Page 20 of Gangster's Empire: Leeza & Havel

She gaped at her sister. “You brought my child to a jail break?”

Saskia shrugged. “He didn’t want to stay by himself.”

“You could’ve left him with Shaun or any number of people!”

Saskia narrowed her eyes. “You brought him to a house burning. I challenge you to choose which of us is the worst role model he’s had today.”

Despite her irritation, Leeza laughed. “Touché, brat.”

Together, the three of them left the Shed and headed for the main house. They weren’t worried about getting caught since the house staff would expect to see any one of them wandering around. Havel was a private person, so it was unlikely he's put out an estate wide notice of her incarceration.

Sure enough, as they passed the main entrance, one of the house guards nodded toward the trio but didn’t otherwise acknowledge them.

“You hungry?” Saskia asked.

Leeza was about to say no, that she’d eaten in the Shed, but she stopped herself. She’d spent months on the run, sometimes forgoing a meal rather than venturing into populated areas to pick up food. The only time she risked exposure was when there wasn't enough food for Kris. She had no problem going hungry as long as Kris was fed. Now that she was safe in the mansion and relatively certain her future didn’t include immediate death, her tummy was perking up at the thought of a well-stocked pantry.

In the kitchen, they ransacked the fridge and cupboards, then went upstairs to the family’s private quarters. Upon entering Saskia’s suite, they dumped their armloads of snacks on the couch.

"Okay," Leeza said, her hands on her hips as she looked around the room. "How're we going to do this?"

"Umm," Saskia replied. "Put the cushions from the couch on the floor and each sit on one."

Leeza dubiously considered Saskia's suggestion. "I don't think that would be very comfortable."

"It would be if we leaned our backs against the couch."

Leeza nodded her head towards Kris. "He'll get tired and want to lie down. Let's bring your mattress in here."

Saskia's face lit up. "And they say you aren't a genius."

"Who says that?" Leeza said as she headed towards the bedroom. "And why are they still living?"

Kris laughed and clapped his hands when Saskia and Leeza struggled to pull the mattress into the living room, then, when they got it into place, he leapt on it excitedly, his stuffed bear clutched in his arms. Saskia giggled and climbed onto the mattress with him, settling down for a TV marathon.

After she showered, Leeza borrowed a pair of sleep shorts and a sleeveless top from Saskia, then joined the other two on the mattress and reached for a handful of popcorn.

The three of them watched The Last Unicorn, one of Saskia’s favourite childhood movies, then a Czech children’s show until Kris fell asleep. Leeza curved herself around his slumbering body, a sense of well-being settling over her. She’d forgotten how much she loved spending time with her sister.

The eight-year age difference between Leeza and her sister didn't seem to matter to either of them. But when Leeza married Adam, their relationship grew distant because Leeza's sole focus was survival. This became even more pronounced after Kris came along – she had to protect him and the only way to do that was to stay alive.

However, from the moment Kris was born, it was apparent Adam had little interest in his son. And what little interest he had went to zero when Kris was diagnosed with Autism. He’d seen Kris as defective but didn’t want more children. If he'd had his way, they wouldn't have even had Kris, but her father had pushed them into producing an heir. Once he was born, she realized Kris was her greatest accomplishment, and she would protect him until her last breath.

She gently pushed his hair off his forehead, then pressed a kiss against his soft skin. He smelled of soap, popcorn and juice. She closed her eyes and smiled, breathing him in. The cottage she’d shared with Adam had never been ‘home,’ but this was. Her sleeping child snuggled in her arms, her sister laughing softly at the comedy they were now watching.

Leeza watched her sister, her smile drifting away. “How are you?”

Saskia looked at her in surprise, then the light in her eyes dimmed. “I’m okay, but it’s been tough. Losing both mom and dad only a couple months apart was really hard. And not knowing where you were. It was just… hard.”

Leeza reached across Kris and squeezed Saskia’s hand. “I’m sorry you suffered. I didn’t want to involve you in my problems, then when I left Adam and went on the run, I was worried I would get you in trouble if Jozef and Havel found out I was in touch with you.”

Saskia moved her hand from Leeza’s grip. “You should have trusted me. I wouldn’t have gotten you caught.”

Leeza studied her sister, the seriousness of her expression, the air of fatigued maturity about her, and her heart ached. Saskia was right, she should have tried harder to find a way to let her sister know they were okay. It wasn’t fair to leave Saskia in the dark, especially after the violent deaths of their parents.

Actually… Krystoff hadn’t been Leeza’s parent.

For a long time, their mother had kept the dark secret of her affair, along with the identity of Leeza’s birth father. Leeza didn’t know how Krystoff eventually found out, but she was positive now that he’d married her off to Adam Horácek after finding out. She’d never know for sure, since he was dead now, but she suspected it was Krystoff’s revenge against both her and her mother.

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