Page 85 of Gangster's Empire: Leeza & Havel

Saskia smoothed her hands down her skirt. “I hope you treat my sister better than that.” She opened the door and gave them a significant look. “I’ll be at the front of the aisle with a ring whenever you two are ready, which better be sooner rather than later. I need a drink and I think the bartender is at his post.”

Saskia left, leaving Havel and Leeza alone.

He reached his hand out. “You ready?”

Leeza didn’t hesitate, placing her hand in his.

They had agreed that they would walk down the aisle together rather than Havel waiting for her to be given away. It was symbolic of their second chance at romance. Havel was taking what he wanted and so was Leeza. They were united.

“I’m ready.”

* * *

Tap, tap, tap.

Adam absently tapped his gun against his thigh.

He stared down at Zmatek’s facade from his borrowed office window. A few people stood on the pavement, laughing and talking before entering the club. It was too early in the day for the club to open. They weren’t customers though, they were wedding guests.

Adam knew all about the blaspheme about to be committed. His wife was soon to marry another man. Havel Tsotsarov. According to Adam’s source, Havel had procured a divorce for Adam and Leeza so he could take her for himself.

Adam didn’t blame the man; Leeza was a temptress. How could Havel resist the lure of her beauty, the sweet lilt of her voice, the rush of power that came with claiming a member of the Koba family? But neither could Adam allow this new marriage to stand.

He was the only man in Leeza’s life. Now and forever.

He’d had thoughts of entering the club like a cowboy and stealing her back, using his gun to shoot anyone who protested. It was a momentary madness that had come over him, bringing him to this spot. But he’d stopped himself from entering the club, instead going to his office across the street to watch the action.

Havel wasn’t stupid and he was excellent at his job. There would be unbreachable security surrounding the wedding.

Adam would have to wait until another time for his opportunity.

As he continued to watch the comings and goings of the club, he spotted his contact. His inside person.

Good, they would tell him everything he needed to know about the wedding. What Leeza looked like, what she said, what she ate. Was she happy? Sad? Did she miss him?

Adam knew she was being married under duress, but he still blamed her. She’d become too powerful over the years, her beauty too much for the men around her. He’d seen bodyguard after bodyguard fall into her trap. She played innocent, like she didn’t know. But he knew she knew.

This time, when Adam got his hands on her, he would fix her. He would make her beautiful to him alone. Then he could keep her forever without worry that she might be stolen.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

“All good, Boss?” Ayaan asked from her post in the hallway of a Parisian hotel.

Havel ignored her, pushing the door open and striding inside, kicking it shut behind him. He checked on Leeza, who was taking a bath in the luxury jetted tub. She was laying back with her head resting on the lip of the tub, bubbles teasing her breasts as they bobbed in the water, a glass of wine next to her elegant, red-tipped fingers.

He should have a few minutes of solitude before she finished.

Not that he wanted space from his new bride. Opposite. He couldn’t seem to keep her close enough, which was an issue. He had a job coming up in a few days that required him to lead a team into an active warzone. He needed his wits about him.

Havel stepped out onto the balcony, using the railing to strike a match, touching it to the tip of his cigar. He’d slipped out while Leeza was preparing her bath and purchased it in the lobby. He took a draw, choking as he sucked the thick smoke into his lungs. He’d never tried one before and likely wouldn’t again. Jozef had recommended it as an alternative to cigarettes when Havel felt the urge for a puff.

Given the noxious taste, he decided he was better off sticking with his usual stress relief of hitting something.

Havel, Leeza and their contingent of four bodyguards left Prague a few hours after the wedding ceremony, landing in Paris by 8 PM. Havel intended to take Leeza out for a night in her favourite city, but his dick was telling him they weren’t leaving the room any time soon. He would have to dig deep for some self-control if he intended to show Leeza a good time that didn’t include keeping her in bed for the entire forty-eight-hour duration of their honeymoon. She wanted to stay longer, but he had to be on mission in four days’ time.

He took another, slower draw of the cigar, allowing the smoke to linger in his mouth before puffing it out. Nope, still no good, but at least he wasn’t hacking up a lung.

Leeza was driving him to smoke.

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