Page 45 of End Game

I wanted to press further, but I also needed to be careful. The deeper I got into Leo’s personal life, the harder it would be to unwind myself from it after the week was over. “I really should be at work . . .”

“It’s a Wednesday, Mara. How busy could things be on a Wednesday? We’ll make sure the bar is covered, but I need you with me at this dinner. It’s non-negotiable.”

“Well, if we have to do this, I think we should try to find a way to get to know each other better beforehand.” His eyes flashed, and I almost threw the wet sponge at him. “Not like that. I just mean . . . you want this relationship to be believable, right? So we should prepare.”

He nodded, his expression becoming genuinely lighter. “A date, then.”

The word warmed my cheeks. “Uh . . . sure. If that’s what you want to call it.”

“Yes, I think it’s appropriate.” His eyes dipped down to my legs folded beneath me as I still knelt on the floor. “Do you have a dress? For dinner?”

This time I couldn’t stop the laugh from erupting from my mouth. “No.” I swallowed. “I don’t wear dresses . . . not nice ones, at least.”

“Hm.” He pushed himself upright and off the bar. “We’ll deal with that later. Why don’t you get yourself cleaned up—I’ve asked our new security team to start today, and they’ll be here in about twenty minutes. Frank is on his way, too.”

I sighed thinking back to what happened here during my last shift. If I hadn’t been so motivated to get out of Leo’s apartment today, it might not have been as easy to walk through the door. But I reminded myself that I was strong, that this too shall pass. And if I was really honest, I could admit that not having to face it all by myself felt . . . nice.

But I would never tell Leo that.

I stood up, blowing a strand of loose hair away from my face, and saluted him with as much sarcasm as I could string together. “Roger that.”

He grinned before he turned to walk away, and I didn’t miss the “smart-ass” that whispered from his lips.

Chapter Eighteen

Rocco Marchetti looked like a warrior. He was a giant brute of a man with a body that nearly burst out of the seams of his all-black suit, though the way his form tapered at the waist was indication that the bulk of him was made up of sheer muscle. His hair was cropped short, nearly the same length as the stubble that covered his entire jaw, and his eyes were as black as the wall behind the bar.

He looked like he’d come right off the pages of one of my favorite mafia romance novels with his menacing hands and surly attitude—though seeing a man like that in real life was much different than reading about one. While I was sure he’d have no problem pulling any woman (or man) he wanted, he made it abundantly clear that he was here to work tonight. I could feel the ruthlessness that exuded from him as he listened intently to Leo, who was giving him and his men a detailed tour of Larkspur’s facilities.

There were five men in total including Rocco. None of the other men had been introduced to us, and none of them had said a word since they’d all arrived thirty minutes ago. It was a bit unnerving, the way they all stood stoically with mean looks on their faces. While none of them were quite as big as Rocco, each looked like they could tear Leo in half.

“Where the hell do you think Leo found these guys?” I whispered to Frank, who’d moved closer and closer to me as this little tour went on.

I heard his rumbling chuckle as we kept ourselves a handful of feet behind the rest of the group. “All I know is he went to school with the guy who owns the company. And that guy owed him a favor.”

“Huh.” I considered as I clocked the thick man with a ponytail who stood closest to Rocco. “Well, this is one way to cash in a favor, I guess.”

“It’s all for you, you know.”

I felt the blood drain from my face as my thoughts sputtered around those words. “What?” My whisper came out sharper. “What do you mean?”

Frank shrugged and Leo’s eyes snapped our way, so he continued to sway his arms back and forth as if he were shaking off a chill to cover the movement. And I knew then that Leo probably told him to keep whatever he was about to tell me a secret. The joke was on Leo, though, because Frank was my head of security—not his.

And that made him my proverbial bitch.

“He told me last week he wanted to beef up protection for the staff here, that a customer had disrespected you and he didn’t like it, and that you and the rest of the team shouldn’t have to worry about anyone who walks through our front door. And then Saturday . . .” Frank took a deep breath, clearly still a little shaken about what went down. My eyes flicked to the dark hallway across the club that led to the bathrooms, and I felt a fresh burst of fear roar to life in my stomach. “Saturday happened, and I think it really fucking scared him.”

“Wait,” I whispered, turning to face Frank. Leo was distracted as he showed his new detail the security system and cameras mounted on the ceiling—another resource that he’d brought in so quickly after taking ownership. “He said the extra protection is for the staff?”

Frank nodded, looking a bit sullen. “Yeah. I mean, we should have been protecting you. But there’s just so many people in here, and as things get busier— We have a hard enough time keeping a pulse on all the customers that come in. I’ve always known you can handle yourself Mara, but I should have never left you hanging the other night. Someone should have been stationed with you and Sam at the bar. I’m so sorry.”

Emotion burst through me as I reached a hand out and placed it gently on Frank’s arm. “Frank, that wasn’t your fault. There was a literal bar fight breaking loose, and you were needed. Don’t you dare think what happened to me is your fault. That guy would have found any opportunity to try to do what he did, and we may have missed it. Plus,” I said, forcing a smile, “our shot system worked. The bar fight caused enough of a distraction that the woman was able to slip away to order a Black Panther . . . It worked, Frank, and we created that.”

I watched as he swallowed back his own emotion. “I’m still not going to stop being sorry.” He cleared his throat, straightening as Leo turned to face us with a curious gaze.

“Frank?” Leo asked. All five of his new minions turned to look at the man next to me. It was a testament to Frank’s own strength that he didn’t seem fazed by any of them.

“Yes, sir?”

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