“What did you say?” he repeated.
She realized her huffing “Florida” hadn’t exactly been an internal thought.
“Oh …” She trailed off, turning to look back out the window, staring at the homes that were different than the traditional homes she was used to. There wasn’t a brick or stone in sight. Instead, most of the homes were covered in a mostly warm-toned stucco covering the Spanish-style homes. “Nothing.”
Staring at her curiously, he slightly raised one of his dark brows. “Do you have a problem with Florida, Ms. Brooks?”
“No, it’s not that.” She lightly shook her head. It wasn’t that she hated Florida, per se, or any other state, for that matter. She just didn’t have any particular feelings about any place but the one she had called home for thirty years. “I’ve just never left Missouri before, is all.”
You don’t exactly put much thought into traveling when you grew up the way Nadia had. She had learned early on in life that dreams never came true while you were awake.
Dante looked at her inquisitively with his icy-blue eyes. “Never?”
She shook her head before shrugging. If she had wanted to leave Missouri, she could have done so by now, but she had decided to be honest with herself on why she hadn’t.
“I love my city.”
* * *
He had to avert his gaze away from the woman who was becoming mesmerizing to him.
I do, too.
But even his soul knew that was a lie now.
Well, I used to.
* * *
Gripping the door handle, she could see her fingertips turning white, knowing that her escape plan would be happening soon.
It wasn’t her hand that opened the door, though, but Dante, who was now motioning for her to come on with his cold eyes alone.
She wondered why he was doing Amo’s job until she began walking slowly down the dock. The Caruso bodyguard was already on the yacht, seeming to be patting down the small staff, leaving Leo to take care of the bags.
Taking a quick glance over her shoulder as her cheap heels hit the wooden deck, she could see Dante only walking a few steps behind.
“Could you hand me that bag, please?” She heard the voice of the young man ask her.
She snapped her head forward to stare down at the black duffle bag at her feet. Bending her knees slightly, she quickly picked it up to hand it ov—
Oh my gosh. It took all of Nadia’s might to keep from jumping in shock upon seeing Leo’s face for the first time. The white gauze that covered his left eye sent a chill up her spine. She didn’t want to know what it was hiding underneath.
Her mind instantly went back to, “How many of your men has he taken out so far?”
“A few,” he admitted after a few passing moments. “And then some.”
It seemed Nadia had finally found out what that cryptic “and then some” meant after all.
Swallowing, she snapped herself out of it, hoping her face hadn’t given anything away. Nadia didn’t want Leo to know she found his face shocking. Working with damaged teens was literally her job. It was what she prided herself on, and even after seeing all the vile and horrible things that they went through … none of it prepared her to look upon him.
Nadia had what she called a gift. One look was all she needed to see beyond a child in pain in order to know their story. She had empathy for those who couldn’t protect themselves because no one had been there for her, either, as a child. Not until she found Anna …
Anna had had a gift like her, a gift that came as a blessing and a curse.
“Here you go.” She pasted a smile on her face while she held the duffle bag over the water for him to take as he stood on the yacht.
His single blue eye, which was much different in color than his father’s, dropped from her face sullenly to the bag she held out. “Thanks.”
The pang that ran in her gut told her what she thought of herself before her mind even did. Failure.
She had just failed this kid, and that was going to be the last time she was ever going to see him, as she was about to make her escape. Nadia didn’t know why, but she was sure that moment was going to be the one replaying in her mind until the day she died.
Leo Caruso was going to be the one that got away.
The disappointment in herself showed through as she watched him walk away. She couldn’t believe she had been so wrong about him. So used to working with teens who had nothing, she hadn’t gotten a chance to work with one who had every materialistic need.
She could feel the set of cold eyes on her now, and when Nadia looked over at Dante, she knew he had witnessed what had happened, and all her hopes of maybe playing off she hadn’t been shocked at all vanished. Expecting a disappointed look on his father’s face, much like herself, she didn’t expect the sympathetic presence that held his features.