Page 14 of Reckless Games

Leonardo’s response was not what I expected. "The question isn't what they were doing there, Martinez. The question is, why are you so bothered by what they were doing there? You don’t typically concern yourself with burnt properties. Or is there something I'm missing?"

His smirk fueled my anger, and I took threatening steps forward, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pulling himclose. My free hand held my gun, the cold metal pressing against his forehead.

"You know I'm not a very patient man," I said, my voice low and filled with warning.

He remained unruffled. "Which makes me wonder, what is so important to you that got you on edge, Lorenzo?" He used my first name with a casual ease that grated on me. "Tell me, why doyoucare?"

His words set off alarm bells in my mind. How much did he know? And how had he found out?

"Your clock is ticking, Chávez"

The audacity he displayed next shocked me—he laughed. A full-blown, victory-filled laugh echoed through the room.

"No, Martinez," he chuckled, taking a moment to collect himself. "You won't shoot me. You can't—not without answers, at least. You know why?" He leaned in closer to my ear, his breath brushing against my skin as he whispered, "Because you have too much to lose this time."

My fury boiled over, igniting my veins with searing heat as I absorbed his damning words. My jaw clenched, my muscles tensed, and my eyes blazed with a mixture of threat and sheer rage.

"So the rumors are true, then. I just wanted to know how much she has you wrapped around her fingers," he taunted, his lips curling into a smirk. "It's good to know you would kill for her, maybe even die."

Leonardo's words told me that he knew more about Angela than I had expected. Only a few selected members of the gang knew about her significance to me. Only my trusted men, including Liam and Gio, were aware of the extent to which I valued her safety.

His dismissive demeanor rubbed on my nerves as he brushed my hands away from his collar, leisurely returning tohis desk to take a seat. He acted as though my presence in his office was nothing more than a minor inconvenience, his confidence almost mocking.

"But worry not. I'm no threat," he said nonchalantly, a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "Although it's good to finally see someone have you tied down," His words dripped with smugness as he casually glanced at me from across the desk.

I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to assess how much he really knew. "How do you know?" I demanded, my voice laced with suspicion.

He laughed, as though my question amused him. "I have my ways," he shrugged, his tone dismissive. "Declan had his suspicions. Gave me the perfect opportunity to—" he paused, leaning in closer on the desk as if to share a secret, "rile you up. You know how much we love doing that."

"Don't make me regret giving you permission to expand your business in my state," I warned him, my patience wearing thin.

He grinned slyly. "Come on, Lorenzo. I couldn't let you enjoy a monopoly, now could I? Besides, you did owe me." He wasn't wrong—he had saved my life once, putting me in his debt. Fuck, only I knew how much I had to restrain myself from blowing into his face and wiping that smug look off.

"You still haven't answered my question," I reminded him, refusing to let him off the hook.

Leonardo leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "I already told you, buddy. Just a harmless...what do you call it? Ah, just a harmless prank. Nobody got hurt." His gaze drifted down to his injured men, a faint hint of pity crossing his face. "Well, except them. I didn't expect you to rough them up so much. You really are in deeptrouble."

He chuckled, implying, as always, that love and trouble were synonymous. "But then, we all know you're no stranger to trouble," he added with a knowing glint in his eye. “Although, it is a first for this kinda trouble. I like it. I'm going tosoenjoy this. You should let the others know. Wait… ” He took out his phone, “Let me save you the trouble.” He instantly typed something on his phone, and before I could snatch the damn thing out of his hand, my phone pinged with a notification. Pulling it out, I huffed after seeing the message in the group he sent.

Leonardo: Code Red! One of our soldiers has fallen.

Emir: About fucking time! At least one of us is getting some heat in their life.

Declan: Told ya Leo.

Emir: Wait a minute. So it’s not you, Declan?

Declan: What the fuck made you think it was me?

Emir: Lorenzo! You sneaky little bitch. Where the fuck are you?

I huffed, rubbing my temple after seeing their instant replies. “You are so dead, Chavez.”

Leonardo's smile remained, a look of self-assured victory painting his expression. "Chill out, would you? Let's have a drink. It's good that you came over. Now I can talk to you about the pending shipment," he said, motioning for me to take a seat across from him. I complied, settling in for what was likely going to be a long conversation.

"I thought that was delivered days ago," I responded with a frown.

"It was, but some local goons managed to intercept them during transit. We managed to recover all but one of the containers. My men reported it was lost somewhere along your coastline. Take care of it, would you?" Leonardo leaned back in his chair, the smoothness of his words and casual tone only heightening my suspicion.

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