Page 31 of Gangster's Empire: Leeza & Havel

Well, Ayaan was in for disappointment if that’s what she thought. She squared her shoulders as she turned back to Kris. No more running. It was time to reckon with her future on home soil.

They took the elevator to the top floor where they stepped out into a hallway that was clearly under renovation. Tarps lined the walls and drywall dust littered the floor.

Kris pointed at the plastic sheeting, tapping it with his fingertips as they walked.

Havel keyed in the code to the apartment and the door swung open.

Leeza had been expecting a cold, empty apartment, but instead she was faced with utter chaos. Boxes littered the floor and were stacked against the walls. Plastic sheeting covered the kitchen appliances except for the fridge, which was plugged in, but stood several feet out from the wall. A massive sectional couch, still covered in plastic, occupied a space by the floor to ceiling windows. The dining table was pushed up against the glass with chairs piled on top. It all looked like someone had started to move in then left in a hurry.

Leeza wandered inside while Havel instructed Ayaan and Cooper to remain in the hall until the night shift arrived, then he followed her, closing and locking the door.

Leeza stared at him in horror. “We can’t stay here.”

“Get used to it.”

“Aside from the fact that my stepfather was…” she trailed off, glancing at Kris, before finishing with, “Well, you know what happened.” She waved her hands as she pointed out the apartment’s flaws. “The fridge is in the dining room and the new stove is still taped shut. There’s no microwave. How are we supposed to eat?” She pointed to the plastic covered furniture. “And sit? And watch TV?” She stopped and stared at the empty spot on the wall. “Where is the TV?”

Ignoring her, Havel said to Kris, “Want to see your new room?”

Kris nodded vigorously.

“Hey!” Leeza demanded. “We aren’t really staying here, are we?”

“The chaos is temporary while the renovations continue to the rest of the floor. We’ll knock out a wall and make the place bigger.” Havel took Kris’s hand and opened a door, ushering him inside. Leeza trailed after them, curious. It was like being in Alice’s Wonderland. Nothing made sense, but there was a lot to look at and think about.

Kris’s new room was a young boy’s paradise. It was filled with posters, toys, a bookshelf stacked with books, a loft bed with a mini office setup underneath, and enough stuffed animals to fill a warehouse. The themes were a mix of space exploration, dinosaurs, Dora the Explorer, and zoo animals.

“Saskia helped design it,” Havel said gruffly as Kris explored the room chattering in broken sentences and signing when his hands weren’t full.

Leeza couldn’t help but smile when Kris tried signing at her with a stuffed T-Rex in one hand and a Luke Skywalker figurine in the other.

They gave him a few minutes to explore before Havel told him, “I’m going to talk to your mother now. Are you okay in here alone?”

His words warmed her heart even though it was the last thing she wanted her heart to feel. In her experience, adults were so used to telling children what was happening, they rarely asked if the child was okay with it. That went double for Kris. As well-meaning as most people were, they took his preference for nonverbal communication as permission to make decisions for him.

Kris ignored the question and Leeza said, “He’ll be fine as long as he knows where to find… me.” She almost said ‘us’ but cut it off. She absolutely couldn’t pretend this was a real relationship, no matter how seamlessly Havel fit into Kris’s world.

To Kris she said, “We’ll be out here if you need anything.” When he didn’t respond, she stepped closer and crouched in front of him, touching his cheek to draw his attention. “Did you hear me?”

He pushed her hand away and signed, I heard, Mom. Can I play with my new toys?

“Of course.” It was on the tip of her tongue to remind him to thank Havel for the bedroom filled with toys, but she then she remembered she didn’t want to be there and if Havel hadn’t caught up to her, she would be laying in her hammock on her porch in Sumatra, her gun by her side and a cocktail in hand. She wouldn’t be navigating an emotionally fraught family reunion and planning a wedding she had no intention of showing up to.

That last thought had her stiffening her spine and following Havel out of the room. She closed the door firmly hoping Kris would be okay because what she had to say to Havel absolutely couldn’t be overheard by her six-year-old.

Leeza made it as far as the kitchen before turning to confront Havel. He was closer than she thought and she gasped, stumbling into his chest.

He gripped her arms as she looked up at him. “You have no right to—"

He cut her off by lifting her onto her toes and slanting his lips across hers.

She shoved his chest, but his grip became punishing. He thrust his tongue into her mouth.

“Don’t!” she snapped, throwing her head back and breaking the kiss.

He gripped the back of her head, forcing her face up to his and reclaiming her lips, shoving her backwards until she hit the wall. She struggled in his grip, but he refused to give an inch until she had no choice but to stand frozen in his arms and take his kiss.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

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