Page 62 of Deception & Desire

But we’d been laughing together only moments ago. Had she known then? Was this whole night—the first night I’d actually enjoyed in so long—just one big manipulation? Was any of it real?

I wasn’t supposed to care for my client, but Carmen had molded herself so easily into the cracks of my heart.

I grit my teeth as my assailant’s grip tightens, jerking me toward a side exit as the crowd surges in the opposite direction.

I catch flashes of movement—a woman screaming, a man shoving past with wild eyes—but no one seems to notice me being hauled away.

My captor’s pace quickens, and I twist, desperate for any opening. Then I see him.

Leon.

My eyes lock on him, and my heart clenches. Leon is a whirlwind of motion, grappling with Amos Rubio on the floor. The Cartel kingpin is fighting like a cornered animal, vicious and unrelenting, but Leon is just about holding his own.

But others are closing in on them too, men in black who have yet to be intercepted by…fuck, is that theGuild?When did they get here?

“Stop struggling,” my attacker growls as I attempt to yank myself free again. My eyes are still trained on Leon, refusing to lose him in the chaos of the crowd.

Fights are breaking out all around, but no one from our side seems to have spotted the two dons rolling about on the floor.

The fight is too evenly matched. I watch in horror as Rubio’s knife slices too close to Leon’s throat.

He needs me. Now.

“Get. Your. Hands. Off. Me,” I hiss, each word said clearly and with spite. My words are the only warning I give before I use the pressure on my arm to walk myself up his body and wrap my thighs around his neck.

The sudden extra body weight has him toppling to the floor, releasing his grip on me in order to break his fall.

I land on top of him, using his ribs to cushion the blow, before scrambling off into the crowd. Pulling my knife from its sheath, I charge at the figure that has finally managed to find his footing.

Amos Rubio stands tall, knife twirling expertly in his hand as he steps forward toward Leon’s prone body.

I don’t think, I just launch myself at the kingpin’s back and bury my knife in his shoulder.

Rubio hisses in pain and snatches his knife up in his non-dominant hand to try and swipe at me blindly. I drop low to avoid him, only for him to kick me in the chest and send me hurtling to the floor.

“Mia.”

Leon is kneeling over in a second, his eyes flashing with both relief and fury.

“Seems like you need a hand,” I wheeze, ignoring the pain in my ribs.

Behind us, Amos is wrenching my knife from his shoulder with a cry of anguish.

“You need to get the hell out of here,” Leon growls as his arm slips around my waist to pull me to my feet.

A part of me sighs in relief at the feeling of being pulled into his chest. He’s solid and alive. So very alive.

But he needs to stay that way, and I can’t be sure he will unless I’m here, too. “Are you being serious right now? You almost just got yourself killed!”

“This isn’t a discussion!”

My knife flies through the space between us. It would have embedded itself in my cheek had Leon not pushed me back.

“Mia, get out of here!” Leon growls as he goes to meet Amos’ swing, ducking under it and slamming a fist into his face.

“Not a chance!” I yell back, dropping low to avoid the wild swing of his blade, trying to disarm him.

Amos leaps back before I can, wiping blood from his mouth. His eyes gleam with rage as he looks between us.

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