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“He would take you dressed like that,” Saskia said without pause and they both laughed because she was right. Still smiling, Saskia said, “It’s nice to see you this way.”
“What do you mean?”
Saskia tilted her head as though it should be obvious. “I haven’t seen you smile or laugh this much since we were children. It looks good on you.”
“Thanks,” she murmured, warmth spreading through her chest.
Despite being forced to come back to Prague, Leeza was starting to feel more relaxed than she’d felt in years. Everything in her life was still in chaos, but the father who’d sold her to a monster was dead and the monster himself was in the wind. And she couldn't deny that she felt a sense of safety since Havel brought her back. Now that she knew Josef wasn't going to order her death, that she was going to live to see Kris grow up, nothing else mattered.
Shrugging off her thoughts, Leeza rummaged through Saskia’s closet for another outfit. After changing, she looked at herself in the mirror, admiring the way Saskia’s clothes looked on her. A pair of tight stretchy jeans molded her thighs like latex and were a few inches too short. She rolled up the bottoms a couple of times, so they looked that way on purpose. There were rips in the knees and thighs and a skull with pink hearts around it stitched onto the ass. She paired it with a black T-shirt emblazoned with an Alice Copper logo.
She was surprised at how much she liked it. Saskia’s style tended to be eclectic, with clothes that had a deliberately worn look, trending toward grunge and goth, while Leeza went with more mom-ish clothes like yoga pants, expensive but simple tops, jumpsuits, pencil skirts and cowl-necked sweaters.
The outfit she had on was one of the more conservative ones she was able to find in Saskia’s closet, but Leeza liked how it transformed her. She looked… kind of hot. Younger, less serious. Like she was ready to go to university or a grunge nightclub.
“Thanks,” Leeza said, turning to her sister. “For everything. For helping me take care of Kris, for busting me out of jail, and the clothes. You’ve been…” she stopped, her throat swelling with emotion. “It’s really good to be back.”
When she’d been running with Kris, she hadn’t known if she would ever see her sister again. The thought had been heart-wrenching at the time. Now, the relief she was feeling at being reunited with her sister was almost overwhelming.
Saskia gave her a quick hug, then they got Kris ready to go. They didn’t know if Havel wanted to leave with just Leeza or include Kris, so they figured they better be ready for either eventuality.
Havel was waiting by the front doors when Leeza and Kris arrived. Kris was holding a piece of multigrain toast with jam in one hand and a banana in the other.
Havel frowned down at him. “I didn’t mean to rush him. You can take him to the kitchen to eat and meet me back here when he’s done.”
So, he hadn’t meant to inconvenience Kris, just her. Still, it warmed her heart that Havel was so conscientious of Kris, especially since her son rarely spoke up for himself.
“He prefers to eat on the go,” she assured him. “It can be difficult for him to sit in a chair for extended periods of time. I find he eats more if he’s moving instead of sitting.”
Havel nodded, then wordlessly opened the door and waved her out.
Leeza touched Kris’s shoulder, guiding him out the door and onto the steps leading down to a waiting vehicle.
The familiarity of the scene struck her so hard she couldn’t breathe for a moment. She stared out across the front of the estate, taking in the curved driveway, the trees lining the road, the perfectly manicured lawn, the statues, the shrubbery. The last time she’d been here, her parents were still alive.
"I…" she couldn't finish as sorrow gripped her. She was home, but also not, because everything was the same, but at the same time, nothing was.
Havel stepped in front of her, his big body blocking her view. She looked up at him and was relieved to see understanding on his face.
“You’re going to be okay,” he said gently.
She shook her head and looked away. How could she possibly be okay?
Havel caught her chin and tilted her face to his. He placed his lips against her temple, lingering for a few seconds before moving his mouth to the sensitive spot below her ear. A shiver snaked down her spine and sadness turned to anticipation. Her breath caught as he moved his fingers to caress her cheek, his breath skimming across her ear. Her nipples hardened and desire pooled in her stomach.
“You belong to me now, sweetheart, and I will never again make the mistake of letting you go.” He locked eyes with her, his mouth only a few inches from hers. “You understand.”
She stared back at him and slowly nodded, comforted.
Without another word, he turned on the steps, called to Kris and descended to the waiting vehicle, Leeza trailing after him.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Where are you taking us?” Leeza asked as they drove across the bridge that would take them into the heart of downtown Prague.
“Shopping,” Havel drawled, looking back at her from the front passenger seat. The driver was Guard Dog team member and bodyguard, Cooper. She hadn’t talked to him much, but she knew who he was.
Leeza was in the back, Kris on one side of her strapped into his car seat and a female bodyguard on her other side. She hadn’t met the woman before but was impressed that Jozef and Havel were open to the idea of having a woman working security. It was a progressive move for the new Koba boss and his number one.
