Page 74 of Debt to the Mafia King
Leah was down there watching my favorite film alone and nibbling on my favorite holiday cookies as well. The ones she had made for me.
“I don’t want to spoil today for Leah. Keep Manda here for a second.”
Ivan looked at me like he could read my thoughts. A knowing smile spread across his face. “Leah will never even know she is here, boss, and boss?”
I turned to him expectantly.
“I’m glad you can finally see it as well.”
The angry-looking slash took longer to clean up than I wanted because the damned thing wouldn’t stop bleeding. In the end, I had to stitch it up myself, gritting my teeth the entire time, and then I had to carefully shower the blood off.
Leah would be worried by now, but she would be even more worried if she saw the blood.
I had just stepped out when I heard a bump like something heavy had hit the floor.
Wrapping the towel around my waist, I flung open the door and came face to face with Leah.
Pale and shaking, she stood in the doorway, and her eyes darted between Manda on the bed and me as her throat worked convulsively.
“Printsessa,” I whispered her name just as she threw a hand over her mouth.
Was she going to be sick? It really looked like it. Either that or she was going to faint.
“It’s not what you think—”
Angrily, she tore her eyes away from Manda and glared at me. She didn’t believe a word I was saying, and I didn’t blame her.
If our roles were reversed, I wouldn’t have believed it either. I was naked apart from a towel, and there was an almost naked womanon my bed.
And no sign of Ivan. Where the hell was he? If he had done his job, this wouldn’t be happening, and Leah wouldn’t be looking at me like I had just ruined her whole life.
It was like watching a tragedy happen in slow motion. All the happiness of our perfect day drained from her face, leaving her eyes wide and shining with tears on her too-pale face.
“Leah, Printsessa.” I took a step towards her, almost tripping over the prone body of Ivan, who lay unmoving on the ground. I glanced down, just as he groaned and rolled over.
What the hell had happened here? Had Manda knocked him out somehow?
The momentary lack of concentration cost me seconds. Leah turned and bolted out of the door, and she was much faster than I had expected.
I went after her, holding the towel up as I ran after her.
Below me, the front door opened so roughly that it rebounded from the wall with a bang. Standing on the stairs, I watched her disappear into the night.
“Printsessa,” I screamed, but she didn’t answer me. She just ran.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Viktor
“Where is she?” I asked for the hundredth time. Pacing back and forth along the length of the entryway, I glared at Ivan, where he was having the cut on his head stitched up. He grimaced more than once but didn’t say anything.
He hadn’t even said anything when Stephen had dragged a screaming Manda down the stairs and out the door. She wasn’t even fully clothed, but I didn’t care. He could dump her naked in the snow for all I cared.
She had caused all of this. Slashed my leg open, knocked Ivan out with a marble-based lamp, and worst of all, she had made Leah think there was something going on between us.
And she hadn’t even let me explain. She had just run away from me.
“They will find her, Viktor.” Finally, stitched up Ivan pushed away the man helping him and stood up. “It’s going to be fine.”
