Page 54 of Gangster's Empire: Leeza & Havel

A trickle of apprehension went down her spine, sparking an awareness that something wasn’t right. The popular wedding vow had been spoken by both her and Adam eight years ago when they united in matrimony. Could the package be from him? Havel seemed convinced Adam wouldn’t be a problem.

Seeing the concern on her face, Victor stepped away from the open door. “Maybe you should let me take care of that.”

Leeza ignored him and pulled the tissue paper out of the box, letting it float to the floor. She frowned as she saw another box, this one plastic with a snap lid. She unhooked the sides and pulled the top off, lifting the lid for a better look.

A head.

There was a head in the box.

A dead head.

Long, dark, tangled hair clung to a grey-skinned face in wet strands.

The eyes staring up at her were lifeless, milky. The lips peeled back, frozen in an eternal scream of pain.

Leeza froze, unable to process what she was seeing. It was a face, a dead woman!

She stared until Victor reached her side, jolting her from her lethargy. Horrified, she flung the box away, screaming as she did it. It fell off the side of the island and hit the floor, the head rolling out, its dead eyes staring up at her.

Screams spilled from her lips as she lunged away from it, falling over a chair and crashing to the floor. The need to get away from the head drove her as she scuttled backwards until she hit the couch where she climbed up the side.

Another scream split the air and Leeza swung her head around to see Kris standing in his doorway, staring at her in terror. She beckoned to him, hoarsely commanding, “Come here, baby.”

Kris flew toward her while Victor quickly snatched a dishcloth from the counter and draped it over the head.

Kris stopped in front of her, wringing his hands. Leeza took hold of him and dragged him into her body, absorbing his warm presence, reminding herself that she was okay, he was okay, everything was okay.

She needed her son more than he needed her to respect his personal space. She needed to feel him alive and breathing against her.

Havel burst into the room, his gun in his hand. He was followed closely by Jozef who was also armed. Both men were sweating and Jozef had blood on his shirt.

“I… a package came for me.” Leeza’s voice was unsteady, but she was proud of herself for getting the words out.

Havel assessed the situation quickly and, holstering his gun, bent to look under the dishcloth.

Leeza clutched Kris harder against her, averting her eyes to where Oliver stood in Kris’s doorway, his face white as a sheet. When he caught her eye, he shook his head. God, she hoped he didn’t quit over this. Kris needed him.

Havel stood and turned to Victor, his body language confrontational. He spoke to Victor in a low voice so Kris wouldn’t hear, but the lines of his body screamed fury.

She dropped a kiss on top of Kris’s head and took a deep breath. It was time to pull her shit back together and enter the fray. She wasn’t going to let her new bodyguard get fired, or worse, because he delivered a package.

“Go see Oliver,” she whispered to Kris and when he hesitated, she squeezed his shoulder. “I’m fine, love. I saw a big, nasty spider, that’s all.” There was no way she was telling her six-year-old what really happened.

He looked relieved and signed, spiders are great! O-L-I-V-E-R says they help our ecosystem by keeping the fly population down. I’ll teach you all about them so you don’t have to be scared anymore.

She smiled at his sweetness, kissed him again and sent him to Oliver before rushing toward Havel.

Jozef caught her arm, stopping her. Are you hurt?

She shook her head. “No, just shocked. One doesn’t open boxes expecting to find… that.” She shuddered, nodding toward the head without looking at it.

She stepped around Jozef. “It’s not his fault,” she said to Havel. “He was doing his job.”

Havel turned to her, raising an eyebrow. “Are you defending this man?”

“I’ve never had anyone open my packages before. I’m sure no one thought to check what was inside.”

Havel pinned Victor with a hard stare. “Do you agree with her assessment?”

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