Page 27 of Burning Bridges

Last night at his club he really did a number on me, and I’ve been twisted up in knots all day trying to work through what happened between us. Why I’m all of a sudden feeling closer to him than I should. It has to be due to the panic attack I had when he put the blindfold on me. It must have heightened my emotions, made me feel things that weren’t really there. I also talked to Tony today, and he was annoyed I hadn’t made any progress and told me to up my game. He wants details he can work with by the end of the week. Things like who the Riveras work with and what deal did Leo and his brothers make with the Stone brothers last year. I hate disappointing Tony, but it’s not that easy getting information from a man who is so good at keeping his cards close to his chest. And when he cut our last night together short by taking off right after, I didn’t even get close to scratching the surface of anything I wanted to know.

“You look beautiful tonight,” Leo tells me, breaking me from my thoughts.

I glance back at him, surprised by his compliment. I so rarely get to dress up these days, so it’s nice to have a reason to. I’m wearing a long, slinky, ink-black evening gown in silk. My hair is out and curled in waves down my back after Erin styled it for me.

The salon was abuzz with excitement when I told them I needed help to get ready for a night out. I didn’t tell them who it was with, of course, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen them so thrilled for me. Maybe because normally my life consists of work and my child and not much else. I haven’t been on one date in the time I have owned the salon. Not one.

I give him a half smile, wondering if when he looks at me, he can see all the questions I have going around in my head. I wonder if he wants me to be scared of him or if I’m just paranoid.

“I liked you in the red dress last night.” He runs a hand over my thigh, feeling the silky fabric and leaving a scattering of goosebumps in its wake. “But this is stunning.”

“Thank you. You look good yourself all dressed up. You must be taking me somewhere fancy?” I add, hoping to get a little more insight into what he has planned.

“Something like that.”

I groan internally. What does that even mean? I rack my brain for another topic. “I heard Jett has a big fight next week,” I say, hoping I can steer our conversation toward finding out why he and the Stone brothers are now in bed together.

“Who told you that?” he says, seeming a little jumpy.

I look at him, confused. “Axel, he's fighting the same night, he’s the headline. Besides, it’s being advertised all over town. It’s not really a secret,” I mutter, wondering if I’ve said the wrong thing already.

“Are you going to watch?” he asks, all snippy suddenly, making me regret my choice of conversation.

“Of course. I watch all of Axel's fights, even if I’m not rooting for him to win. Like when he was up against Jett last time,” I add, knowing Leo’s involvement in that night.

Leo gives me a look, and I wonder if I have said too much. “That was a fight to remember. He would have won if your brother didn’t go meddling.”

“I agree. Why did he get involved?” I ask, hoping to get some insight into what really happened that night. I was used as a pawn to carry messages to Axel, but I wasn’t given any idea what was happening until the riot broke out. I had no idea how bad it was going to get. I could have killed my brother myself for putting me in such a dangerous situation, but when the shit hit the fan, Tony was the one who got me out of there safely.

“You would know more than me. I just followed instructions; I wasn’t privy to the inner workings of Tony’s mind.”

“I don’t think anyone really was.” I sigh, knowing nothing has changed. I’m still following his instructions with no reason as to why.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go to the fight this time, though,” he adds, glancing at me. “You said you go every time, but maybe give this one a miss.”

“Why? Do you know something I don’t?” I study his face, trying to work out why he would say such a thing.

He returns his attention back to the road. “Yes, and I don’t want you there.”

“What do you know, Leo?” I demand, realizing that there is something going down, and I need to understand what the hell it is before I put myself in a bad situation again.

“Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Then you will have to excuse me for showing up then, to find out for myself,” I push him, hoping he'll spill. Why every man in my life needs to be so damn secretive is beyond me. He must be aware that I will go now, if only to demonstrate that he has no power to dictate my actions.

He glares at me, and I know I have pushed him too far. Good. Controlling asshole. “You show up and I will drag you out of there before the fight starts,” he snaps, a menacing look in his eyes.

“Huh?” Why is he suddenly acting like some overprotective asshole? He doesn’t give a shit about me, not really, so why would it matter if I was there when some shit went down? I was there last time when it did and came out of there unscathed. Luckily. The only two people who died were the ones Tony shot to cover his own butt.

“Why do you always have to be so difficult? Can’t you just do what I say for once because it’s what’s best for you? Just trust me,” he pushes out through clenched teeth. He sounds like he is trying to be nice about it all, but it’s causing him physical pain to do something different from threatening me. He must be worried, because he's almost begging me now. And it makes me want to know even more why he cares so much.

“Fine.” I roll my eyes, defeated. I’m not getting anywhere. I also won’t do what he tells me to, but he doesn’t need to know that.

He pulls us off the main road, heading in the direction of Spring Desert’s downtown. I haven’t been in this part of town for years, but it still looks the same. “Do you miss him? Tony?” he asks, I assume in an attempt to change the subject.

“What kind of a question is that? He was my brother. Of course I miss him. Even if he was a crazy son of a bitch.”

“That he was,” he agrees with me. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t. Right before he disappeared, I was really starting to worry that he had lost his mind with his crazy obsession he had over getting revenge on the Stone brothers and Axel’s girl Jasmine. But I still tried to support him because he was my brother. That's what family does.

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