Page 54 of Steeled

“About time you showed up,” he greeted, a hint of a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

“You live out in the boonies, man,” joked Lawson, dropping Nora’s hand in order to shake the stranger’s.

“Just the way my woman wanted it.” Shifting his attention onto Nora, he dipped his chin and said, “I’m Leo.”

“Leo Vollucci—top boss,” added Lawson.

Nora nodded. It suddenly made a whole lot of sense that the owner of Vollucci Security would be physically built for the job.

“Nice to meet you,” she replied. “I’m Nora-Jean. This is my daughter, Evie.”

When Leo’s eyes shifted to catch sight of Evie, she stepped a little closer to her mother, her grip tightening around Nora’s fingers. This made Leo chuckle softly before he squatted down to Evie’s level.

“Evie, my wife made brownies. Do you like brownies?”

Still acting shy, Evie merely nodded.

“Me, too. I’ll make sure you get one.”

He winked at her before he returned to full height and tilted his head toward the house. “Come on in.”

The inside of the house was even more beautiful than the outside. Somehow it was both cozy and upscale all at once, the color palette made up of warm, muted colors. The large living room was located just opposite the front door; the kitchen beyond located through a wide arched opening in the wall. Guests were in both places, and introductions began in short order.

Leo offered to take their jackets as a woman named Ruth and her boyfriend Brian said hello. Nora learned it was Brian who was employed at Vollucci Security on the technical side, much like Finn—whom Nora met next. After meeting Mitch, Lawson guided them toward the kitchen. For whatever reason, everyone followed.

The kitchen table was situated on the right side of the room and was nearly full with three men and a woman. At the kitchen island were two more women, laying out food and drinks.

“Hey.” Another tall, dark, and handsome man captured Nora’s attention as he stood from the table with a grin. “You made it.”

As he walked toward them, everyone at the table stood. Soon it seemed like all attention was on Nora and Evie.

“Babe, this is my boss—Cruiz. Cruiz, Nora-Jean.”

“Pleasure to meet you. It’s nice to put a face to a name.”

“Hi, I’m Hanna,” interjected the short, young woman who’d come from the kitchen. She tucked herself into Cruiz’s side as she explained, “I work with Lawson, too. Well—kind of. I handle all the office work.” Cruiz gave her shoulders an affectionate squeeze, and a pretty smile lit up Hanna’s eyes as she added, “I’m also engaged to this guy.”

Nora didn’t have a chance to respond before the blond man spoke. “I’m Dax. This is Kyra.” She waved as he continued, “We actually live in your neck of the woods.”

“Oh, right. I remember your name. You’re handling the security system for my friend Mitzi’s store.”

“Yeah—that’s me.”

A man named Jeremy introduced himself next, and then the second woman from the kitchen—with gorgeous ashy, blonde hair grown down her back—joined the group. She held an adorable baby boy on her hip, and Leo stood behind her in a way Nora knew instinctively that they belonged together.

“Hi, I’m Jill. Welcome to our home. It’s so nice to meet you. A few of us here have actually heard you perform before. I have to say, you have an incredible voice.”

“Oh, wow,” breathed Nora, taken aback by the compliment as much as the recognition. “Thank you. It’s very kind of you to say.”

“She knows talent when she hears it,” piped in Dax. “She’s related to music royalty.”

Nora looked from Dax to Jill and Jill shrugged. “My cousin is married to Ashley Hicks. That’s actually how I met my husband.” As she looked up at Leo she explained, “Leo was Ashley’spersonal bodyguard until we decided it was best for our family to settle down here.”

“I had no idea,” murmured Nora as she glanced at Lawson.

It was in that moment that she realized she didn’t know the specifics of his day-to-day. While she knew his last job had him on a movie set, she was beginning to understand Vollucci Security probably had a pretty impressive list of celebrity connections. It had been a long time since she’d wanted to sing in front of a crowd of hundreds or maybe even thousands of fans. A younger Nora would have begged for such connections. Now, looking at Leo, Jill, and that baby on her hip—Nora wanted that even more.

“Mommy,” Evie whispered, tugging on her hand.

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