I closed the office door quickly behind me, but it was only seconds before Chris, my right-hand man, was at my side, walking with me. He pulled out a handkerchief and tossed it my way.
“Blood,” he said simply.
I wiped at the marks. Out amongst the desks of my security company was a different world compared to the four walls of my office.
“I’ll ensure Anton disposes of the problem appropriately,” he assured me.
34
ABite
Leonie
“Where are you going tonight?” Issy asked, huffing as she heaved her suitcase from her room. The wheels kept on getting caught over the door trim.
I put my earrings in, looking at myself in the hallway mirror. They were the same floral ones I had stolen back from Mia.
My favourites because they belonged to my mother.
“Jack said a fancy restaurant Mia picked out,” I said, trying not to cringe as I said her name.
“So probably overly expensive and snooty?” she asked with a laugh. “Because she’d be expecting Dom to pay.”
Around the wall, I could hear her fill up her water bottle in the sink.
“Probably.”
“Are you not going to boil in that?” she asked, popping her head in and nodding to my dress.
Still trying to hide the fading bruises, I wore a long-sleeve, black turtleneck under a silk burgundy dress.
It wasn’t what I wanted to wear, but it was dressed up enough for a fancy restaurant and some bars afterwards.
“I’ll be fine,” I said, clipping back the sides of my hair. “They’ll have air-con.”
She nodded and I turned to her, gesturing at my clothes. “Would red lipstick be too much?”
“It would be perfect,” she said and grinned, grabbing her car keys off the side. She was dressed for the long journey home in her loungewear. She always spent the night before her birthday at home, because her mum made the best birthday breakfasts. “Who knows, if tonight works out well, maybe he’ll be at my birthday party tomorrow.”
Shit. I covered my face with my hands and groaned, “Maybe if I didn’t invite Sam.”
She slammed down the handle of her suitcase. “Leonie! You have a date tonight! With a nice guy! And Sam and you… I didn’t think you two ever did anything inpublic.”
“I know, I know,” I said, peeking through my fingers. “I may have taken the ‘get back out there’ advice a little too seriously.”
“Dom will have a hissy fit.”
“I’m not sixteen anymore,” I grumbled as she followed me into my room. She perched on my bed as I sat at my dressing table and ran my hand over my lipsticks, turning them to see the colours.
“Well, there’s no judgement from me. You go get it, girl,” she said with a laugh that stopped as soon as I lifted a red to examine. “That one. That one always looks so good on you.”
“Thanks,” I said and pouted my lips to apply it.
As the phone rang to our flat, Issy jumped up to buzz Jack into the building. I’d already let security at the front deskknow.
As my phone dinged.
SAMMY YUN X: Forget your plans. Come back to the coast tonight.