed with momentary amusement. “Leona, stay here. Ryuji and I will deal with this and then we will get out of here.”

“Wait!” she interjected, but I held up my hand.

“You know I love it when you fight, but do not fight us on this. Stay in this car and don’t lift your head.”

She huffed, but neither of us cared to argue further.

The way the car was tilted after it hit the curb at least worked in our favor. Obi and I could open the doors without completely exposing ourselves to the attackers, and Leona’s side was less exposed.

“I see two cars,” Obi announced as we both slipped outside. We used our G-Wagon as a barrier while we yanked weapons from our duffel. The car that hit us had spun out, smoke leaking from the front. Four men ducked behind it, using it as cover, just like us.

“I count eight,” I said with a peek around the wheel. Four men from one car, four in the other. A bullet dinged on the metal right in front of me and I whipped back around.

“We must move fast,” Obi said, cocking his gun. “Bystanders.”

He was right. People were already gathering on the street, unsure if they should try to help or if something bigger was going down.

“Don’t have to tell me twice. You got my back?”

“Always.”

“Let’s go.”

The two of us were a well-oiled machine. We knew exactly how each other moved, how we thought, how we killed. I whirled around the side of our SUV, shooting at the men in the first car while Obi provided cover fire and targeted the second.

We sprinted across the intersection, in perfect lockstep, taking out our ambushers one by one. The four men of the first car stood no chance as we approached like two halves of the same killing machine.

Screams echoed around us as the civilians realized this was no ordinary traffic accident.

“This is inconvenient.” Obi whirled a knife at the last standing man from the first car. It landed in his throat, and he collapsed just as the two of us ducked for cover. Bullets sprayed across the other side.

“No shit. Ick, there’s blood on my shoe.” I nudged one man’s dead body out of the way with my foot so I could press my back up against the car’s metal. “Any idea who they are?”

“No,” he said as he reloaded his guns. “Nor do I know how they found us.”

“Kill first, ask questions after,” I agreed, glancing around the car, and then recoiling as we were fired at again. “We have to get back to Leona.”

He exhaled heavily before he nodded to me and stood, firing on the second group of men. Two dropped. Obi ducked back behind the car.

“Two left,” I said. “Charge them?”

“Here.” Obi tossed me a grenade, and I barked a laugh. “You have a better angle.”

“Overkill,” I sniggered as I lobbed it. It landed perfectly inside the second car. The men inside shouted, scrambling to grab hold of it, but they were too late.

Boom!

The road shook with the explosion as a ball of fire floated into the air.

Obi grinned.

Well, that was one way to take care of the rest of them.

Everything went silent. Raging black smoke billowed from the car. The two of us fist bumped. Just another day at the office.

“We need to go.” Obi stood and reached out to pull me to my feet.

Leona shouted. My head snapped toward our car on the other side of the intersection. A man’s large frame covered hers, wrestling with her on the ground.

My heart stopped. My eyes went wide. No .

I sprinted, barely registering the sound of Obi’s footsteps behind me, eyes locked on the two of them as Leona struggled to fight him off. She screamed again and my vision went fucking red .

I yanked the man off her, ready to snap his neck, slit his throat, then cut his limbs off one by one, but his eyes were glassy and his body was limp. One of our knives from the duffel bag stuck out from his heart.

Leona looked up at me, eyes wild. Ragged breaths racked her frame.

“Sweetheart.” I gulped and dropped to my knees beside her.

“I killed him,” she said, shaky at first. Then she cleared her throat and spoke again. “I killed him.”

I almost collapsed in relief. She’d killed him. My vicious girl.

I grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet, scanning her body for injuries.

“Yes, you did. Nice job, sweetheart. You okay? Are you hurt?”

She shook her head, straightening her shirt. Her jacket had ripped. Fuck, I liked that jacket. It made her look hot as fuck. “He didn’t hurt me.”

I cupped the back of her head and pulled her against my chest. Fuck, my heart felt like it was about to explode.

I looked back at the dead man’s face. Blood dripped from the side of his mouth, his face locked in a mixture of surprise, shock, and pain. Yet something about him seemed familiar.

“Obi,” Leona murmured against my chest. The only indication that he was affected at all by what had just happened was the slight increase in his breathing.

He cupped the back of her neck, pressing the pad of his thumb to the hollow of her throat. “You’re okay?”

“I’m good.”

He swiped a thumb across her cheek, wiping away a bead of blood off a scrape, before he pulled away.

“This is a shitshow.” Dead bodies and shot-up cars surrounded us. Fuck. We didn’t have the LAPD on payroll yet. We could almost guarantee we’d be on cameras or video somewhere.

Obi glanced at the shot-up G-Wagon, then down at the dead guy at our feet. He looked fucking pissed, eyebrows furrowed, and mouth turned down. “Who are they?”

Finally, it clicked where I knew the assassin.

“I know this asshole,” I said, kicking the man’s body. “A mercenary for hire I ran into once in Amsterdam.”

“Someone hired them to kill us,” Obi said, tucking his gun into the back of his pants.

“What the hell?” Indignation replaced Leona’s shock as she pulled her hair into a ponytail. “Who else knows we’re here? Did someone follow us?”

My realtor obviously knew we were here, but he was on my payroll and had been for years. He knew I’d kill him if he were anything less than discreet.

“Ciel said he kept our trail clean,” Obi said. “The only other person who knows that we’re here…”

“Kofler,” she said, eyes narrowing. Her fists clenched at her sides. “That motherfucker. He betrayed us!”

Murder passed over Obi’s face. Damn . “Get in the car. We have to go.”

Motherfucker was going to die now. He must have told Volpe, and Volpe hired assassins to come after us. Kofler betrayed us and now he’d pay the fucking price.

People did not betray us and live.

The three of us piled back inside the G-Wagon.

“Thank fuck,” I breathed as Obi pulled away from the wreckage of this intersection. At least the behemoth still worked.

We’d have to deal with damage control later. There was a rat to find. I reloaded my guns and wiped my knives down before tucking them back away.

Obi pulled out his phone. “Ciel? We were ambushed. Wipe whatever footage there is, and then find Kofler. Now . I want his exact location. I want to know where he sleeps at night. I want to know where he shits and where he fucks. Drop everything else.” He paused for a few moments to listen to Ciel speak on the other side. “Then make arrangements with the LAPD. They need to be on our payroll immediately. Use our contacts from the governor’s office.”

“Oh, yeah, I forgot we did that job,” I murmured. Leona raised an eyebrow, but I shrugged. The governor needed our help a few years ago. It was easy money, and now they owed us.

“Find Kofler. Text me coordinates.” He hung up the phone without another word. He didn’t even glance in the rearview mirror. “Time to hunt.”