Page 88 of Vicious Kingdom

“Want to come over for a drink?” my brother offered, voice soft and full of understanding.

I hated it. “Nah, I’m going to sleep it off. Let me know if you find anything. We can’t have this fucker coming after me and leading anyone to the rest of you.”

“On it,” the don assured me.

I hung up. My mouth was dry, and it craved the refreshing medicine that was our family butler’s martinis. But I would have to make do with the scotch I had at my apartment.

Disappearing into a stairwell, I jogged down a few flights to where a backup vehicle was waiting. The precaution was just one of many instances where I needed to escape unnoticed. I was the dark knight, the lone wolf. I walked alone, protecting my pack from danger.

I was going to be fine.

Chapter 30 – Leonardo

My damn hands still shook as I rode the elevator to my floor. Frustrated at my own weakness, I strode across the hall, determined to hit the bag in my gym a few times before bed.

A whimper stopped me in my tracks.

The damn organ in my chest cavity, blackened and unfeeling from the events in my life, stopped beating. Bare knees pulled to her chest, face peeking up from the veil of hair, and cheeks stained with tears, Annaliese watched me. Gone was the confident woman from the bakery, and in her place was this broken mess.

A part of her I’d never seen before.

The urge to rush to her overwhelmed me. I took a step, and she tightened the grip around her bare legs.

“I’m sorry,” she choked. “I tried to call, but it went to voicemail. So I…uh, came over.”

She wasn’t wearing shoes. That detail sent me surging forward, and I dropped before her.

“What happened?” I reached for her, but she turned away, resting her left cheek on her knee.

But a small glimpse told me why.

Ever so gently, I cupped her cheek and pulled her.

She hiccupped, fighting back my touch.

I was firm, my touch insistent. “Look at me,” I commanded, voice steel and ice.

She closed her eyes and let out a ragged breath—and gave in. “I didn’t know where else to go.”

A shiner was swelling her right eye closed.

The blow reverberated through me. Violence simmered in my veins, my own trauma forgotten in an instant.

“Now that I’m here,” she continued, “I realize I could have gone to see Penny. I can still go over there.”

She fumbled, trying to move.

I caught her arms. “Who dared lay a hand on you?”

Her lip trembled. “I froze, Leo. I’ve never beenhitbefore, and I just…froze.”

Anger rendered me silent.

“Why do I freeze, Leo?” she whispered.

“Tell me who did this. I will make sure they pay.”

“It was a random attack,” she breathed. “They’re gone.”