Page 57 of Jonathon, After All

“I will,” Leo vowed.

“Where are we going?” Markus came down the stairs, pulling on a coat.

“Max is taking us to see Jonathon!” Matteo announced on his way to the elevator with Theo on his heels. Leo opened his mouth to tell them to stay, then changed his mind when he recalled his last encounter with Muriel and her cane. Having backup would be handy if they encountered her and she could give his brothers a good whack if they got out of line.

“Thank goodness. I miss not being involved in Leo’s personal affairs,” Markus said dryly as he followed them into the elevator.

“I didn’t have personal affairs. All I had was work,” Leo reminded them.

Markus grinned back at him. “I know, I liked you better, then,” he said but he winked at Max as he took out his phone. “The closest florist is only a mile away,” he noted and Leo whistled appreciatively.

“Good call. I’ll pick up some white roses. They’re his favorite.”

Leo was humbled and shaking when the limo came to a halt in front of the Olympia forty minutes later, thanks to a delay at the florist. “He’s here?” he asked in disbelief, wondering if Jonathon had been watching as Leo and Markus faced Muriel and searched 6A and the building for him. His hands were sweating around a bouquet of flawless white roses when Markus hurried the five of them past the doormen and the courtyard.

Once they were inside the elevator, Markus reached to press the 6, but Max stopped him. He pressed the 8 and Leo and Markus shared confused looks.

“Who does he know on the eighth floor?” Markus asked, earning a hard grimace from Max.

“He knows the Ashbys and they are family, so I would appreciate it if you were extremely graceful while we’re here. I did send a message, warning Riley and requesting an audience, because we will be imposing a great deal upon Giles Ashby. He has a severe anxiety disorder and 8B is his safe place and we do all we can to guard it for him,” Max explained as they rode up to the eighth floor.

“You have my word that we will be careful and respectful,” Leo said, staring Markus, Theo, and Matteo down. “It is my intention to grovel and endure whatever punishment Jonathon believes is necessary. I will not fight with him and we will not interfere, even if Jonathon believes that several kicks to my pride or my groin are necessary.”

“Sir,” Markus replied heavily as Theo and Matteo cheered softly and gave each other muted high fives.

The doors opened but Leo stopped Markus before he could step out to clear the hall. “Your objection is noted and you may remain out here if you can’t follow directions. Jonathon’s waited a long time to tell me how much I’ve hurt him. He deserves to be heard and I deserve the consequences, no matter how much they hurt me.”

“I’ll stay out of it,” Markus grumbled with a stoic glare before stepping around Leo. “But I will remind you that I am not a travel companion and that I was hired to protect you. It’s in the job title: bodyguard,” he added, gesturing that it was safe for Leo and his brothers to proceed. “Body. Guard.”

“You’re about to be demoted to hall monitor,” Leo said with a lift of his brows, signaling that he was done with the conversation.

Markus looked past Leo at Theo and Matteo. “Suddenly, I’m looking forward to this. I hope Mr. Hawthorne can throw a decent punch. If not, I can give him a quick lesson.”

“Get on with it,” Leo told Max and they became serious as he gave the door a soft tap.

It opened a moment later and a bright blue-eyed young man in a vintage She-Ra T-shirt answered the door. “Hi,” he said in a nervous squeak, gulping at Leo, his brothers, and Markus before offering Max a smile. “Hey, Max. Um…” he winced as he glanced over his shoulder, then gave them a quick once-over. “I told him you were coming and he hasn’t decided if he’s ready to talk to Leo yet. But you can come in and he’ll hear what you have to say,” Riley whispered, then angled his chin back as he stepped up to Leo. “You had better not hurt Jonathon again. You might be a prince but I’ll… I’ll…do something and if that isn’t enough, I’m pretty sure Giles can take him,” he said with a nod at Markus.

Leo shook his head. “I’m pretty sure he can’t, but that won’t be necessary.”

“I give you my word,” Max said, utterly sincere, and Riley chewed on his lip for a moment, eyeing them—mostly Leo—warily.

“Only because I trust you, Max.” He opened the door and waved them in, revealing a soft, airy sanctuary with tall, wide windows and a balcony with a breathtaking view of Central Park. A tall, handsome, broad-shouldered man waved at them from behind the sectional as a younger, leaner, spectacled version peeked over his shoulder and offered them a terse nod.

“Are you sure they won’t hurt Jonathon?” an adorable little girl whispered next to Riley and he held up a thumb.

“Your Uncle Max promised it would be cool,” he said.

That seemed to be enough. The man behind the sectional smiled at them, his eyes flicking to Leo’s for just a second as he ducked his head. “Welcome to 8B. I’m Giles. That little stinker is Luna,” he said as he pointed at the girl. “And this is our son, Milo.” He stepped aside and put an arm around his clone.

“Hey,” Milo said with a slightly hostile tip of his chin at Leo.

Max cleared his throat. “Milo’s still in high school but he’s already an astrophysicist,” he told them.

“Brilliant!” Theo declared and Matteo nodded in agreement.

“Very impressive,” Leo concurred and smiled, discreetly searching the space around them. He honestly didn’t give a damn about anything other than locating Jonathon.

“I still have to go to high school because I’m not that impressive in English and I couldn’t tell you where Austria is or how many wars there were in Europe,” Milo said as he watched Leo closely. “And I don’t have a clue about what our government does,” he added.

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