Clinch (The Underground Book 2) (32 page)

Leo would never approve of her stance. And Leo wasn’t there to witness it.

She yanked her gaze from the shouting crowd to the ring as Leo and Joe bounced around each other in a sort of choreographed dance. They took a long time to size each other up. And then Joe swung out with a right hook that barely nicked Leo in the jaw.

Leo bobbed out of range and returned the hook with a jab to Joe’s upper arm.

Joe ducked his head and slammed his entire body forward into Leo’s chest, probably hoping to throw him off balance.

But Leo was too stable and weighed too much to be affected. He wrapped one arm around Joe’s neck and held him in a clinch.

Ivan leaned forward to speak into Katie’s ear. “Leo is most known for that clinch. He can hold his opponent’s head for long enough that the guy never has a chance. Occasionally he’s taken out the other fighter in less than a minute. Joe should have known better than to try to ram Leo with his head.”

Katie nodded. She lifted onto her tiptoes to watch closer. Leo still shuffled his feet, but he kept a tight clinch around Joe’s neck, dragging the man in a circle as he bounced.

Joe kicked forward with his feet, trying to dislodge the clinch Leo had on his neck to no avail. Finally, he swung his hand around in a jab to Leo’s side, knocking Leo off him.

Katie gasped. She craned her neck to see better, leaning back and forth to peer around the edge of the patrons in front of her.

Joe spun around and lifted his leg to kick Leo high in the chest.

Leo jumped back, flattening himself against the chain links of the fence. He ducked under Joe’s arm and bounced back into the center.

When Joe lifted both hands and drove three hard jabs with the right one into Leo’s jaw, Katie gasped. She lifted her fingers to half cover her eyes as if she couldn’t bear to see more but also couldn’t possibly stop herself.

“Don’t worry,” Alena yelled. “Give him a second.”

What if he lost? What sort of brooding mood would he be in if Joe Mantoba took him down?

She clasped her hands together between her breasts, her heart pounding. This was more than she could stand. Watching the man she loved get pummeled in the ring wasn’t her idea of a good time.

Suddenly, Leo leaped forward and wrapped his left arm around Joe’s neck again in another clinch.

Joe struggled against the grip, punching and pushing on Leo’s arms. But this time Leo had one hand free, and he used it to retaliate against Joe, jabbing him in the chest and face with as much force as he could while holding the man in a tight clinch.

“That’s the move,” Ivan stated. “Hothead is done for.”

Sure enough, Leo managed to drag Joe to the ground, flipping the man onto his back while still clinching him around the neck.

Joe landed with a loud thud that could be heard over the roaring crowd. And then Leo applied even more pressure, holding Joe down with a knee to his chest.

Joe squirmed, fighting to free himself and losing. Each kick or punch he swung flew with less force than the last.

Katie had watched this scene play out enough times to know there were no rules. The referee wasn’t going to step in and call the fight. Joe had to tap out or risk serious injury. But what Katie also knew about Leo was there was no way he could intentionally harm someone permanently. He had an enormous heart.

Nevertheless, she held her breath while Joe continued to struggle, not wanting to give up. Finally, he flattened his palm to the floor at his side, a nonverbal communication that he was calling uncle.

The referee announced the winner by grabbing Leo’s forearm and lifting it as he hauled Leo to his feet. Leo nodded at the crowd, scanning around while he did so.

Katie’s chest pounded watching him look for her in the crowd. She knew that was what he was doing. And she felt his intensity before he spotted her.

When he did, he gave her a nod and a wink. He might have even smiled around the mouth guard.

When he turned to exit on the other side of the ring, Katie felt Ivan’s fingers around her wrist. “Let’s move around to the hallway.”

She nodded.

Alena tucked herself under Ivan’s other arm and clasped his fingers with her small hand. She set a palm on his chest as they worked their way through the crowd.

Suddenly, a loud boom tore through the air.

Katie threw her hands up to cover her ears while she ducked her head.

An explosion?

The entire speakeasy shook with the aftershocks.

An earthquake?

It was too intense and short to have been an earthquake.

The fans screamed, running in every direction toward the exits.

Ivan held steady, keeping a tight arm wrapped around Alena and gathering Katie into his side with his other arm. “Don’t move.”

She flattened her palm next to Alena’s on his chest as if that might ground her and keep her from being stripped away from her protector.

Her heart raced as she tried to think.

Alena’s eyes were wide with fear.

People pushed their way around the three of them, but Ivan held steady. Why?

As the patrons shoved their way out the front and side entrances, Leo burst into the room and pawed his way through the thinning crowd.

Katie spotted him over the heads of several people. It seemed as though he knocked them out of his way like dominos to get to her. He was taller than many of the others in the room, making it easy to keep her eye on his progress.

When he reached their side, he tugged her out of Ivan’s embrace and dragged her against his chest, holding her tighter than necessary. His fingers threaded into her hair and gripped her cheek against his pecs.

“What was that?” Ivan shouted.

“Explosion of some sort. In the alley. That’s all I know. I could tell what direction it came from, but I ran the opposite way to reach you.”

Katie plastered her palm open on Leo’s chest. He was soaked with sweat. She inhaled his scent, finding it comforting. Her hair stuck to his chest.

He gripped her tighter.

As long as he didn’t release her, she would be okay.

As the crowd dispersed, Leo moved toward the rear door that led to the back hallway, his grip never loosening in her hair.

She doubted he realized how firmly he held her. Her head would ache later.

Few people were in the hallway. Most of them had pushed and shoved their way out of the speakeasy and onto the street.

Leo led them back to the room where he’d left his clothes. She realized his gloves were velcroed together and hung from his free hand at his side. He was barefoot and wore nothing but his black shorts. When he opened the door and ducked into the tiny room, they all crammed inside.

“Give me two seconds.” He finally released Katie, grabbed his bag from under the bench seat and whipped the zipper open.

Alena whimpered against Ivan’s chest as he held her facing away from Leo. Katie couldn’t blame her. What would they find outside when they emerged?

Leo hurried to change back into his street clothes, his massive chest making it difficult to shrug into his black T-shirt over the sweat. Luckily he wasn’t bleeding. In less than a minute, he had his jeans and boots on and had stuffed his shorts and gloves into his duffle. “Let’s go.”

By this point, no one was in the hallway.

Leo’s grip on her wasn’t as tight as earlier, but he still held her firmly against his side, not giving an inch.

When they reached the side door and stepped out into the night, Katie was shocked by the commotion. What had she expected?

Hundreds of people were gathered in the street. Sirens could be heard from every direction. Flashing lights from two police cars already lit up the night across the street somewhere on the other side of the crowd.

Leo suddenly froze.

Ivan gasped.

Katie lifted her gaze to follow their line of sight, but couldn’t make out anything except smoke billowing up about a block away. Between the tight press of people, she saw the flicker of flames. “What is it?”

Leo’s grip loosened marginally as his shoulders fell. “My Trans Am.”

It was after two in the morning when Ivan dropped Katie and Leo off at her apartment.

Leo hadn’t spoken much. In fact, he’d said nothing to Katie directly at all that she could recall. He had ensured she was right next to him several times in the last few hours, but hadn’t made eye contact since spotting his prized possession blown to bits on the side of the road.

He’d spoken to the police at length, giving them a description of his vehicle. He’d discussed motives and possibilities with Ivan.

He had most pointedly not spoken to Katie.

She stiffened as they entered the front of the clinic.

Deflated, Leo locked the door behind them and set the alarm as Ivan and Alena pulled away from the curb.

She led the way up the stairs, unsure what to say to comfort him. She knew that car meant the world to him, but why was he cutting her off?

When they entered the apartment, she turned around to face him as he shut the door at the top of the stairs. “Leo?”

He still didn’t meet her gaze. Instead he walked past her and headed straight for the window over the street. He peered out the edge of the blinds. “You can’t stay here. It’s not safe.”

“I live here.”

“Not anymore.”

“What’s different? You’re here. I’m fine with you.”

He turned around, looking at the ground, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I’m not staying. You should move back in with your parents.”

“What?” she shouted, her spine going straight and rigid. She hadn’t even kicked off her heels yet. Her feet were killing her, but now she was frozen. What a crazy thing to say. “Are you insane? My parents? I wouldn’t move back in with them if they were the last people on earth. What’s gotten into you?”

She realized he must have thought the attack on his car was a warning. Maybe from the Russian Mafia. But still… What did this have to do with her?

“I can’t keep you safe. Yenin won’t give up.”

“You think he did this?”

“I
know
he did.” He still spoke to the floor.

“Why won’t you look at me? You’re scaring me.” Her chest rose and fell as she breathed heavily.

He lifted his gaze. “You shouldn’t be with me. I never should have gotten you involved in my mess. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I’ve put your life in danger. The only way to make you safe now is to leave you. Please. Move in with your parents. Stay around people. Don’t go out at night.

“I’ll work my ass off to ensure Yenin realizes I dumped you until he loses interest. Hell, I’ll go back to him now. Tonight. I’ll pretend not to know he did this and go to him begging him to take me back under his wing. I’ll act paranoid or something and tell him someone’s after me.

“I’ll make up some sort of fight you and I had and work my way back into his good graces until he trusts me and forgets you.”

“What the fuck are you saying?” She thought she might collapse. Her legs shook. Her stomach plummeted.

Leo ran a hand over his short hair and sighed. “It’s the only way.”

“No. It most certainly is not.” A tear ran down her cheek, pissing her off royally. She would not cry. “Damn you, Leo Gulin. The
Master
. Do not fucking stand there and tell me to get lost. Do not give up on us. That isn’t who you are.”

“It’s who I’m going to pretend to be to save your life.”

“No. No, you’re not. I won’t let you.”

“You don’t have a choice.” He turned away from her, leaving her standing in the kitchen as he entered the bedroom.

She stomped after him, finally able to kick off her shoes and get her legs to move. She found him leaning over his duffle bag in the corner of her bedroom, stuffing clothes into it. This was serious.

She had to make a decision. Fast. It wasn’t like her to throw herself at a man. She was strong. Independent. She didn’t need a man.

But she couldn’t let this one go. Not without a fight. So what if she made a fool of herself. If Leo walked away from her right now, she wouldn’t have the strength to get up tomorrow. He’d made his mark on her, both literally and figuratively, and she wasn’t about to ignore that and let him toss what they had out the window.

In a split-second decision, she reached behind her neck and unbuttoned her dress. When she released it, the silky material fluttered to the floor at her feet. She lowered to her knees right in her spot, spread her thighs open, tipped her face to the floor, and clasped her hands behind her back.

It wasn’t a stance he’d ever demanded, but it was a position she’d read about. If the dominant in him could walk past her and leave her vulnerable and open to him, then it was over.

She didn’t believe he could ignore her silent pleading. And still she shook inside, fear crawling up her spine to lodge in her shoulders. Her nipples were stiff peaks in the cool air of the room. The plug still nestled in her ass felt ten times larger than earlier.

The rasp of the zipper closing on Leo’s duffle made her flinch, but she didn’t move or lift her gaze.

She waited.

She knew the instant he stood and turned around.

The air in the room thickened. The silence deepened until she thought the entire world ceased to exist. Frozen. A decisive moment in time that would forever be recorded.

Seconds ticked by.

She didn’t think either of them breathed.

And then Leo sighed, his exhale sounding like a boom in the room. Perhaps louder than the earlier explosion. “Do you realize what you’re asking?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“You have a wonderful life. You have parents who love you and will never accept me. You have money and brains and looks and a kind, loving personality. Any man in the world would be lucky to have you. You could have your pick. Don’t throw that away and endanger your life.”

“I’m yours.” She took deep breaths, unable to stop the rush of emotions. “If you walk out that door, I won’t be whole.”

“If I stay, you won’t be safe,” he reiterated.

She jerked her head up to meet his gaze. “Do you think I care about that?”

“You should. Do you have a death wish?” He stepped closer, his hands flexing at his sides.