Page 25 of Gangster's Empire: Leeza & Havel

“Good,” she whispered in a moment of total unity.

She saw another flash of the old Havel as they stood looking at each other. It was disconcerting. The more time she spent in his presence, the more the past became clearer to her.

Blinking, she looked away from him.

He turned them back to the display. “Choose.”

She looked down at the rings, her heart thudding as another memory assailed her. The moment when she stood at the head of the church with her soon-to-be husband, Adam, as he pushed a simple gold band onto her finger. She shuddered, revulsion washing over her. These rings symbolized the hell that was marriage and here she was, being forced to choose what the next phase of her bondage looked like.

Blindly she reached for one, picking it up and setting it on the glass countertop. “This one.”

She turned away, pasting a wide smile on her lips as she hunkered down to Kris’s level. “Want to look at some sparkly stuff?” She took his hand and led him to a display case filled with crystal animals.

From behind her, she heard Havel say to Laslo, “Order a matching ring for me.”

The jeweler cleared his voice. “Uh, this doesn’t come as a set.”

“You can’t make it happen?” Though it came out like a question, Leeza knew it was a demand. She watched as Laslo scrubbed at the sweat that had broken out on his forehead. “Of course, I can,” he stammered.

Havel gave the jeweler a hefty deposit and the group left the store. Instead of getting back into the SUV, Havel took Leeza’s arm. “Let’s get you two some clothes.”

She nodded, realizing she hadn’t been very forward thinking when she’d burned the house down. She and Kris needed a whole new wardrobe and shopping was the one area where she knew how to shine. Her mother had taught her how to go on a proper shopping spree at an early age, so Leeza was prepared for the coming storm. So was Havel, having been through many a shopping expedition with the eldest Koba daughter.

Neither Ayaan nor Cooper knew what they were in for, which led to a few amusing moments. Two hours later, Leeza had spent upwards of $20,000 and her bodyguards’ arms were piled high with her purchases.

“How are we supposed to protect you with all these bags?” Ayaan muttered.

Leeza looked over at her bodyguard. “You learn to do both and you do it quickly if you want to survive this business. It was my first lesson as a child. How to carry bags and pull a gun at the same time,” she teased.

Ayaan narrowed her eyes. “I was holding a gun by the age of three and I killed my first attacker at age 9. I worked as a child soldier for many years before signing up with your cousin.”

Leeza raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “What forms of hand-to-hand did you study?”

“Jujitsu mostly, with some aikido and kung fu sprinkled in. You?”

Leeza grinned. The other woman recognized a fellow combatant. “Only Krav Maga, but I’m really good.”

Ayaan nodded. “We’ll take it into the ring and find out.” Scowling, she added, “Without the shopping bags.”

“Deal,” Leeza agreed.

It felt good but strange to chat amicably with another woman who wasn’t family. It had been months since she’d been able to make any real human connections. While on the run she kept a low profile and tried not to go into towns or cities too often. Unlike Saskia, Leeza was terrible at picking up languages and her English was heavily accented, which made communication a struggle while she travelled.

Nodding toward Havel, who was down on one knee holding up a T-shirt for Kris’s approval, Ayaan said, “He’s the only person I can’t take down. Not even close. That’s the skill level I hope to reach one day.”

Dinosaur! Kris signed, reaching for the shirt and holding it against his chest with glee.

An ache in her throat had Leeza swallowing quickly and turning away. Kris had never had a proper male role model in his life. Adam hadn’t cared enough to spend time with his son. He barely talked to Kris unless it was to tell him to stop making noise.

Ayaan cleared her throat drawing Leeza’s attention. She was waiting for a response.

Leeza said, “I’ve never fought him, but I’ve heard he’s good.”

Eyes wide, Ayaan shook her head. “He’s more than good, he’s impossible. Apparently, only your cousin can take him down, but I’ve heard a rumor that Havel lets himself become a punching bag when Jozef’s in a mood.”

Leeza couldn’t help the laugh that slipped past her lips. “They’ve been that way for as long as I can remember. I think they’re probably evenly matched in the ring, but there’s no way Havel will let himself win when he’s up against the boss.”

Ayaan frowned. “So, I should pull my punches when I’m sparring with Jozef?”

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