by Nikki Wild
I’d always been a willful girl, but I hadn’t truly yearned to take control of my life until I’d laid my eyes on Leo. He was beautiful in the way the sky or the ocean is beautiful, a force of nature that you couldn’t help but be in awe of… or at least, that was how I remembered him. There were still nights that I’d lie awake and think of him, wondering if he was out there somewhere, thinking of me the same way. But the longer he stayed away, the less often those thoughts crept into my head, and the more I began to wonder if he’d cared for me at all.
Those were the dark kinds of thoughts that made me furious with him. And truth be told, it was much easier to hate Leo than it was to accept that I’d loved and lost him. The way he’d blown into my life like a hurricane, upending everything in his path, and then gusted away just as quickly without sticking around to clean up the damage—it left me foaming at the mouth, nursing a pain in my heart that even cold, callous rage couldn’t heal all the way.
But the idea of Leo being hurt had stirred something inside of me that I’d thought was dead and buried. I cared. I was worried. I’d thought those feelings had departed town when he did. Yet the night I’d learned of his accident, I’d been haunted by the thought of his mangled body on the side of the road, blood pouring onto the asphalt. That image had brought back a myriad of other memories that I would sooner forget, memories that were too painful to visit in the light of day, especially in Pleasant Lakes Memorial.
My reverie was cut short by a sudden clatter of metal instruments. It drew my gaze to a broad window that took up about half the height of the wall, allowing me to peer into the tiny hospital rooms beyond. This kind of window was repeated all around the nurse’s station, allowing the medical staff easy visual access into each of the patient rooms in case of an emergency.
At first all I could see were the backs of three nurses in the room, struggling with someone in the hospital bed. Part of me wanted to look away, immediately assuming it must be some older patient that was confused… until I heard a voice I hadn’t thought I’d ever hear again.
“You can’t keep me here!” the patient was screaming. A patient who was most definitely not elderly. A patient with a voice that sounded disturbingly familiar.
Could that really be Leo? I sighed and closed my eyes. Of course it was. Who else would be fighting every person who was trying to help them?
Part of me wanted to be wrong, to believe that all of this was a mistake and that it wasn’t actually him that had been in that accident. Because if he was here, then he really had been hurt, and the thought of that left me with a vile taste in my mouth. Yet at the same time, the way he whined and complained meant that he was at least well enough to pitch a fit. He was okay.
“Mr. Richards—” I heard one of the nurses say, but before I could eavesdrop on the rest of the nurse’s admonishment, Delfino cut in.
“It would appear that he crashed his motorcycle,” he said, his voice almost slithering into my ear as he came up behind me. It always disturbed me how silent he could be when he wanted to go unseen. “He’s one of the men that passed through here a few years ago. Those… bikers. I’d hoped that we had seen the last of them. Do you remember the last time they were here?”
“Yes,” I murmured, thoughts drifting to the past—to a place where my life had seemed on the cusp of changing for the better. That had been a time where everything had promised to be different, where I would go from being a prisoner to having a life filled with adventure and excitement. Yet here I was. “They were… terrible.”
Terrible, not because of their tattoos or their manners (or lack thereof)—but because of how much I’d envied them and their freedoms. Because of what Leo did to me.
Delfino snorted in disgust. “Children, playing at rebellion. At ‘organized’ crime.” He shook his head. “Aspiring to goals above their station. Pitiful.”
I wanted to look into the room again, wanted to stare at Leo for the first time in so long, but would doing so give away my feelings for him? I had done my best not to give Delfino any indication of the secret Leo and I had shared—that first, passionate night when he’d taken my innocence from me, stolen it for himself and stole away the very next day. If Delfino ever found out, there was no telling what he might do.
“If I might ask…” I began, glancing over toward the room as the three nurses filed out into the hallways. I could see Leo in my peripheral vision, and I knew immediately that he could see me as well. My heart stopped for a moment before I tried to regain my composure. “Why are we seeing to this person? Wouldn’t we want him to leave?”
Delfino, seeming not to notice Leo trying to get my attention, smiled—only this time, more condescendingly.
“We must practice our goodwill, Lucy,” he said, his hand on my shoulder in what I was sure was meant to be a comforting gesture. It wasn’t. “And taking in a soul that had once been an enemy of our community is the ultimate act of charity.”
“Taking him in?” I asked, my eyes opening wide as I lifted my brows. “Into our house?”
“Of course,” Delfino said. “Nothing less would be expected of a man of the cloth. I must be an example to the rest of the community.”
My common sense filled in the blanks. He has to keep up appearances. If Delfino was going to continue to play the role of Pleasant Lakes’ most esteemed and trusted resident, he was going to have to do some dirty work.
But I remembered what he’d said on the phone last night. That terse conversation he’d had with… with whoever had been on the other line. It seemed to me there was another motive for Delfino’s apparent generosity, but I couldn’t call him on it. Not without outing myself as a spy.
I could feel a lump rising in my throat. I was torn between what could be the best and worst of this situation. Deep down I wanted to see Leo again, to touch him and hold him like I’d done before he’d left, and yet on the other hand I was still so angry with him, so undeniably enraged at how he had simply left me here with the promise of freedom fresh on his lips after our night together.
And what if Delfino discovered what had happened between us? That kind of proximity was hardly conducive to keeping secrets, and the things I still felt for Leo would be hard to deny, especially if I ever gave into the desire I’d felt from the moment I saw him. After all this time, he could still make me shiver all the way to my core.
“Do you think that’s the best idea?” I asked, immediately regretting that I’d even opened my mouth. Delfino didn’t like to be questioned, and he tended to be… explosive, on the few occasions he became angry. “I mean… he doesn’t seem very trustworthy.”
He looked at me for a long moment—a moment I swore would go on forever. All the while I stood there, bracing for what I was sure would be a rather violent bout of reprimanding. But the admonishment never came. Instead, he smiled and squeezed my shoulder gently.
“Mr. Richards is a criminal, yes,” he answered, using the voice he often did when consoling his flock. “He has the potential to be… dangerous, just as all criminals do.” I wasn’t sure if that was just a statement on Delfino’s part, or a veiled threat. His tone was always so matter-of-fact. “But that puts me in a unique position, Lucy. A man such as myself is duly equipped to deal with a man like Leo Richards. I’m likely the only one here who can handle him without instigating a series of unfortunate events.”
So that was why he hadn’t just dumped Leo on the outskirts of town like he’d originally threatened—he was worried about retribution from the Hounds of Hell. Likely not in any physical aspect—Delfino was a formidable man, and with the town’s police force at his beck and call, the Hounds would be in for one hell of a fight. But drawing attention to the town would upset Don Carliogne, and that was the bigger issue. Getting into a spat with a motorcycle club was one thing. Blowing the lid off of several major mob operations? That was a whole different animal.
“That makes sense,” I answered. I’d grown accustomed to lying to him. Wearing the costume of the obedient s
ervant had kept me in Delfino’s good graces all these years, affording me certain “privileges” that put my life on just the right side of bearable. Leo’s return, however, threatened to upend that.
That was Leo’s curse. Wherever he went, he turned things upside-down and took sense right out of the equation. The certain ground I’d stood on just twenty-four hours ago was crumbling beneath my feet, and I had a feeling that once Delfino’s plan—whatever it was—had come to fruition, I’d never know what it was like to have a solid foundation below me ever again.
Five
Leo
I watched as Lucy and the familiar face of the man I’d come to assume was her father exchanged words. She seemed so tense as he spoke, regardless of the impassive expression on his face, and yet somehow I could detect the slightest trace of malice in his eyes. I didn’t need to be reminded just how much I disliked him, especially the way he’d treated me and my brothers while we’d taken up residency in an old motel just inside the town limits. Even without his terrible disposition toward us—which I could almost forgive, since we’d come there to extort the townsfolk for as much money as they were willing to fork over—there had always been something not quite right about him.
Back when the club had rolled into town, this guy had been the one to come out and greet us. It was almost like he came as a representative of Pleasant Lakes, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out just who the hell he was to all those people. Initially he had been almost accommodating, telling us that we were “welcome guests” and that anything we needed would be provided. It seemed almost too good to be true.
And it turned out that it was.
His second visit a week later wasn’t nearly as pleasant, and the way he’d talked to Jackal, our prez, was close to downright threatening. At first Jackal was all in favor of giving that son of a bitch the kind of hell we reserve for people who get on our bad side, but a few words whispered into his ear and suddenly we were bugging out faster than we’d arrived. No one knew what had been said, but for the first time since I’d known him, Jackal actually looked a little shaken.
There was, of course, more to the story of my time here, most of it involving my whirlwind of a romance with Lulu. But as far as her father went, those were my scant interactions with him. Each one of them had left me with a slimy, unclean feeling that I desperately needed washed away. It wasn’t until my final days in town that I’d even learned of the familial bond between Lucy and her father, and before I could ask her why she’d never told me, we were already rolling out of town.
I should have taken her with me, I thought for the hundredth time since I’d left the Hounds of Hell.
I knew, realistically, I couldn’t have stolen Lucy away that night. If I had, there’d have been hell to pay—especially from our newly instated president. The moment we’d gotten into town, we’d had the law laid down for us, the most important tenant of which was “don’t fuck the locals.” And it was for exactly this reason that rule was even in place: the fact that I was back in this one-horse town, chasing after a girl I hardly even knew from years before.
And I’d abandoned my brothers to do it. Maybe some rules weren’t meant to be broken.
I tensed as I watched the two of them walking right toward the door to my room, Lucy’s eyes turned down to the floor as she walked, hands clasped in front of her. I already didn’t like how this was turning out and it hadn’t even begun. I swallowed nervously as the click of the door sounded and the two of them entered. Did he know what Lucy and I had done together all those years ago? Why was I even being kept here when last I’d shown my face here, I was considered a menace? I never trusted the unwarranted hospitality of others, but then again, I was always told never to look a gift horse in the mouth, either.
“Leopold,” the older man said, his voice smooth as silk, yet hard at the edges. Like steel wrapped in velvet. “I’m glad to see that you’re awake, and apparently regaining your strength.”
“Don’t call me that,” I said through my teeth. I could feel the muscle in my jaw twitching. “It’s Leo.”
“Leo it is.” He spread his hands wide in an almost mocking display of acceptance. “I don’t believe we had much in the way of a… personal relationship, the last time you were here. But it would surprise me if you didn’t remember my name.”
I snorted. “Delfino.”
“Father Delfino, to most. I’m the minister of this town.”
I looked him up and down. You’ve got to be shitting me.
But for once, I needed to hold my tongue. I needed to pick my battles.
“I’m concerned about your recovery, Leo,” Delfino continued, slipping his hands into the pockets of his well-pressed slacks. “You see, your time here at Pleasant Lakes Memorial is about to come to an end, and after that, you’re to be remanded to bed rest until your ribs have fully healed.”
“Fuck that,” I said, glancing over at Lucy, hoping to catch a glimpse of those gorgeous eyes of hers. But she refused to meet my gaze, her eyes still fixed on her feet. It didn’t suit her, that rigid, simpering pose that reminded me of a reprimanded child. “I’m riding out of here as soon as I’m released.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Delfino said evenly. There was no emotion there, no trace of humanity in his tone. Whatever sentiments he voiced—whatever attempts he made at empathy or sympathy—seemed to come from a man who’d never actually experienced those things, only heard of them. He was a magpie. A mockingbird. Mimicking the human condition.
At last, I understood why Jackal hadn’t wanted a damn thing to do with him. You can’t manipulate people like that. Can’t even touch them. They have nothing you can take from them. No weakness you can exploit.
When you have no soul, you’ve got nothing to lose.
“Your motorcycle is quite badly damaged,” he continued, “and I don’t think that it’ll be operational for some time. But not to worry—we have our town’s mechanic working on it to make sure you are able to leave as soon as you’re well.”
I hadn’t realized until now that I could be any more uncomfortable with this situation. But the idea of Delfino giving me something—the idea of owing him—was almost enough to make me squirm.
“And where am I supposed to go until then?” I snarled, winding my fingers around the bedrails until my knuckles whitened. Seemed everyone in this damn town wanted to keep me on some kind of leash.
“That’s the main reason I’ve come to talk to you,” Delfino said, his smile returning in earnest. “Until you’ve recovered from your ordeal, you’ll be staying in the spare room at my home.”
I couldn’t believe it. Literally could not believe it. This guy wanted me, the dude who damn near abducted his daughter right out from under his nose, living under his roof?
Not that sleeping in the same house as Lucy wasn’t a dream come true…
No. No way. Something was wrong here. It was like Delfino was deliberately tempting me, like he was offering me this respite solely to break me. Putting me in such close quarters with the girl of my dreams, without me being able to touch her—that was torture. Even now it was the hardest thing I’d ever done, not to reach out to her despite her father being in the room, staring right at me. Was he hoping I’d fuck up and go for it? If so, what would that accomplish? What the hell would it prove?
I stole another glance at Lucy, and this time her eyes flicked up to mine for just a second. She looked as uncertain and wary as I did. She’d always been a smart girl, though. It didn’t surprise me that she might sense something was up.
“You’ll be staying with the two of us while you recover,” her father repeated, plucking my chart from the foot of my bed and flipping through it as if he understood the information there—and as if it wasn’t private. “You’re in no condition to care for yourself, and we have more than enough room for you.”
“I can’t see this working out in my favor,” I told him, making sure not to let my eyes linger on Lucy for too long. Dr
agging my gaze back to the old man, though, was a task that bordered on Herculean. “I can just find a motel or something—”
“And pay for it with what money?” he asked, his tone infuriatingly patronizing. “There was very little cash in your wallet when they found you, and no credit cards. For all intents and purposes, you’re destitute, Leo.”
Fine. So I was more or less broke. Still didn’t mean I needed charity—especially the kind that came with a set of invisible strings attached.
“I’ll find my own way, thanks,” I told him again. Even though Delfino was handing me a gift-wrapped excuse to spend some quality time with Lucy, I just wasn’t willing to risk it. There had to be something nasty going on beneath the surface here. No one opens their home out of the goodness of their heart, especially to a man like me—doubly so when it came to being so close to Lulu. What the hell kind of minister was this guy?
“You have little choice in the matter,” he said. “In a few days when the doctor has cleared you for discharge, we’ll bring you home to continue your recovery. It’s already been arranged.”
“You can’t just force me to stay with you,” I protested, but that only drew a dismissive wave of the old man’s hand.
“You’ll find that I can do a great many things, Mr. Richards,” he said, his smile growing more malicious with every syllable. “You’ll be brought to my home for your recovery, and when that has finished, you will be allowed to leave. Until then, however, I suggest that you refrain from stressing yourself overly.”
I watched as Lucy’s father guided her away, his hand clenched around the curve of her slight, delicate shoulder. All the while she kept her eyes down, not even sparing me a backward glance. I wanted to shout, to scream, to remind her that things weren’t always this way. To give her some kind of hope in whatever darkness this bastard was obviously imposing on her. My heart raced as I watched her be ushered out of the room like a placid little sheep, herded away without a single thing I could do about it.
