Cassidy wanted to cry. She remembered that Leo had always been blunt. He never played games, said exactly what was on his mind. “How?” she asked.
He looked a little sheepish then. “Well, that part’s a bit more complicated,” he admitted. “We’ve got some connections with the FBI, and they helped set up my cover story. I’m here as a dealer from Dallas wanting to get in on Coke’s distribution channel. You’re gonna hear me say a lot of shit that simply isn’t true, stuff that’ll upset you. I need you to just go with it. Can you trust me enough to do that?”
“I’ll do whatever I have to in order to get out of here,” she reassured him.
Leo looked grim. “I was hoping that if I showed you a bit of interest, Coke would think he could use you to gain my favor, and it looks like that’s working.” He wrinkled his nose then. “With the way he was eyeballin’ us, I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to whore you out to me.”
Cassidy inhaled sharply. “What?”
“I take it he hasn’t tried that before?”
“No!” she exclaimed.
“Take a breath,” Leo said easily. He then leaned down and nuzzled the hair by her ear. It tickled, and Cassidy found herself wanting to lean into him. Wanting to beg him to take her away right that second. But she didn’t know where Mario was, and she would never leave without him. She locked her knees and settled for resting her hands on his waist as he stayed close.
“Coke’s a piece of shit,” Leo whispered harshly. “But we need to play the game until the time’s right. So I’ll ask again. Can you trust me?”
Cassidy closed her eyes and spoke from her heart. “Leo, I’ve trusted you since I was fourteen and you stuck up for me at that football game, when those upperclassmen had cornered me. I’ve been so scared. I just want to go home, but I don’t know how I can. Lloyd took our passports when we first moved into the mansion, and I have no money.”
“Look at me, Cass,” Leo said.
She looked up into his beautiful brown eyes. She’d never been this close to Leo before. Had fantasized about him taking her in his arms back in high school, declaring his undying love, but of course that hadn’t happened. Amazingly, he smelled really good. His beard was scruffy, and this close she could see more streaks of gray than she’d noticed at the table earlier. But that only made him more attractive to her. He wasn’t a kid trying to be a man.
He seemed larger than life, and because of his time in the military, she suspected it was very possible he could get her and Mario out of their predicament.
She was being awfully trusting of a man she hadn’t spoken to in years, but she was willing to do so if there was a glimmer of hope for an escape. The fact that she knew Leo was icing on the cake.
“I don’t know how this is gonna go, but I’m confident that my cover is tight. Coke’s not gonna know I’m not exactly who he thinks I am . . . namely, a drug dealer. My team is here, three other men who have my back, and yours and Mario’s. We just need to play this smart. Don’t let on that you know me from back home. Don’t do anything that will make Coke or anyone else in the house suspicious.” He gave her a wry look as he went on. “I kinda bragged about my legendary Latino sex appeal, hoping he might push us together. But no matter what happens, you’re safe with me.”
“What do you think is gonna happen?” Cassidy asked, nervous now.
“I want to get myself invited to stay at the house,” Leo admitted. “And one way that might happen is if I’m sleeping in your bed.”
Cassidy’s mouth fell open. “But Mario sleeps in my room,” she protested.
Leo frowned. “Shit. Okay, we’ll think of something. The last thing I want is Coke separating the two of you.”
Cassidy couldn’t help but melt into the man in relief. He pulled her into his embrace, and she clung to him as if he was the only thing keeping her afloat. “You said you have a team?” she asked softly after a moment.
“Yeah. Bull, Eagle, and Smoke. You can trust them just as much as you trust me. Coke thinks they’re my lieutenants, and he refused to let them into the house, saying he has his own guards. They’re outside the walls, though, waiting and watching. They’re lying low—this isn’t exactly a safe neighborhood. If all goes according to plan, we’ll be on our way home sooner rather than later.”
“Home,” Cassidy breathed. “I don’t even know where that is anymore.”
“El Paso?” Leo asked.
“No. Alfred is there. Along with all his friends. I can’t go anywhere without someone telling me how much I fucked up by divorcing him. It’s why I came here. To start fresh. And look how this turned out.”
“You talk to your folks about what’s going on?” Leo asked.
“I can’t. I’m only allowed to call them every now and then, and Lloyd is right there, listening every time. They think I’m having a grand old time down here, but I think my mom’s disappointed that I haven’t brought Mario to see them. I’ve fucked up everything, Leo.”
“We’re gonna get you back to the States, Cass. I’m going to do everything in my power to make that happen.”
Cassidy looked up, but didn’t back away from him. “If things go wrong, promise you’ll get Mario out of here. I can handle anything as long as I know my son is safe.”
“We’re going to get you both out of here,” Leo said.
And looking into his eyes, seeing the sincerity and confidence there, Cassidy believed him.
“Looks like you two are pretty chummy,” a voice said from behind her.
Cassidy stiffened and would’ve backed away from Leo, but he wouldn’t let her go.
“We are, and it’d be nice if you gave us some privacy to continue to get to know each other,” Leo said in a tone much harsher than she’d ever heard from him before. Granted, Cassidy hadn’t exactly hung out with the man she was currently plastered against, but still . . .
Lloyd stepped closer and shrugged. “Michael says you’ve been out here long enough, G.”
“Things were just gettin’ good,” Leo complained.
“Then don’t let me stop you,” Lloyd said as he leaned a hip against a nearby tree and folded his arms across his chest.
Cassidy stiffened. A part of her hadn’t really believed Michael would actually give her to a man to try to grease the wheels of a business deal, but evidence was indicating that really was the case.
Leo’s fingers moved under her chin, and he lifted her face to his. He didn’t say anything as he slowly lowered his head.
Cassidy licked her lips nervously but didn’t pull away. If Leo needed her to act as if she wanted his advances—and if that’s what she had to do to get out of this gilded cage—she’d do it.
Hell, who was she kidding? She’d fantasized about kissing Leonardo Zanardi almost her whole life. He’d always been it for her. The big crush. The guy who’d gotten away. The one man who she truly thought she’d be compatible with.
His lips brushed over hers once, twice. He was gentle and easy with her. It was . . . nice. Not earth shattering, but lovely all the same.