Chapter 20 -
Nia had barely made it three steps into her room when the door burst open behind her with enough force to rattle the hinges. She spun around, her heart leaping into her throat.
Leo DeSanto filled the doorway like a storm cloud, all dark fury and barely contained rage. His gray eyes locked onto hers, colder than she had ever seen them, and the muscle in his jaw twitched like he was grinding his teeth to dust.
"Out," he said flatly, his voice cutting through the air like a blade.
Matteo, who had been standing just outside, immediately stepped back. "Boss, I can explain..."
"I said out." Leo did not even look at him. His gaze stayed fixed on Nia, pinning her in place like a butterfly on a board. "All of you. Now."
There was a scramble of footsteps. Lucia's worried face appeared briefly in the doorway, but Micheal pulled her away before she could say anything. The door slammed shut with a finality that made Nia's stomach drop.
And then it was just the two of them.
Leo stepped further into the room, his movements slow and deliberate. He looked like a predator circling prey, and Nia hated the way her body tensed in response, hated the fear that crept up her spine despite her best efforts to squash it down.
"So," he said, his voice dangerously quiet. "You think you can just wander around my house? Ignore my rules? Make a fool out of my men?"
Nia forced herself to stand straighter, to meet his gaze even though everything in her screamed to look away. "I needed to stretch my legs. I have been locked in this room for days."
"You are not locked in. You are being protected."
"Protected?" Nia let out a bitter laugh. "Is that what you call it? Because it feels an awful lot like being held prisoner."
"You are alive, are you not?" Leo took another step closer, and Nia had to fight the urge to back away. "You still have all your fingers? Your tongue? Your pretty little head still attached to your shoulders?"
"How generous of you."
"You think this is a game?" His voice rose slightly, the first crack in his control. "You think I am keeping you here for fun? There are people out there who would kill you without a second thought if they knew where you were. People who would do things to you that would make death seem like a mercy."
"Then let me go!" Nia shouted back, her own anger flaring hot and bright. "I did not ask to be here. I did not ask for any of this. You dragged me into your world, into your mess, and now you are angry because I am trying to survive it?"
Leo's eyes flashed. "You want to survive? Then stay where I tell you to stay. Do what I tell you to do. And stop making my life harder than it already is."
"Your life?" Nia stepped forward, closing the distance between them until she could see the tiny flecks of silver in his gray eyes, the small scar cutting through his bottom lip. "Your life is hard? You are not the one being held hostage. You are not the one who is facing her ex boyfriend's crimes because he was tangled up in whatever sick game you people play. You are not the one who might never see their best friend again."
Something flickered across Leo's face, too quick for Nia to catch. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by that cold, impassive mask he wore so well.
"He made choices," Leo said flatly. "Bad choices. And those choices led him to cross people he should not have crossed. That has everything to do with you."
"It has nothing to do with me!" Nia's voice cracked, and she hated herself for it. "You are using me as bait. You are keeping me here hoping Alex will come back for me, except he is already dead, so what is the point? Why am I still here?"
Leo was silent for a long moment, his gaze boring into hers with an intensity that made her skin prickle. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and measured.
"You are still here because you know something. Maybe you do not realize it yet, but you do. And until I figure out what that is, you are not going anywhere."
"I do not know anything," Nia said through gritted teeth.
"Then I guess you will be here for a very long time."
They stared at each other, the air between them crackling with tension and mutual loathing. Nia wanted to scream. She wanted to hit him, to wipe that infuriatingly calm expression off his face. But more than that, she wanted out. Out of this room, out of this mansion, out of this nightmare.
"I hate you," she said quietly, and she meant it with every fiber of her being.
Leo's lips curved into something that was not quite a smile. "Good. Hate keeps you sharp. Keeps you alive."
He turned to leave, and Nia thought that was it. But he paused at the door, glancing back over his shoulder.
"And Nia? If you pull another stunt like today, I will have Matteo chain you to the bed. Is that clear?"
"Crystal," she spat.
He left without another word, the door clicking shut behind him. Nia stood there for a moment, her whole body trembling with rage and frustration and something else she could not quite name.
Then she grabbed the nearest pillow and hurled it at the door with all her strength.
It hit with a pathetic thump and fell to the floor.
Nia sank onto the bed, pressing her palms against her eyes. She would not cry. She refused to cry. Not over him. Not over any of this.
But God, she hated him. She hated Leonardo DeSanto with every breath in her body.
Outside in the hallway, Leo stood with his back against the wall, his eyes closed. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides, and he could still feel the ghost of her presence, the way she had stood up to him without flinching.
Stupid girl. Annoying, reckless, stupid girl.
"Boss?"
Leo opened his eyes to find Matteo standing a few feet away, looking like he was waiting for his execution.
"Double the guard on her door," Leo said curtly. "And if she tries to leave again, I want to know immediately. Do you understand?"
"Yes, boss."
Leo pushed off the wall and started walking, his mind already moving to the next problem, the next crisis. There was always another problem in his world. Another fire to put out. Another enemy to eliminate.
But as he turned the corner, he could not quite shake the image of Nia's face, the fury and defiance burning in her hazel eyes.
She was becoming a problem. A distraction.
And Leo DeSanto did not do distractions.
He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Santiago, his second in command.
Status update on the Jordan. I want results by tomorrow.
The response came almost immediately.
We are close. Very close.
Leo's jaw tightened. Good. The sooner they found Alex and Jordan, the sooner they could get answers. The sooner they could figure out who really killed Andrea.
And the sooner Nia Wallace could become someone else's problem.