I settled beside her on the couch, hooking her legs at the knees and dragging them into my lap so they draped over my thigh.
She inched closer and dropped her head to my shoulder.
“Mrs. Leblanc,” Leo said, settling in a chair across from us. “I hear you guys have been having some trouble recently?”
“I’m not sure trouble is the right word,” she replied.
“Well, I’m here to help you two take care of that.” He grinned warmly, leaning toward her, propping an elbow on his knee, and leveling his dark-brown eyes on hers. He lowered his voice and soothed, “I promise, Elisabeth, I’ve gone toe-to-toe with far bigger men than Walter Noir. I know what I’m doing here, so I need you to trust that me and my men are gonna keep you two safe. That way, you can focus your energy on getting your little girl out. Leave the rest to us. Can you do that?”
Her body relaxed for the first time all day, sinking deeper into my side.
Even if he did absolutely nothing else, this guy was officially worth every fucking penny of the six figures I’d already paid him.
“Yeah, Leo,” she whispered.
He gave her a chin jerk then turned his attention back to me. “I don’t have a ton of time here, Roman. Johnson and I have to head back to Chicago tomorrow. I’m leaving Alex and Devon for you to use at your disposal. Get them a schedule of places you need to go ahead of time, and they’ll handle the logistics of the whens and hows to get you there safely. In the meantime, we need to discuss this house I understand you two will be staying at.”
“The Victorian,” Elisabeth added.
Leo looked back at her, grinned, then all but motherfucking purred, “Yeah, that one, babe.”
Babe?
“James,” I warned. My lips thinned, and I cocked my head to the side while shooting him a dangerous glare.
The corners of his twitched as he leaned back in his chair, holding my gaze while pointedly rotating a gold wedding band around his ring finger with his thumb. “Anyway, the Victorian,” he said. “I’ll need the keys. Johnson and I will be working with a security company to get it wired up before we leave. I want you guys to stay here tonight. You’re gonna need to call down to the front desk. I want my guys in the room next door. If it’s not available, you’re gonna need to change rooms, hotels, or, fuck, cities if need be. But I want my boys in earshot in case anything goes down.”
“I can do that,” I replied.
At the same time, Elisabeth sat forward and gasped, “You think something else is going to go down?”
Every man in the room spoke at the same time. “No.”
I pulled her back into my side and kissed her temple. “Baby, I swear you’re safe.”
She looked up at me, her eyes filled with fear, but when she opened her mouth, a familiar attitude came out. “I’m sorry, Mr. Lock Me In A Closet Then Run Out With A Gun Chasing The Man Who Broke Into Our House In The Middle Of The Night And Put Two Bullets In Our Wall. You’ll have to excuse me. But it’s not me I’m worried about here.”
I scowled at her while I listened to the guys chuckle. “You worried I can’t handle myself?”
Her lips formed a hard line as she adamantly shook her head. “No. I’m scared that you would not hesitate in getting yourself killed if it meant keeping me safe.”
“Not even for a second,” I confirmed curtly.
Her eyes narrowed, and her eyebrows pinched. “Then, clearly, you understand why I’m afraid here.”
I twisted toward her, forcing her back against the couch with my upper body. “Nothing’s going to happen to me, but if it does, you’ll deal. But make no mistake about it, Lis—you will do it with a pulse.”
“Roman!” she objected, shoving at my chest.
“Okay,” Leo interrupted. “Let’s calm down. This is just precautionary stuff at the house. But let’s make a deal here. Elisabeth, your man, Mr. Lock You In A Closet Whatever The Fuck You Called Him, will make sure no one touches you. And Alex and Devon will make sure no one touches your man. Everyone’s covered. Okay?”
After a second, she grumbled a quiet, “Deal.” Glowering at me, she added, “But you should know—you pin me to a damn couch again, Roman, you are going to need men far bigger than those two to keep you safe.”
This received a chorus of deep chuckles—one of them being mine.
I casually righted myself on the couch and gave Leo my attention. “So, what’s next?”
He smiled and shook his head, glancing over at the three guys looming around us. “Get your rooms for the night settled. Assuming all goes well with the security system, I should be able to get you into the house before I leave tomorrow night.”
“Elisabeth needs to go shopping for furniture,” I informed.
Leo arched an eyebrow. “You going with her?”
I replied by stating, “She was looking at floral throw pillows earlier.”
“Technically, they were damask,” she corrected.
Leo glanced from me to her and then back again. “Right. Alex. Devon. Take the lady shopping. Roman, you’re with Johnson and me at the Victorian.”
I grinned.