Page 53 of Burning Bridges

"Piper, a word," Axel says to her, his eyes still fixed on me. Piper squeezes my hand and drops her lips to just below my ear. "Relax, Leo," she whispers so no one else can hear. Then she follows Axel over toward the bar.

I watch as the two of them argue about something, before Axel leaves in a huff for the mezzanine where Jasmine is waiting for him.

"Everything okay?" I ask Piper.

"He found me an apartment not far from here, one where I would be safe to bring Hannah. It has top-notch security, and we'll be safe," she says, sounding a little unsure of her own words.

"Oh. You already have a safe place to live, though. With me," I tell her, making it clear she’s staying.

"Leo, whatever this is between us is new. You don't want the responsibility of me and my child under your roof."

"How do you know what I want? Yes, this is new between us, but I've known for a long time how I feel about you. And Hannah is your child, so she's a part of you. I want you both with me," I demand, making it very obvious I’m not going to budge on this.

“Leo.”

“No arguments. You can tell Axel you have your safe place with me. No security system will protect the two of you like I can, and you know it.”

“Okay. That’s good, because I told him I was staying with you. That’s why he's pissed.” She grins at me. “I just wanted to make certain you were really sure about it.”

I don’t have time to punish her for testing me because Heath, Amelia, and Brandon all walk through the front door together. Amelia offers me a nod of acknowledgment and heads on past us upstairs, with Heath by her side. Brandon stops.

“Brandon, I didn’t think you could make it.”

“I wasn’t going to leave you guys to deal with this alone.” He looks between me and Piper, unsure of what he's seeing. “Looks like I have a lot of catching up to do.”

I'm relieved to see Brandon. He's always been a loyal friend, and I know he'll have our backs. I introduce Piper to him, and he shakes her hand. I'm sure when Kobe called to get him back from New York, he told him exactly what's going on.

“The boys are upstairs,” I tell him. “They'll fill you in.” He makes his way up the stairs, and Piper watches him.

“Brandon doesn't like me,” Piper says quietly, looking down at her feet.

“He knew your brother. He also lost his father the same night I did, so forgive him when the name Acevedo doesn't sit well,” I explain, placing a hand on her back to comfort her.

It's clear that Piper is nervous around him, but he's a good judge of character, and I know he'll see that Piper is one of the good ones. For most of her life she was just a victim of her circumstances, but she is rising above all of that now.

As we wait for the last guests to arrive, I can feel the tension in the air. The chatter of the conversation upstairs filters down to us. Piper fidgets with her hair, and I can see the worry lines etched into her forehead. I know she feels like the odd one out, but it won’t be long before she’s accepted into this group. I am the leader, and if I say she's one of us, then she is, and the rest of them will have to follow my lead. I take her hand and give it a gentle squeeze, letting her know that I'm here for her.

Finally, Axel's brother Hendrix and his wife Maeve arrive. The girls eye each other off. I can tell that Maeve is a force to be reckoned with, but Piper holds her own, standing tall and confident beside me. It's going to be a long day, but I know we can handle whatever comes our way as long as we stick together.

As everyone takes their seats upstairs, I stand before them, feeling a mix of emotions. We are all here with a common goal, united despite our vastly different upbringings. The Harper sisters, sheltered and sweet, were born with a silver spoon in their mouths, funded by their father's wealth, but they are more badass than anyone ever gave them credit for, including their own father. The Stone brothers, on the other hand, were brought up to fight and win at all costs, with their empire built on the illegal dealings of their father's millions. Yet they have come a long way and built a legitimate business they can be proud of. Brandon, much like my brothers and me, comes from the wrong side of the tracks, living on the poverty line, but we have all risen above our circumstances and built our own empires.

And then there's little Piper Acevedo, who was once thought to be the most blessed of us all, wealthy and sitting on top of the food chain. But the truth is life has been just as cruel to her. Even still she stands here with the rest of us, ready to fight against the assholes who have caused so much pain.

"We appreciate all of you coming on such short notice," I begin. "For those of you who don't know, the Kings have started a war on our town, demanding that we once again sell Euphoria on our streets. They have already taken out Antonio's and Piper's hair salon overnight as a show of what is to come if we don't comply with their threats. As we all know, this is not a possibility. The last two years have been smooth, and we have become complacent, but that ends today. The Kings won't stop until they have what they want. There is also another dangerous possibility, that the Kings are now teamed up with Tony Acevedo."

Jasmine gasps, and Axel comforts her. Her reaction is understandable after what she went through with Tony. I’m sure she was happy he was dead. "The only people we can trust are those of us in this room," Jett adds firmly.

"Tony has been in contact with Piper, and it seems he's still alive. If this is true, it explains why so many ex-Acevedo men are willing to risk their lives to join Kylo's team. We also know Kylo is recruiting teens off our streets using scare tactics, forcing them to do his dirty work. Until we know exactly what's going on, the only people we can trust are the ones in this room. Everyone else is a potential threat and should be treated that way until we know better."

Kobe, who is closer to them all than Jett and me, speaks up. "We need to know we are all in this together." His words bring a sense of unity to the room. He has a way with people I never managed to achieve myself. They trust him, and not because they fear him.

"I'm with you in whatever way you need, boss," says Brandon, and I can see the determination in his eyes.

"We're all with you. This madness needs to end," agrees Axel. His brother, Hendrix, nods in agreement.

"Leo, all the Harpers are in, but there is something else you need to know first," Amelia, speaks up hesitantly. "Dad has been in contact with me." The room falls silent at her words, and I can feel the tension in the air. Jasmine glares at her sister; this must be the first she's hearing of it. Their father has been in hiding since his identity was discovered. He was not only the mafia head of this area, without his family knowing a thing, but he was also my mentor. The man who found me as a scared boy watching the remainder of the factory my father worked in burn to the ground. He’s the reason I’m here today fighting for a better future for all of us.

“What did he want?” I ask.

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