Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Leo

It takes me two seconds to recover, spinning to follow Kim out of the locker room.

I can feel all the dancers' eyes on me, but I don't look at anyone else. I know what I just did, and regret is already tugging at my chest. When I realized Kim had come to work, I lost my temper.

I've been way better, but I'm a man who is working on change and that means sometimes I fail. But I think I fucked this one up good.

As I go to follow Kim down the hall, Melissa steps in front of me. "Hey, boss."

I look down at her, wondering why she'd be blocking me now. I'm clearly going after Kim. What would be important enough to interrupt? "I'll get back to you." I start to go around her, but she reaches out, grabbing my arm to stop me.

I like Melissa. She's a good employee, and easy to work with. She's pretty too, in a way that's not my type, but I can see the appeal. Customers like her.

Still, we've never had the kind of relationship where we touched each other for any reason and it's downright strange she's doing it now.

Which is when I catch the ring on her finger. I pay Melissa well but not five-carat-diamond well. "When did you get that?"

She doesn't grin or look happy. In fact, she winces. And that's when I know something shady is going down.

I push past her and out into the hall and start toward the back. If Kim went anywhere, she went up to the platform, but my heart is racing in my chest.

Something isn't right and I don't just mean how I just fucked up in the locker room. And I know I did. I lost it when I saw her all decked out in leather.

She's the mother of my child, she shouldn't be swinging around in a cage. I know I sound like a complete asshole, but I've got more money than I know what to do with. I just need the chance to tell Kim that she has all the choices in the world.

Because the entire time I was away from her today, all I could think about was holding her in my arms and taking care of her and our baby.

I draw in a shaky breath as I round the corner and then stop cold…

Kim is standing in the center of the hall with a gun to her head. Little Anthony Carcetti, nephew to the Italian Mafia boss behind her, one hand on her throat, the other on the gun.

My chest nearly explodes as I stop. "What the?—"

Anthony gives me that slimy smile of his. "Leonard." And then he presses the gun against Kim's temple. I hear her whimper. "My uncle sends his regards."

"You are shitting?—"

"You're not the only one who's been spying," he snarks, the smile disappearing. "But I bet you didn't even notice I've been watching. Your mistake."

My hands come up, my fingers splaying out. "Since when do we involve women in our business?"

Beyond the quiet of the hall, I can hear the club, already full. At any moment, someone could walk this way. A dancer or a club member just looking to use the restroom could end up right in the middle of this. I take a step forward, not looking at Kim or the fear shining in her eyes.

I need to focus. There is no way my shit is going to hurt Kim.

"We included her when you tipped a slot machine and then turned in footage of my cousin to the police."

My lip curls. "If we're counting sins, you've got a few to your name too. For example, can we discuss how this isn't the first time you've pulled a gun here." I take another step.

"You put our top guy in prison," Little Anthony snarks back.

"That doesn't mean I hurt one of your women. You're out of bounds."

He presses the gun tighter to Kim's temple. Her eyes squeeze shut, and my legs shake. I wouldn't be this scared if the gun were at my head, but something about her being in danger has me frantic on the inside.

It's a dirty move involving Kim and an unwritten rule that we don't. I will kill Anthony for this. I've got the most gangster in me, we all know it. He picked the wrong Kincaid to fuck with.

His hand slides from Kim's neck and over her chest, resting just above her leather-clad tits.

My fingers flex as he presses his lips to the shell of her ear. "You're a hot one, aren't you?"

I cannot afford to lose my cool. Drawing in a deep breath, I inch a little closer. What would Mason do?

He'd think. He'd put the pieces together. He'd come up with a…

Little Anthony brushes his fingers down over her right tit and I let out a rumbling growl as the details click together. "How is Melissa going to feel about you touching her like that?"

He snaps his attention back to me. "None of your fucking business."

I've found one weakness. Is that an engagement ring on her finger? Looked like it. Is he working her to get to me or does he care about her? "She is a hot number. Nice curves."

Some of the fear leaves Kim's eyes, replaced with what I think might be irritation. Good. It'll help her.

My temper has long been a problem. More so, because I act without thinking. That, and I can be a real selfish prick sometimes.

But I see the blood start to rise in Anthony and I know I've hit the wound that I need to force him into emotional decisions. "She tell you I fucked her a couple times?"

Kim is going to hate me. I know it.

I steal a quick glance at her, and I nearly wilt in relief. She doesn't look pissed, in fact, she gives me a near imperceptible nod of approval. She gets it.

"Shut the fuck up, you did not."

The gun lowers a fraction of an inch and I move closer. "Oh, I did. It was average. Forgettable. At least for me. I know you've heard that I've got some large equipment…"

I'm being my most dickish self. But he's threatening my woman, and I don't fucking like it.

"Fuck you," he spits out. "You're going to pay for that." And then he reaches back up and gives Kim's tit a good fucking squeeze.

I hear a woman cry, but it's not Kim.

Melissa rushes toward me, passing me by, her face is full of hurt and rage as she makes a rush at Anthony.

I grab her by the hair, yanking her back and wrapping a hand around her neck. I'm not hurting her, but I could.

Anthony points the gun at me instead of Kim and I unwind. I'd much rather take the bullet than watch her get shot.

"Why don't you tell him, Melissa? Tell him how you screamed my name and begged me to fuck you harder. Make you cum."

"I didn't!" she cries. "It's not true."

Anthony is bright red, a vein popping out of his temple as he shoves Kim to the side and charges toward me.

But she's way smarter and far more athletic than him and she swings around, hooking him behind the knee with her ankle. It sends him crashing forward as his hands fly in the air and the gun goes off.

It echoes down the hall, the screams of the crowd filling the place, but I'm not worrying about that. The bullet whizzes above my head, entering the ceiling.

I toss Melissa to the side and hurl myself at Anthony. He hits the ground hard, his hands splaying out in front of him to catch his weight. Stopping short, I give his hand with the gun a hard fucking stomp. I hear the bones crack and break.

Satisfaction courses through me. Bending down, I yank the gun from his hand, pointing it at his head.

I've still got my boot on his hand. "In my office," I bark at Kim. "Lock it."

She does as I say without question.

Melissa is leaning against the wall, her face pale, but I'm not dealing with her yet. "I lean down close to Anthony, putting more pressure on his hand as he cries out. "The last time you fired a shot in this club, the police weren't called. We didn't quite have the sway then that we have now."

I know what I'm going to do. I'd just resigned myself to not going to prison but in this moment…it's the best way to pick off a major player in the Carcetti operation.

"Fuck you," Anthony spits out a cry. "For what?"

"You can't go around firing guns in clubs, you asshole." But we've got video footage of him murdering a man here two years ago and that, along with what he just tried to do to Kim, should be enough history to put Little Anthony Carcetti away for a long time.

The only problem? I've been withholding evidence. And that's going to blow back on me. It sends a sharp pain shooting down my chest. That has always been the plan, for me to take the fall. But now…things are different.

Melissa starts to slide away, I catch her out of the corner of my eye, and I point a finger at her. "Don't you fucking move."

"Mr. Kincaid," she says on a sob. "I didn't think?—"

"You'll never work in this town again," I grit out. "You won't even be hired as a cocktail waitress. You can marry him, but he is going to be in prison for the rest of his life."

"Fuck you?—"

I press harder on his broken hand, and he cries out as the sound of sirens fill the air.

"You don't think we got rid of the evidence two years ago, do you? What debt did you think Mason was calling in?" I grab Anthony by the hair, lifting his head. "Yes, you owe us money. But that's not the real danger we pose to you, is it? Did you think that you could threaten Kim and make that evidence disappear? You fucked up."

I curl my lip, dropping his head again. I was going to kill him but as I lift my boot, I can see his hand is a mangled mess. He's never firing a gun again. It's enough. I'm a new man after all.

The club has cleared out. Temptation will need some time to recover, but we'll do what we did last time Anthony Carcetti shot it up, and do a big reopen.

Honestly, Temptation is the least of my concerns. For all I know, I won't even be here to see it. Kim is going to hate me for taking the fall, for leaving her now. But I'll try to make her understand. This is the best way to keep her and the baby safe. The Carcetti scum needs to be taken off the streets.

It's going to be a long night, but at least Kim is safe. And once I get her tucked in my bed, we need to have a real talk about the future.

She might not want me after all this, but I whatever she chooses, I will provide for her and for the baby.

If I'd had any doubts, Anthony Carcetti made my job crystal clear. I never thought I'd say this, but I might actually have to thank him for that.

Nah.

But it's time Kim understands what I see for our future.