10
ZOEY
“Do you think Bentley will be okay?” I ask Leone as the driver pulls the SUV onto the highway.
I know I set those two men straight, but I worry about leaving him alone since we left the house. I should ask Leone about getting one of those nanny cameras. That way I’ll be able to keep an eye on him, and I won’t have to worry so much.
“I promise you, little one. He will be fine. I’ve made it very clear to everyone that he's under my protection.” I can’t help but smile at Leone. My body leans into him on its own. It's natural to me for some reason. I’m drawn to him. How can I not be? He not only saved my life, but now he’s making sure Bentley stays safe too. “Besides, I think Bentley can handle himself perfectly fine.”
“He only attacked those men because he was provoked,” I say defensively. “He was protecting himself,” I add so it’s perfectly clear that Bentley is innocent here.
“I’m not insulting him. Just saying I don’t think he’s defenseless. Could probably take on a dog if he had to.”
“Gross.” I scrunch my nose. “Wait a minute. Are you a dog person?” I peer up at him through my lashes.
There is nothing wrong with being a dog person; I’m just not sure how compatible that would make us. I guess that really doesn’t matter, though. We don’t have to be, I suppose. This is only a temporary thing. Once we find Xanny and I pay Leone for his services, it will all be over. The thought doesn’t sit well with me.
“I think I’m a Zoey person.” He winks at me. I duck my head as a blush starts to bloom, my cheeks warming. How am I supposed to be all sexy if I’m blushing at some comments he makes? I need to get it together. “Don’t turn away from me. I like it when you turn pink for me.” He grips my chin with his forefinger and thumb, turning my face back toward him.
My eyes drop to his mouth. “Are you going to kiss me?” I ask. As soon as I say the words, I know I’ve gone and ruined the moment like a dork.
“I always want to kiss you.”
“So I’m good at it?”
“You have no idea how good at it you are,” he says before his mouth is descending onto mine. I grip his shirt as his mouth moves over mine. His kisses are addicting. They make me want so much more. I try to move closer, wanting to be pressed up against him, but something stops me. A little growl bubbles up inside of me. Leone lets out a deep sexy chuckle.
“I’m stuck. It’s not funny,” I huff, getting annoyed.
“As much as I want to pull you into my lap and let you have your way with me, I want this seatbelt on you. Especially when we’re on the highway.”
“Fine.” I sigh, dropping back into my seat. “Where are we going?”
“To see an associate of mine. He might have some information on all of this. Nick Davinci.”
“That name sounds familiar.” I try to think where I’ve heard it before. “It would have to have been from my sister. I don’t really talk to anyone else.” Xanny is the only link I have to the outside world in a sense. I mean, I’m not a total recluse, but I’m pretty close to it.
“You don’t recall in what context she used it in?”
I try to think back, but nothing is really coming to me.
“No.” I shake my head. “I must have overheard her say it to someone else.” That’s the only thing I can think of. She doesn’t really go into too many details about her job with me. Sure, we gossip, and she tells me some stuff but never anything she thinks might worry me. She tries to hide that part from me or maybe shelter me from it.
“He might have something that can help me figure out this mess.”
“I really hope so. Each day that passes I think the chances of me ever seeing her again grow less. I don’t want to think about what that means.”
“I’ll find her for you.”
I believe him. Leone has kept his word to me so far, so I have no reason to doubt he’ll do everything in his power to locate Xanny.
“I can’t lose her, Leone. I’ll have no one. I don’t want to be all alone.”
“Little one, you’re not going to be all alone.” It’s sweet that he tries to offer me comfort, but to him, this is some job and about money being owed. No one but me actually cares about Xanny. Days or weeks from now when this is all over, the reality is I will be alone and likely heartbroken twice over.
“Is that a fountain?” I point out the front window of the SUV. A giant fountain sits in front of a home that looks more like a castle than anything else.
“It is. The Davincis can be a bit showy.”