by Land, Alexa
Worry settled heavily on me, and I wrapped my arms around myself. I had no idea what was happening, but I did know one thing: he was wearing the holster, and this time the gun was in it.
* * *
Around eleven that night, I was pacing anxiously around the living room. Lee had been gone for nearly twelve hours, and my text asking if he was okay had gone unanswered. I felt utterly helpless, and I hated that.
I’d gotten completely dressed and finished making his birthday cake, and then I’d searched the apartment. I needed to know if it held any clues about how Lee made his living, or what he might be doing right now. But all I’d found were things for the two of us, including a beautiful, hand-carved chess set, because he’d promised to teach me to play.
To kill time, I’d set up the game for us on a table positioned between two club chairs. I picked up the black king and turned it over in my hands. Then I almost dropped it when my phone buzzed in the pocket of my button-down shirt.
The text from Lee read: Apartment may be compromised, so you need to leave. I sent my cousin Rus to get you. Be ready to go ASAP.
I whispered, “What the hell?” How was I supposed to interpret ‘compromised’, especially when I had no idea what was going on or why he’d left?
While I tried to sort out whether I was scared, annoyed, or just confused, I quickly packed my belongings. I included the wrapped gift and the silk robe, because I didn’t know if or when I’d be coming back here. Then I put on my hat and left the apartment, since I had no intention of waiting around for some random cousin to show up.
After I crammed my bags in the trunk, I fired up the old Saab, swung out of the parking space in a wide arc, and pointed it at the exit. But before I could leave the garage, the gate rattled up and a big, black Ford Expedition with tinted windows pulled in at an angle and blocked my path.
Fear trickled down my spine as an enormous man in a dark suit got out of the passenger side of the SUV and strode over to me with a grim expression. I had no idea if he was the cousin or the reason the apartment was compromised. He leaned over to peer into my window and called through the glass, “Are you Beck?”
I answered with a question of my own. “Who are you?”
“I’m Leonidas’s cousin, and I’m here to help you.”
“Prove it. Show me some ID.”
Even though he seemed annoyed, he pulled a driver’s license from his wallet and stuck it against my window. It told me his name was Icarus Speros, he was thirty-two, and he lived in Marina del Rey. I rolled down the window half an inch and said, “Six-foot-six, damn. You’re one big fucker. Now tell your buddy in the SUV to get out of my way. I have absolutely no idea what’s going on, but I don’t need or want your help.”
“Doesn’t matter. Leonidas told me to look after you, so that’s what I’m going to do.” He circled around to the passenger side and tried the door, which was locked.
I called, “Did you miss the part about not wanting your help?”
He crouched down again so he could look through the window and informed me, “I don’t care what you want. I’m under orders.”
“Give me one good reason why I should let you help me.”
Rus held my gaze and said flatly, “Because some bad people with guns are looking for my cousin, and if they find you instead, they might shoot you for shits and giggles.” I couldn’t unlock the door fast enough when I heard that.
As soon as that giant of a man had crammed himself into my passenger seat, the SUV reversed out of the garage, and I followed it onto the street. “I need answers to a shitload of questions,” I told him, “starting with this one: what the hell is Lee involved in?”
“You call him Lee?”
“Yes. What do most people call him?”
“Mr. Speros, or ‘sir’. The only reason I get to call him by his first name is because we grew up together.”
“Okay. So, why are men with guns after him?”
“Because he made the wrong people angry. It happens in his line of work.”
“What does he do for a living?”
He said, “You call him Lee, but you don’t know the answer to that?”
“That’s right.”
“Well, if he never told you, I’m sure as hell not going to.” He turned to face me, as much as he could in that cramped seat, and asked, “What are you to him?”
“None of your business.”
“Are you his lover? If so, that’s quite the revelation. I didn’t know he was gay, or capable of having a relationship with anyone, male or female.”
“Refer to my last comment.”
He barreled ahead with, “You must be. He’s obviously crazy about you.”
“How do you know?”
“He sent his best man to protect you.” He looked smug when he said that.
I frowned at him and asked, “How much danger is he in?”
“Don’t worry. They gotta catch him first, and he’s ten steps ahead as usual. They did manage to obtain a list of his properties though, which may or may not include that brand new one back there, but they won’t find Leonidas at any of them.”
“So what is he, a mob boss? A gangster? Or are those just old timey words for criminal?”
Rus crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Not saying a word.”
“You shouldn’t be wasting your time with me,” I told him, as I pulled to the curb. “Now that I’m out of the apartment I’m not in any danger, so go make sure he’s safe.”
“He can take care of himself, and I’m not leaving your side until he tells me to.”
I asked, “What do you think is going to happen to me? No one even knows I exist.”
“If my cousin’s enemies were able to obtain information on his real estate holdings, it may mean there was a security breach within our organization. If that’s the case, who knows what else they got their hands on? Financial documents? Phone records? Appointment books? There could be some sort of trail connecting the two of you, and what better way to flush him out than by going after his boyfriend?”
“That’s not what I am.”
Rus watched me for a few moments, and then he asked, “What’s his favorite color?”
“Blue.”
“What’s his favorite movie?”
“He claims it’s impossible to pick a favorite,” I said, “but he insisted we watch Ben-Hur when I mentioned I’d never seen it, so I’m going with that one.”
“Why is today significant?”
“It’s his thirty-fourth birthday.”
Rus said, “Call yourself whatever you want, but you two are clearly in a relationship. Otherwise, he never would have told you any of that. We’re practically brothers, but I don’t know the first damn thing about him.”
“He’s not an easy person to get to know,” I admitted. “It’s not like he just blurted out a bunch of information the day we met. But as we’ve already established, I don’t even know what he does for a living, so I’m hardly his confidante.”
“Did you ask?”
“Of course I asked. He told me I really didn’t want to know.”
“He was right about that,” Rus said. “Now, can we please start driving again?”
“Where are we going?”
“It’s late, so let’s find us a hotel that’s off the beaten path.”
I blurted, “Wait, find us a hotel?”
“Remember that bit about not leaving your side?”
I watched him for a long moment in the light from a street lamp and found myself trying to spot any similarities between Rus and his cousin. They both had dark hair and light eyes, but there wasn’t any family resemblance beyond that. Also, his accent was strictly American. All of that was neither here nor there, though.
Finally, I decided Rus seemed like a pretty trustworthy if somewhat annoying guy, so instead of continuing to argue, I pulled away from the curb and made a turn when we reached an intersection. He asked, “Are you actually cooperating?”
; “Yes, even though this is pointless. No one would ever find me in some random hotel, so there’s no need for you to babysit me, no matter what Lee told you to do.” After a pause, a terrible thought occurred to me. “I live and work at a resort owned by my uncle. Do you think my friends and family might be in danger?”
“Nah, not unless these people find out Leonidas has spent time there and think he might return. Going after you is one thing, but targeting the people you work with really wouldn’t gain them any leverage.” That was a relief.
We drove in silence for a while. At one point, Rus sent a text, and the SUV that had been following us made a left turn and drove off. It seemed like he was having a hard time sitting still, and his fidgeting was making me nervous. Finally, he blurted, “I don’t know what kinds of conclusions you’re drawing from all of this, but my cousin isn’t a bad person.”
“I know that.”
Eventually, we selected a generic, chain hotel in South Pasadena, and Rus checked us in. When we got upstairs, I said, “One room? Really?” His only answer to that was to point at his eyes with his middle and index fingers, and then he pointed at me.
The room was basic but clean, with two double beds featuring hideous paisley bedspreads. I put my hat on the shared nightstand, climbed onto one of the mattresses, and stared up at the water-stained ceiling. What a harsh contrast to that gorgeous apartment.
Rus paced around the room while sending a string of texts. After a while, I sat up and asked, “Could you please sit down? All that nervous energy is making me crazy.”
He muttered, “Sorry,” and sat on the other bed without looking up from his phone. His foot tapped out a quick beat on the dark brown carpeting.
I chewed my lip for a while, and then I admitted, “I’m worried sick about Lee.”
“Don’t be. He’s fine.”
“I shouldn’t call him, right? He’s probably busy.”
Rus murmured, “Yeah, his hands are definitely full right now.” His eyes were still on his screen.
“What’s he doing? I hope the answer to that is getting the hell out of L.A.”
“Nah, he’s not running. He doesn’t do that. Right now, he’s circling the wagons.”
“For those of us not familiar with the Oregon Trail, what exactly does that involve?”
Rus glanced at me. Then he set his phone aside and said, “He called in his men from the field to make sure no one’s on their own and vulnerable to an ambush, and he’s reaching out to some of our allies to see if they’re willing to stand with us against this threat.”
I took that in for a moment before saying, “Okay, I was wrong. It’s not the Oregon Trail. It’s Game of Thrones.”
“That’s actually a pretty apt reference.”
“I don’t know much about that show,” I said, “except for one thing: a lot of people die.”
“Let’s not get worked up here.”
I exclaimed, “Come on Rus, give me something! What’s this all about? More importantly, is Lee’s life in danger?”
He hesitated for a long moment before saying, “Let’s say, hypothetically speaking, that all of this is happening because my cousin took something he really shouldn’t have, and now the most recent owner of that item is pissed off. This man wants revenge, which is understandable. He also wants to send a message to let others know he’s not to be trifled with. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he wants to kill Leonidas. All that’ll do is start a blood feud between our organizations, and that’ll lead to a lot more killing. In the end, we’ll be left with two weakened organizations who’ve lost people, time, money, and resources. That in turn makes both sides vulnerable to hostile takeovers by bigger, stronger organizations. So you see, killing my cousin really isn’t in anyone’s best interest. Although…”
“Although what?”
“Well, I don’t know if this individual is smart like me and took the time to think all of this through.”
I said, “Shit, so Lee’s in real danger, and he actually is in organized crime.”
“As far as being in danger, my cousin is going to figure out how to keep himself safe. He’s a survivor, first and foremost. Make no mistake about it.”
Rus continued, “With the rest of that, let’s say he is. I’m not confirming or denying anything, mind you. But let’s say you’re right, again hypothetically speaking, and he’s involved in all kinds of illegal shit. Are you going to let that change your opinion of him? Because here’s the thing: he’s still the same man you’ve known all along. You might not like what he’s had to do to support himself and those who depend on him, but if he’s always treated you well, then maybe that’s all you really need to know about Leonidas Speros.”
* * *
After a sleepless night for all involved, Lee called me first thing in the morning to apologize for what was happening and to make sure I was alright. He couldn’t talk for very long, but I was so glad to hear his voice.
I considered ditching Rus but decided against it, because I wanted to keep tabs on what was happening with Leonidas. We spent a few hours pacing around that boring hotel room, and finally Rus heard from Lee around midday and got permission to take me home.
We returned my uncle’s car to the parking garage before catching a ferry to Catalina. Rus insisted on going along, but as a compromise, he agreed to stay in Avalon instead of at the ranch. That way, he’d be close by on the off chance I needed him, but he wouldn’t stir up a million questions among my friends, who definitely would have been curious about my sudden need for a giant bodyguard.
While Rus went off to find a hotel, I hailed a taxi. The gate was locked when we reached the private road leading to the ranch, which told me we didn’t have any guests. Predictable. I buzzed us in, and the cab driver dropped me off at the other end of the road.
To my surprise, there was new landscaping in and around the courtyard. Everyone had clearly been busy, and I was touched by the effort they’d made in my absence. There was no one around though, so I’d have to thank them later.
When I got upstairs, I opened the doors to my balcony to let in some fresh air. After taking a hot shower, I put on shorts and a T-shirt, along with my new robe. Then I retrieved the wrapped gift from my luggage and climbed onto my bed with it.
A moment after I sat down, my phone buzzed, and my heart skipped a beat because I thought it might be Lee. But it was Will, letting me know he’d gotten my text about canceling breakfast on Monday. I replied and promised him a raincheck.
I set my phone aside and unwrapped the gift, revealing a bottle of very expensive cologne. When I sprayed it onto my wrist, I realized it was the brand Lee always wore. I’d complimented him on it, so it was a thoughtful present. The enclosed, handwritten note said: Just a small token of my affection, which doesn’t begin to convey how much you mean to me.
The worry I’d been trying to keep at bay rose up and overwhelmed me. On impulse, I sent Lee a text, which said: You mean everything to me, and I need to know you’re okay. Please take care of yourself, call me when you can, and as soon as possible, come and find me.
I sprayed some cologne onto my bedding and hugged a pillow to my chest. That familiar scent triggered memories of a dozen weekends, composed of a thousand little moments. I recalled shared meals and gentle kisses, quiet nights spent curled up with books and with each other, phenomenal sex that made my legs weak, and pale green eyes that crinkled at the corners when he gifted me with a smile.
Even after all of that, there was so much I didn’t know about Lee. A long talk was months overdue. I wanted him to tell me all about his life, and what exactly he was involved in.
But more than anything, I just needed to know he was okay.
* * *
It hadn’t been my intention to doze off, but it was no wonder, since I hadn’t slept at all the night before. It was dark when I awoke, and the clock on my nightstand told me it was nearly three a.m. A sound of some sort had woken me, but I was too groggy to figure out what it had b
een.
It had gotten cold, and when I shifted around to get under the covers, I unearthed my phone in the folds of the blanket. That was when I discovered a text from Lee, which had been sent two minutes ago and said: You’re probably sleep, but I wanted to tell you I’m here and really want to talk to you. Please call me when you wake up.
He had to mean ‘I’m here for you’ in general, not ‘I’m here on Catalina’. Right?
I sat up and responded with: Where are you?
Because the ranch was dead still, I could hear the faint beep of a text alert somewhere outside. I tumbled out of bed and rushed to my balcony. Soft, indirect lighting came on automatically every night at sundown all around the property, which meant the courtyard was illuminated enough to see it was empty. Even so, I called, “Lee?”
A faint, rustling sound came from the covered patio directly beneath me, the one formed by the overhang of the second floor balconies. A moment later, he appeared and turned to look up at me, and I asked, “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
There was so much I wanted to say to him, but the next thing out of my mouth was, “How did you get here?” It wasn’t really important, but since the ferries and helicopter service weren’t running at this hour, I was curious.
“I borrowed a boat.”
“Borrowed?”
“Okay technically, I stole it,” he admitted, “but one of my men is returning it to its rightful owner in Hermosa Beach as we speak.”
“Are there still people hunting you?”
“Yes, but they won’t be able to track me here. Otherwise I never would have come. The last thing I want is to put you in danger.”
“Wait there,” I said. “I’m coming down.”
I slipped my keys in my pocket and left the room barefoot. Lee was sitting on the edge of the broken fountain in the center of the courtyard, and he got up when I stepped outside. I could tell right away he wasn’t himself. His suit and hair were disheveled, but more notable was the change in his body language. Normally, he carried himself like he had all the confidence in the world. But there was uncertainty in the curve of his shoulders and in the way his hands fidgeted.
