Page 28 of The Coffee Shop

Leena quickly looks away, a blush rising in her cheeks. A moment later, she smiles, then scans me approvingly head to toe. “How old are you?” she asks, as if she’s never even considered it until now. I laugh.

“I’m thirty-four, so is Seb,” I say, giving her an amused grin.

“Huh. You don’t look that old. Andoh man, is thatold,” she says in an exaggerated tone.

“Oh yeah?” I smile, tickling her sides until she is laughing. “That’s some big talk coming from someone who still complains after only a couple of push ups. And don’t let Seb hear you say shit like that, he gets a little sensitive about his age,” I say, chuckling.

“Sensitive?”she says incredulously. “The man you just described as a tank. The man who can haul me around like I’m a pillow?Thatman?” Leena laughs, but she knows what I’m talking about. I’ve seen how he is with her.

“That must be really great,” she says softly, “having someone like that. Someone who’s always there for you,who’s always got your back. I’ve never had that.”

“What about your parents? Your sister?” I know Leena doesn’t get along with her father, but he did hire us, so there has to be some love there.

“Wow, you really do have a file on me,” she says, avoiding the question. She lets out a huff before she continues. “Dad is… well, he’s dad.Kingof the goddamn city, so his cronies come first. He’ll be the first one to send a protection squad after me, but the last one to show up for dinner on my birthday. My mom left as soon as Kat and I were out of the house. She calls,sometimes,and my sister… well. Kathryn worships my father. Thinks he’s the greatest thing in the whole goddamn world. She loves her lavish lifestyle and is eager to follow in his footsteps just so she won’t lose it. She’s my baby sister, so of course I love her, worry about her, but we’re not close. Haven’t been for a long time.”

“I’m sorry,” I say earnestly. “I have Seb and I also have a pretty big family. Even if half of them are piece of shit criminals, I can’t imagine feeling that alone. But Seb…” I start to say, then stop myself.

“Seb what?” she asks.

“Nevermind. It’s his story to tell. That is, if you can get his hard ass to open up,” I say, bumping her shoulder and she smiles. “But you need to know that you’re not alone this time. And you don’t just have one person watching your back, you have two,” I smile down at her.

“For now,” she says sorrowfully, knowing as well as I do that this assignment won’t last forever.

To distract myself, I glance down at my phone, mindlessly checking the cameras we set up around the perimeter.

“Hey,” Leena says, eyeing the phone. “I have an idea.”

Chapter Fourteen

SEBASTIAN

Ipull into the gas station and shut off the radio that I have had blasting my eardrums for the past hour and a half. I sit there in silence for a moment, then check my phone again.

No messages.

I’m not sure why I thought one of them would text me, but for whatever reason, it fucking bothers me that they didn’t.

But just as I’m reaching for the handle to get out, I hear a ping from my phone. I look down and my hope fades when I see it’s just a notification from the doorbell cam.

They’re probably just going for a walk or something,I think, disappointed that whatever it is, I’m missing it. I stare out the window, considering when exactly I became this interested in what they’re doing.

I consider ignoring it, but who am I kidding. I click the icon to bring up the live feed.

Leena is standing on the porch facing the camera. I smile when I see how she has my shirt all tied up around her ribcage, making it more feminine and showing off her flat stomach. She’s wearing Luke’s gray sweatpants againand fuck if that doesn’t turn me on too. There isn’t a place in this town to buy clothes, but I offered to drive another hour to find her something, but Leena declined, saying she would rather have me home sooner.

She wants me home sooner.

I let out a long breath. Because hell if that wasn’t the sentence that prompted the deafening metal concert on the way here.

I look back at the screen and watch as Leena blows a little kiss towards the camera, then Luke joins her on the porch.

He also blows me a kiss.

Which is… well it’s just fucking weird.

“What the hell are you up to?” I say, furrowing my eyes at the screen.

Luke places one hand behind his back and holds the other out to Leena. She takes it, then he kisses the back of her hand slowly.

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