Page 80 of Gangster's Empire: Leeza & Havel

A few long seconds passed before he answered, “You wouldn’t know it.”

She was getting frustrated by his non-answers, but reminded herself that he was a man of few words. He seemed to prefer when she took the conversational lead. With this in mind, she said, “I’m sure you’re right. I don’t know the first thing about math and I’ve never been good with numbers. It was my worst subject in school.”

He snorted, his lips twisting in derision. “Women should leave the numbers to men. They don’t have a mind for it.”

Anne was shocked by his attitude. Timidly, she said, “I know a woman doctor who must be very good at numbers to be able to do such a complicated job.”

“I don’t want to talk about her!” he snapped.

It almost sounded like he knew who Dr. Shaun Patterson was, but that was unlikely. The other woman was a newcomer to Prague and had only recently started working at the hospital. Anne must have misheard him.

The kettle began whistling. As he moved it off the heat, he said, “I’m sorry. What I meant to say is I prefer to talk about you.” He focused on pouring the water into their cups, then offered her one.

She took the steaming mug of instant coffee from him and followed him to the couch.

They sat next to each other and gradually Anne relaxed. Adam was a strange and awkward man, but she could empathize. He’d been alone for a long time, his wife having died several years ago. He’d told Anne that she was his first attempt at dating since his wife passed, which made her more inclined to forgive his oddness.

As she sipped her coffee, she gradually became aware that Adam wasn’t drinking his. The pleasant expression had fallen from his face, replaced with a sort of manic glee. He even seemed to sit up a little straighter.

“A…Adam? Is everything okay?” Gooseflesh swept her arms as she had a premonition that something was terribly wrong. “I think I’d like to leave now.”

He shifted closer to her, his posture almost menacing. “You can’t leave yet, Anne. I have something to tell you. I haven’t been entirely honest with you about who I am and why I’ve been seeing you.”

“You haven’t?” Her heart raced as she stared at him, every instinct urging her to throw the coffee at him and run. “I don’t understand.”

He removed the cup from her and set it aside, taking her hands in his. “You’ll understand soon.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Leeza admired herself in the mirror, her arm twisted at her back, holding the fabric of Babi’s vintage wedding gown together. It had just arrived from the seamstress’s shop.

The lacy cream-coloured dress, which fell to mid-calf, settled around her curves in a perfect hourglass before flaring out at her hips. The neckline was sweetheart, cutting across the top of her breasts and cupping each one. Sheer lace fabric connected the bodice to the short cap sleeves, ending at the base of her throat, giving the illusion of modesty. She turned to see what the back looked like, peering over her shoulder and admiring the row of pearl buttons that, when buttoned, would go all the way down her back.

The dress was surprisingly sexy considering it was vintage 50s.

It was nothing like her first wedding gown, which had been an exclusive design and had cost $40,000 US dollars. At the time, Leeza had been impressed, even a little hopeful for her future.

What a joke. That dress had been symbolic of everything bad in her life. Another piece of the gilded cage meant to show her worth, but not who she was.

She smirked remembering that the wedding gown would have burned alongside everything else when she set fire to the cottage.

That was the past. The future held so much promise. She let go of the back, allowing the dress to gape open, and sat on the bed, looking at herself in the mirror.

Did this dress symbolize who she was? She liked it much better than her last one and felt a connection to the woman who had given it to her. The warmth that Babi brought to everything in her life infused the dress as well. But it still symbolized Leeza’s lack of power in her own life.

Another husband, another mafia organization, another boss telling her she must marry.

She stood, shoving the dress down her hips and stepping out of the pool of fabric. She swept it up and replaced it on the hanger, zipping up the garment bag and tucking it into the closet.

As confused as she was about her place in life, she was no longer conflicted about marrying Havel. She wanted it. Desperately. He was the prize she’d always yearned for and now he was within reach.

Sure, they still had some things to work through, his possessive streak making the top of the list. But that mattered less than the knowledge that Havel loved her. And she loved him. They would work through their issues and become the couple they should have always been.

Feeling excited about her upcoming nuptials, Leeza opened the bedroom door, smiling when she spotted her two favourite men on the couch, game controllers in their hands.

“But why are they angry?” Havel asked, his expression baffled. “They’re birds. What do they have to be angry about?”

Kris was in his pajamas and there was a bowl of popcorn sitting on the couch between the two. Without looking at Havel, Kris signed, birds have lots to be mad about. They’re very competitive and will attack each other for territory.

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