"But that’s not why I love her." Leo’s voice grew fierce. "It’s not her skills. Not her past. Not anything she can do for ."
He t Alexa’s eyes.
"It’s her heart. Soft, but unbreakable. Gentle, but fierce. Kind, but not weak."
He stepped back, his hands steady at his sides.
"She is perfect. And I am lucky. So fucking lucky that she chose ."
He looked at Alexa, and his eyes were cold again.
"I will never let her go. No one will take her from . No one will hurt her. Anyone who tries—anyone who even thinks about harming her or taking her away—" His voice dropped to a whisper, deadly and absolute. "I will kill them. I will burn their world to the ground. I will erase them from existence."
He turned toward the door.
"That includes you."
He walked out.
The door closed.
And Alexa sat alone in the dark, with nothing but the echo of his words and the terrible, hollow knowledge that she had never, not for one mont, stood a chance.
anwhile, Leo sat in the backseat of his car, the door closing behind him with a solid thud. The leather was cool beneath him. He loosened his tie, rolling his head back against the seat, letting the silence settle around him.
It lasted approximately three seconds.
The door on the other side flew open, and Jay launched himself inside like a missile.
Before Leo could react, Jay’s arms were wrapped around him, squeezing tight, his face buried in Leo’s shoulder.
"Bro!"
Leo sat frozen, his arms pinned to his sides, his expression caught sowhere between confusion and disgust. "What are you doing?"
"Processing!" Jay’s voice was muffled against Leo’s jacket. "I’m emotionally processing! You just told you swapped Alexa with a lookalike and no one knows and I’m supposed to just sit here normally? Like a normal person?"
"You’re hugging ."
"You’re my brother. I’m allowed to hug you."
Leo’s jaw tightened. "You’re not allowed to hug in the car."
"The car is fine. The car is private. No one can see." Jay squeezed tighter. "This is a vulnerable mont. Let have it."
Leo sat there, stiff as a board, while his younger brother clung to him like a monkey. His hands stayed at his sides. His face remained carved from stone. But he didn’t push Jay away.
"How did you get here?" Leo asked flatly.
Jay finally pulled back, settling into the seat beside him. His eyes were bright, curious, absolutely buzzing with energy. "I drove myself. Obviously. I’m not a child."
"You drive like a child."
"I drive efficiently."
"You drive like you’re fleeing a cri scene."
Jay waved a hand, dismissing the comnt. "That’s not the point. The point is—" He turned in his seat, facing Leo fully, his expression shifting from excited to sothing sharper, more analytical. "Bro, I just realized sothing."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"You’re scheming. Like, really scheming. Villain-level scheming. The kind of scheming that happens in movies where the bad guy has a secret lair and a cat."
"I don’t have a cat."
"That’s not the point." Jay leaned closer. "You swapped Alexa with a lookalike. You’ve been running this operation for months. You had a spy watching her. You had a whole plan. And you didn’t tell anyone."
Leo said nothing.
"You didn’t tell Bella. You didn’t tell . You didn’t tell Archer." Jay’s voice dropped. "Bro, what else have you done? What other secrets are you keeping? What other shocking things are you hiding that would blow my mind?"
Leo’s gray eyes flickered. Sothing dark and amused passed through them, quick as a shadow. Then his expression smoothed again, unreadable.
He gestured to the driver. "Drive."
The car pulled away from the curb.
"Tell ," Jay insisted, poking Leo’s arm. "Bro. Bro. Tell . I need to know. I won’t tell anyone. I’ll take it to my grave."
Leo stared straight ahead.
"I’m serious. I’m a vault. I’m a tomb. I’m—"
"You’re annoying."
"I’m persistent. There’s a difference." Jay poked him again. "Tell one thing. One thing you’ve done that would shock . Just one."
Leo didn’t answer. His profile was sharp against the window, his jaw set, his lips pressed together in that way that ant he wasn’t going to say another word.
Jay leaned back, crossing his arms. His eyes narrowed.
"You’ve done sothing else," he said slowly. "I can tell. You have that look. The ’I’ve already solved the problem and no one knows about it’ look."
Leo’s lips twitched. Almost a smile. Almost.
"Bro."
Leo looked out the window.
"Bro."
The city scrolled past, buildings and streets and people who had no idea what happened in the dark.
"Bro!"
Leo sighed. "Jay."
"Yes?"
"Shut up."
Jay grinned. He didn’t shut up. But he settled back into his seat, watching his brother, cataloging every micro-expression, every tiny tell. Leo had done sothing else. Sothing big. Sothing that would probably make Jay’s jaw drop.
And soday, maybe, he’d find out what it was.
For now, he just enjoyed the ride.
Next day.
Leo woke to sunlight streaming through the curtains, gold and warm, painting the room in soft morning light. His eyes opened slowly, the weight of sleep still heavy on his limbs, and then he felt her.
Soft, cuddly, and warm. Curled against him like she belonged there.
He looked down.
Bella was asleep on his chest, her brown hair a fluffy ss spread across his shoulder and pillow, catching the sunlight like spun gold. Loose strands frad her face, soft and untad. Her lips were slightly parted, her breathing slow and even, her lashes dark against her cheeks.
She was wearing a light nightdress with thin straps and soft fabric, the kind of thing that bunched up when she moved. It had ridden up during the night, bunching around her hips, leaving her legs bare against the sheets. The neckline had slipped, just slightly, showing the curve of her shoulder, the hollow of her throat.
Leo’s breath caught.
She was pressed against him. Her whole soft body curled into his hard one, her arm draped across his stomach, her leg hooked over his thigh. She was warm. And she slled edible.
His gray eyes darkened.
He shouldn’t. She was asleep. She was tired. She had been studying, worrying, helping him with the assassin, dealing with everything he had thrown at her.
But she was wiggling.
In her sleep, she shifted, her thigh sliding higher against his hip, her arm tightening around his waist. Her face nuzzled into his chest, and a small, contented sound escaped her lips.
Leo’s jaw tightened.
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