Loving Leo (The Romanovsky Brothers Book 3) (25 page)

Reggie saw his father’s mind working, saw him wavering.  “Protecting Zoey means keeping the truth from her
forever. 
He will do anything, Dad.   Even if it means losing Novsky.  Trust me.”  Reggie’s eyes widened.  “He will sell.  And once he sells, the Romanovskys will lose every inch of power they have.” Reggie waited for more fight from his father.  It didn’t come.  “I would do it the night of the gala.  I’m sure Val is going to make another sizable contribution to keep you out of his hair.  I’ll wait for him to hand over the check, and then I’ll strike.”

Victor took a deep breath, hands back in fists at his mouth.  A heavy weight floated between them.  “Let me think about it.”

Reggie straightened in his dining chair, fighting a smile.  He knew that
let me think about it,
was the closest thing to a yes Victor King ever gave.

Even if he didn’t say it, Reggie could feel his father’s approval from across the table.

He breathed it in like oxygen, already yearning for more.

***

When Zoey stepped into her apartment later that week and saw it teeming with dozens of men, all in black wearing latex gloves, she froze in the doorway.

“The hell?” she whispered, slamming the door as she stepped inside, eyes scanning the penthouse.

From the kitchen, Val caught sight of her and zoomed to the foyer, eyes wide.  “Zo.  You weren’t supposed to be back until later tonight.”

“Angie wasn’t in the mood for company.  And should I be apologizing for showing up early to my own home?” Zoey motioned around her.  “Who in God’s name are all these people?”

Val ran a hand down his face.

Zoey recognized the move.  She wondered if he knew how much he did it.  “And don’t you dare lie to me, Val.”

One of the men approached Val from the side, but he was so entrenched in his discussion with Zoey that he didn’t even see him.  It wasn’t until Zoey snapped her head to him that Val did as well. 

Zoey read the logo on his shirt:
Sterling Security.

The older, graying worker with a thick beard pressed his lips together.   “No wire taps, Mr. Romanovsky, but we did find this.”  He held up a tiny black device in one hand, and a pen in the other.  “And this.”

Val frowned, shaking his head.

“This is a camera,” the man answered, shaking the black device.  “It was planted behind an outlet in your kitchen.  And this pen…” He held up the pen.  “Is implanted with an RF bug.  Picks up any audio in a ten-foot range.  Quite simple to detect, impossible to trace.”

Zoey’s eyes widened.

Val turned away, shoving his hands into his hair.  “
Fuck.
”

His scream hit every wall and seemed to reverberate around the room, dying a slow death that left every person in it lingering in the stilled silence.

“A camera?  A bug?”  Zoey asked, snatching the pen from the man’s hand.  She only had a moment to take in his dumbfounded expression before looking to Val.  “This is a security sweep?”

Val turned to her, running his hand down his face.  He was clearly still processing the fact that a camera had been planted in his apartment.

“Answer me,” she screamed.  “I’m sick of this, Val.  Why the hell are you having our home swept for bugs?”

Snapping out of it, Val crossed the room and took Zoey’s hand, pulling her out into the hallway where they could have some privacy. 

Once in the hallway, Zoey turned to the door, arms crossed tight, waiting for Val to close it behind him.

“You had better talk to me,” she said, meeting his eyes.  Her engagement ring gleamed as she held up the pen.  “
Right now
, Val.  I’m serious.  I want the truth right now.”

Val swallowed.  “My black card is missing…”

“So what? Credit cards go missing sometimes.”

“Not mine,” Val said.  “I thought it was nothing at first, but…”

“But what?”

Val paused, eyes dancing back and forth.

“Stop thinking,” she cried.  “Stop thinking of the right thing to say, or a fucking lie, and just answer my questions, Val.  Knew what?”

“That someone is watching us,” he exploded.  “Listening to us.”

“But why?” Zoey shook her head.  “Why would anyone want to do that to us?  Is it Novsky?” she asked.  “Reggie King?”

Val pressed his hands to his hips, eyes going wide.

“This is scaring me, Val.”

Val crossed the hallway and took her arms.  “You have nothing to be scared of.”

“A man just pulled a
camera
out of our power outlet, and you’re telling me I have nothing to be scared of?”

“Zo, please calm down, all right?  The baby…”

“Maybe I should just go stay with Leo for a while.”

Val pulled back and met her eyes.  “What?”

“I’m scared,” she said again.  “I’m scared, and I’m pregnant, and even though you’re talking to me, I feel like you’re not
telling
me anything.  I feel like I’m being lied to, Val, and not just by you, but by this entire fucking family.  By Angie.  It’s stressing me the fuck out.  Just tell me the truth.”  She laughed, holding her hands out.  “I don’t even know what truth I’m looking for.  All I know is that you haven’t given it to me.”

Val’s eyes shuttered.

“Why won’t you, Val?”

His eyes filled, and he held his head high, trying to appear strong.  “I don’t want you to go, Zo.  I don’t want you to go stay with Leo.”

“Then tell me the truth.  We are getting married in less than
four days,
Val, tell me the truth!”

“Maybe if I tell you the truth… you’ll have a real reason to be afraid.”

Zoey stepped back, pushing against the wall.  “That’s not making me feel better.”

Val tried to keep his voice calm.  “Sometimes not knowing the truth is the one thing that will protect you the most.”

Zoey shook her head.  “Protect me from
what
?”

They stood facing each other in the hallway, and the silence stretched on.

To Zoey, it seemed unbreakable.  The silence.  Like it would never stop stretching, only growing longer and more resilient.

It felt like it could easily go on forever.

“You’re so warm… so soft, baby,” Her pussy made music as Leo plunged in deep, over and over, his loving whispers hitting the edge of her ear in hot pants. “You’re beautiful.”

“God, you can fuck,” Jessica gasped, moaning into his mouth as he seared his lips to hers from behind.  “So deep, Leo, oh my
God…”
His hot column slipped from her pussy and bobbed in the air as he fell into their kiss, spreading his mouth wide over hers and lapping at her tongue with his.  She matched his hard kiss while clawing behind her, getting his slick hardness in her hand and crying out into his mouth, his kiss, as she guided the tip back to her entry.  He finished the job, slamming his hips forward, catching her around the waist just in time to stop the force from throwing her off the dining table.

He pulled her back into his dick while propelling forward, screaming as he filled her, clawing at the wood table with his free hand. He paused and readjusted his knees on either side of her, pressing his stomach to her back before picking up his pace, staying deep and hitting hard.  “I love you so much,” he gasped into her ear, his hips driving blindly.  “Tell me you love me, baby.  Please…”

Jessica’s lips fell open as his thrusts grew intense, the table creaking under the force of their love as it grew in fervor.  “I… I…”

“Say it,” he begged.

She couldn’t speak.  The pleasure had come to fruition in her stomach and slowly clawed its way through her body, rendering every inch of her paralyzed.  “Jus—” Her voice broke.  “Just cum for me, Leo.”

“I love you.”

“I want you to
cum
.”

His hips picked up speed and he growled uncontrollably, nearly sending the table to the ground.  “Fuck, here I come.”

“Yeah…” She cried out when she felt his warm seed filling her, and they screamed into another kiss as he flinched against one shot after the next.  She pushed her ass against him and ground her hips in return.  They rocked together until she was on her stomach on the table with him on her back, planted deep, heaving out the last of their pleasure.

“Jesus,” he breathed into her hair, jamming his eyes shut.

“That was good,” she laughed, her words jumbled from where her swollen lips were pressed into the wood.  “So good, Leo.”

He turned his head in her hair, catching sight of the ironing board in the living area.  She’d unfolded it a few minutes earlier and had only managed to plug it in and drape her green evening gown across it before Leo was pressing his dick into her from behind.  A few blinding moments of passion later, and they’d found themselves on top of the dining table.

Only when they were in danger of falling asleep on that very table did they peel themselves away from each other.  And only after a quick shower, where they’d satiated their constant need a second time, was Jessica able to get lotioned up and dressed for the night.

Leo was dressed, too, looking sharp in a tuxedo, when she emerged from his bedroom, coming to a stop in front of the recliner he was sitting in.  Looking up from under his eyelids in the midst of tying his black dress shoes, he froze.

The hem of the emerald green satin gown swept the living room floor as she moved, heels clicking along the way.  Leo sat tall, shoe half-tied.  His whistle bounced off the walls, causing Jessica to roll her eyes, all while fighting a smile as his gaze took a predictable voyage of her body.

The beaded halter neckline was already scratching her and, much to Chet’s undeniable annoyance, a wire was not going to happen due to the tightness of the dress, but Jessica didn’t care.  Not about any of it.   She couldn’t deny that the brightness shining in Leo’s eyes was all that mattered to her, making all the bullshit float away.

“Wow,” he breathed, standing and moving to her, pushing his hands into his pockets.

Jessica did a spin, showing him the plunging back.

“
Wow
.”  His voice roared his approval.  “Yes.”

Jessica looked over her shoulder, catching his eyes.

They seared into hers as he ran his knuckle along the deep line in the middle of her back, stopping just before the swell of her ass.   He tucked his finger into the fabric and tugged, biting his bottom lip.

“We just made love on the table,
and
in the shower,” she said, responding to that tug.  “How can you possibly be asking for more?”  Jessica was hardly able to speak as he pulled her back against him where, sure enough, an erection had set up camp in his pants as he set fire to every part of her he touched.  Her eyes fell to his lips, and he heeded her silent invite, claiming hers in a kiss.

“You’re making me blush.”  A deep crimson hit her cheeks, joining her whispered words.

“How can you possibly blush after everything we’ve done?”

“After everything we’ve done, even Raul would be blushing at this point,” she said, unable to stop her smile from widening as she thought back to the man who’d chosen this dress for her.  Their trip to Dior had only been four weeks ago, but it felt so much longer.

After taking a moment to collect himself, he stepped away from her.  She faced him, and he took her hands in his, holding them out, examining the tight dress more closely.

His eyes rose to hers.  “No way you’ll be able to pull off the stanky leg in this tight-ass dress.”

“Will ‘Stanky Legg’
be on the playlist at the Governor’s fundraising gala tonight?”

“Victor King is a Jersey boy too,
girl
. You better be ready for any and everything.”

Jessica’s head fell, and she looked at him from under her eyelids before breaking into the stanky leg.  The dress swooshed around her legs as she hit every move, throwing in a few hair swipes just to let this fool know who he was dealing with.

Leo watched her move in the dress, eyes roaming her body until she stopped dancing, chest heaving when she bumped hers against his.  He took the bump, eyes aglow.

“There isn’t a dress on earth that I can’t
stanky leg in, or dougie in, or nae-nae in,” she panted.  “You have no idea who you’re dealing with, my friend.”

He couldn’t even smile.  “Marry me.”

Jessica burst into laughter, and it was terrifying how real it was.

***

Tonight was the night.

It had been a
month
with no leads on the Romanovsky case. Tony and Val’s credit cards had come up dry, as well as all of the bugs and cameras she’d planted.  It was beginning to occur to Jessica that she’d gotten to the family too late.  They’d closed up shop.  They were careful about what they said, and when they said it.

Even her strategy of breaking the family down with fear,
purposely
planting the bugs and cameras in places they could easily be found in an attempt to drive them all to the brink of insanity, breaking them down until a confession was inevitable, wasn’t working.  How could it work on a family that had already been on the brink of insanity for ten long years?

A
month
.  The longest it had ever taken Jessica to close a case.  Harp was beginning to get antsy, and so were the higher-ups who could pull rank at their leisure and shut the case down altogether.

Jessica knew tonight was the night, because it
had
to be the night.

With the Romanovskys and the Kings all under the same roof, it was now or never.

The ballroom in The Hotel Venezia was one of the largest and most glamorous in New York City, making it the perfect venue to host a gala where copious amounts of money would be thrown around—and money had certainly been thrown.  At a fundraising event teeming with politicians, celebrities, and Manhattan’s elite, it was inevitable.

Governor King had already given a speech that had inspired deafening applause, much to her annoyance.  After his speech, Val had pulled King aside and handed him a check that Jessica knew was more than generous.

Poor Val.  God bless him.  He still believed money was going to save the necks of his family.

Jessica knew better.

There wasn’t enough money in the world to sway King from his goal, and his goal was to exterminate anyone who could hurt him.

That included the Romanovskys.

A modern orchestra played quietly in the background as dinner was served, and Jessica found her eyes dancing from one table to the other.  A majority of the tables were alight with discussion, conversation and laughter floating from all angles, swirling into a joyous jumble in the air.

The Romanovsky table, however, swam in silence.

Zoey and Val had been so quiet all night, Jessica had to wonder if the courthouse wedding, which was just two days away, was still on.

Roman and Angie, once again, weren’t present, which Jessica was thankful for.  She hoped they were still holed up in Roman’s apartment.  They were safer that way, and it would make it easier for her to do her job knowing Angie was out of harm’s way.

Leo’s arm was slung across the chair next to her.  Every once in a while, she could feel his eyes on her, but she couldn’t look back.

She couldn’t see the happiness she knew would be there, knowing that soon she would be the reason it was washed away.

So she sat through the Governor’s speech, avoiding Leo’s eyes, his soft touches, and even the tender kisses he occasionally pressed to her cheek.

She couldn’t look at him, afraid her love for him would tear her limb from limb.  Afraid it already had.

Her eyes remained riveted to the table at the front of the room where Victor and Reggie now sat, surrounded by important people.  She watched a burly man approach Victor and whisper something in his ear.  Victor stood, following the man out of the room.  Reggie watched them go, and Jessica jolted when he looked up and locked eyes with her.

Her own eyes went wide, and she forced them away, staring down at her plate.

She didn’t look up again until Reggie was at the table, clapping a hand on Val’s shoulder.

Val shrugged it off none too gracefully.

“Good evening Romanovsky family,” Reggie sang, as if oblivious to the hatred being shot at him from every eye at the table. 

Gary actually threw down his napkin and pushed his chair out from under him with disgust, leaving the table completely.

Jessica turned in her chair to watch him go.  This time, she did dare a look at Leo, and when she saw hot rage clouding his eyes as well, she cupped a hand on his shoulder, raising her eyes to Reggie.

“Something I said?” Reggie laughed, watching Gary go.  His eyes came back to the table, and the chair next to Val.  “Good evening Zoey.”

Val’s jaw clenched.

Zoey smiled.  “Hello Reggie.”

“You look just as lovely as always.”

“Thank you.”  Zoey placed a hand on Val’s shoulder, and she was smart to do it.  One more word exchanged between her and Reggie, and Val was going to take a few teeth with him after sending a fist straight to Reggie’s mouth.  That fact seemed crystal clear to Zoey, and everyone else at the table.  That hand on Val’s shoulder was saving Reggie’s
life.

“I heard you guys got engaged,” Reggie said.

“We did.”  Zoey nodded.

“Congratulations,” Reggie said.  “Life is… funny… isn’t it?”

At that point, even Jessica was shifting in her seat.

“I guess so,” Zoey tightened her hand on Val’s shoulder.

“Would you mind terribly if I borrowed him from you?” Reggie asked her.

Zoey and Val’s eyes met, and she shrugged without answering.

Reggie moved away from the table, still smiling—Jessica wondered if he ever
stopped. 
Or was he one of those astonishingly annoying people who made it a point to keep a smile on their face even as the world caved in around them?  Smiling for fear of showing any true emotion.

Val threw his napkin down in much the same way Gary had.

“You don’t have to, baby,” Zoey said, holding his arm as he stood.  “You’re just going to get upset.”

Val leaned down and pressed a small kiss to Zoey’s lips, waiting until the line that had come to fruition between her eyebrows eased.

“Come back fast,” she said.  “I’m not having fun.”

“Neither am I,” Leo said.  “They got our money—though I have no clue why we’re still writing these ingrates a check—and the music blows.  Let’s get the hell out of here already.”

“Five minutes,” Val grumbled, unbuttoning his jacket and following the path Reggie had made out the front doors.

Jessica waited until he was out of sight before her gaze went back to the corner Governor King had disappeared behind moments earlier.

Leo’s eyes followed her as she leapt to her feet.

“Bathroom,” she explained to his stunned face.  She kissed him before hurrying away.

Zoey and Leo weren’t the only ones who weren’t having a good time tonight.  Jessica wasn’t having a good time, either.  She knew she would never have a good time until this case was closed.  Until she told Leo the truth, and figured out some way to get him to forgive her.  She would never have a good time again.