“Then just listen to me. I’ve been so fucking worried about you. I know you don’t want to hear it, but I love you, Stacia. Everything you’re going through is fucking bullshit, and I can’t just stand by and do nothing.” Christos loosens his grip just a little to see if I continue to fight.
I manage to kick my foot up backward, but I miss my target, hitting him in the thigh instead of his balls. He growls under his breath and pushes me forward, half carrying me and half dragging me to the bathroom, where he shuts and locks the door with one hand.
“You asshole!” I scream, swinging my hand, trying to slap him.
He grabs my wrist and drags me closer, using the lack of space to overpower me. “I know, Stacia. You can hit me all you want, but please. Tell me everything that happened. Let me help you.”
“The only way you can fucking help me is to take the blame and turn yourself in as the murderer.” I give up on trying to fight and instead yank away. “It won’t make me forgive you, but it’ll be a fucking start.”
Christos doesn’t move, staring me up and down in silence as thoughts cloud his light brown eyes. “If that’s what you need from me, and what you really want, then fine. I will turn myself into the police.”
I open and close my mouth in surprise. “What?”
“You heard me, astéri mou. If that’s what I need to do to earn your forgiveness, I’ll do it.” Christos drops to his knees and crawls closer. He wraps his arms around me, hugging me from the floor. “Please, Stacia. I’ll do anything.”
I stand frozen with my arms up. How do I even respond? He just admitted that he’s willing to go to prison for me, but he could be lying and manipulating me. Unfulfilled promises don’t mean anything to me.
I link my fingers through his hair. “Christos...I...I don’t want you to turn yourself in to the police. I just—”
The door to my bathroom flings open, smacking the wall. Leandro busts into the room, aiming a gun. “Let her the fuck go and don’t move. I will shoot.”
Christos eases his hands off me and raises them into the air. Everything happens so fast that I don’t get a chance to call Leandro off. He grabs Christos, dragging him out of the bathroom. Shoving him to the floor with his knee on his spine, he then zip-ties his arms behind him.
“Are you okay, beautiful?” Leandro asks, pushing to his feet. “He didn’t hurt you, right?”
“Of course, I didn’t fucking hurt her!” Christos yells, Leandro’s questions setting him off.
I shake my head, confirming Christos’s comment. “That’s Christos, Leandro.”
“I know who he is.” Leandro grasps my arm, tugging me away, putting space between Christos and us. He turns me slightly, so I face away. Leaning in, Leandro whispers, “If you want me to escort him out, just say the word. If you’re allowing him to stay, I don’t mind giving him a hard time for a bit. But you need to go grab Talon.”
I pause, thinking over his words. Leandro knew who Christos was and still proceeded to tackle him and tie him up on my behalf. He’ll even fuck with him if I ask him to. I’ve never felt as if someone was more on my side than I do in this moment.
Cupping Leandro’s face, I run my fingers along his jaw. “Have I ever told you how much I appreciate you?” I raise my voice loud enough for Christos to hear. Then I kiss Leandro softly, humming in satisfaction, sensing Christos’s glare. “Thank you, babe.”
Leandro chuckles, realizing my intent. I’m beginning to think he gets off on me using him to make another man jealous. I can feel his hardening bulge against my leg as he hums in my ear. “It’s my pleasure, beautiful.”
“Holy fuck! Are you kidding me?Him?” Christos struggles to push up to his knees with his arms restrained. My kissing Leandro worked. He’s utterly and completely jealous, and I can’t help how much I enjoy it.
“You have no right to be angry with me, Christos. It’s been years, and you’re the one who fucked me over.” I lace my fingers through Leandro’s. Am I being a bitch? Absolutely. Do I care? Hell no.
Christos groans and shakes his head. “No, no, no, Stacia. I’m not angry. I’m just—” He slumps back to the floor, resting his cheek on the rug. “It’s just so dangerous. You know why.”
His words set me off, and I pull away from Leandro. I stride forward, towering over him. “It’s none of your business. You have absolutely no right telling me what is and isn’t dangerous. You have no right to be jealous. And you damn well have no fucking right to judge me.”
Christos sighs. “I—”
“Goddamn it, Christos! What the fuck did I tell you?” As if this situation couldn’t get any worse, Esteban and Talon rush from the hallway. “You aren’t welcome here unless Stacia agreed. Why can’t you ever fucking listen?”
“Did you even ask her, asshole?” Christos asks, whipping his attention to me.
I stare with wide eyes.
“Obviously fucking not,” he adds.
“That’s because I told him not to, you dumb shit.” Talon stomps to Christos, yanks him up by his arms, and hauls him to his feet. He pulls a switchblade from his pocket and jerks it up through the zip-ties, freeing Christos. “You’re the reason Stacia is in this fucking position. Had you left her alone to begin with, she wouldn’t have been drugged. You’re damn lucky nothing worse happened to her or you’d be a dead man but keep this shit up and you will be one.”
I hate how sexy protective looks on Talon after everything. There are too many attractive guys in one room for me to think straight, so I dodge past Esteban and bolt toward the stairs. It doesn’t help that I fucked three of them and got turned on by the last watching my ex suck him off. What the hell is wrong with me?