Page 34 of Power & Punishment

“Tell me what happened to my brother and I’m all yours, Leo. I promise not to steal anything this time.”

He stares so intensely at my lips and for a second, I think I might have him. He even dips his face close enough that I can feel the warmth of his breath against my mouth. But then he releases my hand and it drops at my side.

Something unfamiliar flashes across his face. It isn’t anger or the amusement he wears so well. This is something softer. The mask snaps back into place before I can look any closer.

“Do you think you’ve earned your answers yet?”

I grind my teeth together as I feel the anger begin to tighten into a thick knot. What was with this man and riddles? Did he think he was a fucking Batman villain or something?

“Men are so complicated,” I groan, taking a step back. He watches me closely as I retreat, and unless I’m delusional, he looks disappointed. “If you’re not going to stick to your end of the deal, then why even make it?”

“Because I like you,” Leo grins, the soft light of streetlights glaring against his bright white smile, “but you’re right.”

“I am?” I ask, my eyes widening. I didn’t think those words were in his vocabulary.

“Partially,” he says, running a hand through his messy hair. I wonder how many times he did that waiting for me. “I still need you on a tight leash, but if you do manage to find Vince’s killer, that wouldn’t be a terrible thing.”

I still, pushing down the instinct to press harder and demand details. Keith and I make a good team because he is the calm partner who you feel comfortable confiding in. I am the aggressive one who demands answers and uses whatever it takes to get them. But Leo makes me feel like a clown with a heavy badge weighing me down. I can’t figure him out.

“What can you tell me?” I ask, deciding to take a page out of Keith’s book.

“Don’t go soft on me now, Cara,” he says, lowering his voice.

I curl my hands into tight fists. “How has no one shot you by now?”

His smile lingers, fueling the tingling sensation skating across my skin.

“Maybe they have and I’m just really hard to hit.” He winks, his gaze catching on my gun peeking out of my jacket.

I roll my eyes and let out a puff of hot air. “Sounds like a challenge to me.”

He grins, excitement flashing across his face. “You want something useful? How about the location where Vince was killed?”

Leo raises his brow, waiting for me to react. But I keep calm, even though if he can tell me where Vince was killed, that would be a huge step for us. Even if the blood is long gone, there might still be evidence. Evidence I need desperately.

“You already know the body was moved,” he observes.

I lift my chin, fighting a cocky grin. “The medical examiner flagged it, but it was obvious,” I reply evenly.

“Good. That means we can skip the part where I insult your intelligence.”

I squeeze my eyes into two thin slits. “Very funny. Now get to the point.”

Before I can blink, Leo pushes off the counter and crosses the kitchen, boxing me into a small corner. He isn’t close enough to touch me, but his presence is overpowering enough. “Your brother was shot in the back alley of the Velvet Room.”

“The strip club?”

“Not just any strip club,” Leo says, letting his hand delicately sweep over my side. A chill runs down my spine. “That’s where Enzo Caruso does most of his business. Vince was meeting with him the night he got killed.”

I swallow hard when his hand lands right above my gun. Everything in the room blurs and I can feel my pulse thumping inside my ears. “I thought Vince was with you before he died.”

“He was,” Leo admits, leaning closer until his lips brush against my ear. A slow vibration settles low in my gut as the warmth of his breath caresses my neck. “But we didn’t leave together, so how did he end up with my valet ticket?”

“Y—you’re saying that someone framed you?” I ask, struggling to focus. I forcefully press my hands against the wall, making sure my body doesn’t betray me. I even try to turn my chin away from him, but then he reaches up and grabs it.

“Finally, Emilia,” he says, his lips now feathering over the shell of my ear. “You’re asking the right questions.”

His hot breath ghosts over my ear one more time before dropping his hand and stepping away. A satisfied look falls over his face as his eyes trail up and down my body. I fight back the nerves uncoiling inside me and step into his space instead.