Leo

by Rachel Medhurst

  “What happened earlier?”

  Wiping my forehead, I gave in to the inevitable. I was lucky my father hadn’t stuck around to try and get the truth out of me, too. That was the problem with my family, they spent so much time worrying. It almost made it impossible to have fun with them. Life was too short to be so caught up in what we should and shouldn’t be doing. I just wanted to live.

  “I bumped into Nick on my way to the gig. He had a girl with him.”

  “A girl? How old?” Aries’ brain was on high alert.

  He liked to know what was going on, my brother. My mother had once told me that we had fought so often as kids because we were both natural leaders. I was happy to let him take the lead, but not in my life. My life, my music…that was my responsibility.

  “Probably sixteenish, I don’t know. She looked younger than us, but who can tell nowadays? Anyway, they were insisting she was my twin flame, but I know she’s not. She had a bracelet like ours…”

  “Hold on. Why would Nick introduce you to who he believed was your twin flame when it would only cause him problems?” Aries clicked his knuckles as we walked.

  Shaking my head, I ignored the call of a group of women huddled outside an all-night café. Aries propelled me forward when one started to walk towards us. We were not interested in what they offered.

  “Exactly. That’s one of the reasons I don’t believe him. Let me tell you the rest.” I held up my hand when Aries went to speak again. “I left them in the street and went to the pub, not thinking too hard about them. I was setting up when they came in. Nick may have pointed a gun at me.”

  Realisation crossed Aries’ face. “That’s why I had to wipe the band’s memory!”

  Shrugging, I continued. “Well, I managed to get them to leave. Then after the gig, the girl was in the bar. I followed her outside, where she told me that she wasn’t really my twin flame, but she was in love with one of Nick’s men. Stupid child.”

  A car beeped. We were walking in the middle of the road. Pushing Aries, I moved us onto the pavement. The traffic was intermittent, but I didn’t fancy getting into a road rage fight. I just wanted to get home, to my bed.

  “So, she managed to get away from Nick to tell you this? Something isn’t quite right.”

  I held my tongue. It wouldn’t do to state that Aries was stating the obvious. Nick and the girl had popped up right at the wrong moment.

  “I can’t think about it now. I’m meeting Michael Keen tomorrow. He’s going to offer us a deal, I can feel it.” Punching the air, I jogged forward, ready for the meeting.

  Aries hand shot out, holding me back. “Alright there, mate. I’m happy for you, I am. Will he offer you twenty million pounds?”

  Everyone knew that Aries exaggerated. A million quid would be lovely, let alone twenty, but it wasn’t realistic.

  “No.”

  He laughed at my dead-pan expression. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of making fun of my dream. Clenching my hands, I marched on. Our home was only a few streets away.

  “Okay, I know you have other things on your mind. However, we need to face this. If Nick is becoming more public, which he seems to be doing, we need to be on guard.”

  My phone beeped. Ignoring him, I read the message from Megan. Another problem on my shoulders. Something else I had to think about.

  “Who was that?”

  “Just Megan asking how I got on.” I shot her a reply before turning my phone off.

  Aries went quiet. Glancing at him, I grinned. “No, it’s not like that. We’re just friends.”

  His eyebrows rose high into his forehead. The hair on his head curled gently at the ends. He had always hated the style.

  “Okay, whatever. So, Nick…what are you going to do about him? He has a point about your twin flame. If recent history is anything to go by, you’re next up in the world of love and romance.”

  I scoffed, punching him on the arm. “Come off it, lover boy, you’ve got that covered perfectly well. When is the wedding anyway?”

  Aries silence made me stop. Turning to him, I froze. He had a stupid, soppy looking grin on his face. I still couldn’t get used to the fiery romantic man.

  “Well, we’re not going to announce it until you’ve found your soulmate, but we’re thinking of an autumn wedding.”

  My mouth dropped open. October was only six months away. Was my brother being serious?

  “What?” I had never heard my own voice squeak until now.

  He put his arm around my shoulder, patting me when I shuddered from the sudden chill. Guiding us into our street, he hummed the wedding march.

  “Are you sure? It’s only been…” I rattled my brain, trying to remember when Natalie agreed to marry him.

  “Two years, brother. We’ve been engaged for long enough. And, it hasn’t been easy. I think those that haven’t found their soulmate yet think it’s easy once you get together, but trust me, it isn’t.”

  A wash of warmth flowed over me. I had to admit that I hadn’t paid much attention to the others. Their relationships were none of my business. I had helped Cancer with her dilemma recently, only realising that Derek was her twin flame when she did. Maybe I wasn’t giving enough attention to what I would have to face.

  “Congratulations.” I patted his back as he typed in the code to gain entrance to our building.

  He smiled before the happiness dropped from his face altogether. “Is that her?”

  My body went still. He stared over my shoulder, towards the street. If Amelia had followed me, we were buggered. We had to keep our whereabouts secret from Nick for as long as possible. We had already had to move several times to cover our tracks.

  “Leo?”

  My breath rushed from me as I turned. “Megan! What are you doing here?”

  The racing of my heart pounded in my ears. Aries let out his breath beside me. Patting me on the back, he whispered in my ear. “Don’t tell anyone about the wedding.”

  I put my hand on the door as he walked in. It seemed Megan needed a place to stay again. Aries went in the lift, no doubt ready to greet the others who were probably still up.

  “Are you okay?”

  Megan came forward, her arms wrapped around herself. The coat she wore hung loose over her stomach. Black mascara ran down her cheeks with the tears that flowed out of her eyes. Gesturing her to come over, I pulled her into the lobby so I could shut the door.

  “What’s happened?”

  She sobbed, burying her head into my chest. Putting my arm around her, I stayed still as she cried it out.

  “Please, Megan, talk to me,” I said when she went quiet.

  Pulling away, she wiped her face. “It’s just…my father…he came into my room before I could cover my bump. He knows I’m pregnant. He said he’s going to kill me.”

  Chapter Three

  “He won’t kill you.”

  It was the following morning. We had managed to get a few hours’ sleep. My body felt like it was hanging, when I hadn’t even had one drink the night before.

  I handed Megan a glass of water as she lounged on my bed. The bean bag I sat on had almost split from my weight. I didn’t mind. I couldn’t very well let a pregnant lady sleep on it.

  “You should’ve seen the look in his eyes. Seriously.”

  She opened her designer bag and dug out her phone. Her watch fell out at the same time. She huffed, picked up the watch and threw it across the room.

  “I have no idea about these things, but I’m sure that watch was worth more than my bands’ equipment put together.”

  “So?” She puffed out her cheeks. “My dad bought it for me. Why would I want it when he treats me so badly?”

  The contradiction in her words made me laugh. Her glare made me laugh even harder. “Oh, come on. What actually happened when your dad saw that you were pregnant?”

  Running a hand over her stomach, she sighed as she sat up and leant against the wall. The room wasn’t as big as I would like, but it made
a change to get one to myself for a while. I had somehow managed to bribe Scorpio to find another room.

  “He went crazy. Seriously. He shouted at my mum, who came rushing in. She started crying when he shouted at me, telling me I was shameful. He…he stormed out, yelling that if I wasn’t careful, he would kill me.”

  Great. Not only did I have a threat from Nick, I had to worry about Megan’s father. If only I hadn’t got involved with her drama in the first place.

  “I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean it. He was obviously upset. I mean, you are fairly young, but twenty is a perfectly normal age to have a baby.” I wiped a hand over my face, attempting to calm my increased heartbeat.

  “Leo, he’s…he’s one of the most influential people in London right now. If he knew…I mean, he…he really would kill…”

  “Okay, okay…let’s think of a plan,” I said, getting to my feet.

  She nodded, her blonde hair coming over her face. “Can I just stay here for a while?”

  How could I tell her that no one in my family knew about her? She would be upset that I hadn’t told them about her. I might have mentioned her name now and then, but they had no idea who she was…and that she was pregnant.

  “I’m…”

  Her phone started to ring. She glanced over, her eyes wide. “It’s my father.”

  Looking at the clock, I gestured for her to answer it. I had to leave to meet with Michael Keen soon and it would be better if things were sorted before I went.

  “Dad?” Her voice was timid when she answered.

  A sob escaped her as her father spoke. “I love you too, Dad. No, I don’t want to fight. Okay, I’ll come home.”

  My shoulders relaxed as she hung up. Her tears were of relief, nothing else. She would be screwed without her father. He paid for everything.

  “He said he was sorry. He reacted because he was shocked and hurt that I didn’t tell him.” Getting off the bed, Megan grabbed my arm and buried her head in my chest.

  Stroking her back, I leant away when her bump brushed against me. It was odd. She had a little baby growing inside her.

  “I’m glad you’ve sorted it. Let’s get you home.”

  Patting her back, I let go and gathered my things. She picked up my leather jacket, handing it to me. “Make sure you let me know what Michael says, won’t you?”

  I took my jacket and put it on, trying my best not to make eye contact with her. She was friends with the producer. In fact, she had asked him to listen to our demo in the first place. A part of me knew that we wouldn’t be going to the lunch meeting if it wasn’t for her.

  “Please don’t say you still resent me for going behind your back.”

  Clearing my throat, I picked up her broken watch and placed it in her hand.

  “No.” I sighed. “I’m very grateful that you did that for us.”

  “But, you hate the fact that you didn’t do it on your own. Sometimes, we’ve got to accept help in this world. You taught me that when I told you I was pregnant.”

  She was right. I had said that a few times. However, I meant other people. Not necessarily me. I didn’t need help, I could handle it. Life, that was. I was a love warrior after all. I screwed up my face at the reminder. An image of Amelia came into my mind. Bloody mission.

  “Let’s go,” I whispered, opening the bedroom door and listening for any movement.

  There were noises in the kitchen below. Great, the others were bound to want to meet Megan. I didn’t have time.

  “You always sneak me out of here. Why?”

  Grabbing her jacket, I motioned for her to do it up. I didn’t want all the questions her appearance would entail. Hopefully the others were in a hurry to go about their business.

  “You make me laugh.” Megan smacked my arm as she did up her jacket and pushed me out of the door.

  Our footsteps were loud on the balcony before we descended the stairs. I glanced over the side, looking to the kitchen at the back of the open-plan living area. Aries pottered around, turning the kettle on and firing up the cooker. I breathed a sigh of relief when we came to the bottom of the stairs. At least there was no one else in the room.

  “Leo! How are you this fine morning?”

  His cheery greeting brought a smile to my face. “Well, Aries, I’m fine as fine can be.”

  Megan laughed, slapping my arm again. Bringing her around the sofas, I stood near the lift, ready to take her home.

  “Hello, there,” Aries called, waving at Megan.

  She smiled, her eyes narrowing on him. The rich heiress had an eye for tall men. That’s how she had got into trouble in the first place. Her whole life she had got mixed up in footballers, musicians and all sorts of the rich and famous.

  “Oh, no you don’t,” I said, grabbing her back when she made to walk towards my brother.

  “This is Megan, she’s leaving. This is my brother Aries, he’s taken.”

  Megan’s mouth dropped open in mock outrage. Aries’ lips quirked as he tried to rein in his smile. I pressed the button for the lift, keeping my hand on her arm to make sure she stayed by my side. The last thing I needed was an accidental viewing of her pregnant belly…and the questions that followed.

  “Nice to meet you, Aries,” Megan called as the lift doors creaked open and I shoved her inside.

  “Likewise.” Aries waved us goodbye, raising his eyebrows at me.

  The tapping of footsteps brought my attention to the top of the stairs. Cancer stared down, glancing between me and Megan. As the doors were about the close, I could swear her gaze dropped to Megan’s stomach. What the hell did she know?

  “He seemed nice.” Megan fiddled with her hair before giving up.

  She would probably get a stylist in when she got home. My mind wondered about Cancer and her wandering gaze. Getting my phone out, I debated whether to text her. We weren’t exactly the closest, but I had helped her with Derek recently.

  “I insist you introduce me to your family soon, Leo. I’ve known you for a few years now. I want to meet them all. In all their quirky weirdness.”

  The lift door opened, revealing my father standing in the lobby. What was it with my luck over the last two days?

  “Leo?” My father ran his blue eyes over Megan.

  The girl in question lifted her gaze from her phone to stare at the handsome older man. Hopefully having someone with me would prevent our father from harassing me.

  “I’ll be back soon, I’m just taking Megan home. She doesn’t live far.”

  Megan went to open her mouth, but I took her arm and dragged her out of the lift, into the hallway and towards the door.

  “Why are you here, anyway? I was going to come to you.”

  My father, Trevor, stared at me. The look was penetrating, yet, I chose to ignore it. He couldn’t intimidate me when I had so much to think about. He wouldn’t say too much with anyone around, so I had the chance to escape.

  “I had a feeling…”

  Ah…my father knew me well. Or, thought he did, anyway. “I’ll be back soon.”

  I meant it. My plan was to drop Megan off, go to see Michael and then head home. Everything would be hunky dory.

  The look of doubt on his face would have made me pause before, but I couldn’t now. Propelling Megan outside, I marched her down the street.

  “Slow down! Who was that?”

  I grunted, letting go of her arm when she tugged. “My father.”

  Her eyes widened as she linked her arm through mine. Her small frame made it harder for me to stride towards her home. It would be a slow walk with her swollen stomach.

  “You’ve told me so much about him. Why didn’t you tell him who I was?” For the first time ever, Megan looked disappointed in me.

  She had never glanced at me the way she was now. Her eyebrows pulled low, her cheeks red and a brim of tears on her eyelids.

  “Megan, today is really important. It’s all I’ve been thinking about for months. Please, let me just get this meeting done and t
hen I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

  Clearing her throat, she laid a hand on my arm. “Of course. I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me. This is your life, your career. Although, I don’t know what you’re worried about. You’re going to be fine…and famous!”

  I laughed, squeezing her against me as we walked. “I know I’m going to be famous. Of course I am.”

  “Because you’re Leo and Leos get what they want.”

  Shaking my head, I ruffled her hair. Her apartment block came into view. The brand spanking new shiny building stunk of money. The glass outside reflected the morning sun. One day, I would have enough money to get my own place there.

  “We do indeed. I’m the King of the Jungle.” Growing up in a family so entwined with star signs, I had learnt a lot about people who embodied them.

  Something about someone’s personality always represented their birth sign. However, people didn’t realise that other factors came into play. Different planets in other signs when someone was born made that person who they were. And, experience. It was all about a person’s upbringing.

  “I’ve explained this to you,” I said, letting go of her when a cute woman walked past, staring at us.

  Megan shoved my arm, scowling up at me. “You’re so rude!” Tutting, she greeted the doorman as we entered her building.

  Her father owned the whole top floor. Rich bastard. The lobby was marbled. A few leather seats were gathered in the corner. Why would you need seating in a lobby when your home was two seconds away?

  “Anyway, yes, you told me how the star signs worked, but you’re still an arrogant Leo. The Jester of the pack.”

  Putting my hand to my heart, I gasped out loud. Megan rolled her eyes as she pressed the button to the lift.

  “You wound me.”

  “I’m sure.” Leaning up, she air kissed my cheeks and patted my leather jacket. “Thank you for last night.”

  The lift door pinged open as she said the last part of her sentence. A tall skinny man with glasses was in the lift. He saw her first, then his beady eyes zoomed in on me.

  “You!”

  I backed up as he came out of the lift and took a step towards me. Megan tried to put her hand on her father’s suit sleeve, but he brushed her off easily.