Chapter 24 -
The walk back to her room felt longer than usual, each step heavy with the weight of what had just happened. Matteo walked slightly ahead of Nia, his posture rigid, his hand never straying far from the weapon at his hip. The hallways seemed darker tonight, the shadows deeper, pressing in from all sides like they had substance.
Nia wrapped her arms around herself, the burgundy dress suddenly feeling too thin, too exposed. She could still feel Santiago's eyes on her, that predatory gaze that had stripped away every defense she had tried to build. And Leo's face when he had gripped Santiago's shoulder, the barely contained violence simmering beneath his controlled exterior. Something was deeply wrong between those two men, something that went far beyond professional rivalry.
They were approaching her room when voices drifted down the corridor. Low, tense, male voices. Matteo slowed his pace, his head tilting slightly as he listened. Nia strained to hear, her heart picking up speed.
"Wait here," Matteo whispered, holding up a hand. "Do not move."
He crept forward, peering around the corner, then turned back to Nia with a conflicted expression. He gestured for her to stay put, pressing a finger to his lips, but Nia had already caught enough of the conversation to know who was speaking.
Leo. And Santiago.
Curiosity overrode caution. Nia moved as quietly as she could, staying close to the wall, edging toward the corner where Matteo stood. He shot her a warning look, but she ignored it, pressing herself against the cold wall and listening.
"We need to talk." Leo's voice was low, controlled, but Nia could hear the steel underneath.
"Then talk, cousin." Santiago's voice was smooth, almost amused. "Though I imagine I know what this is about."
"Stay away from her."
A pause. Then Santiago laughed, a sound that made Nia's skin crawl. "Her? You mean the little waitress you have locked up in your gilded cage? Why, Leonardo, I did not realize you had grown so attached."
"She is a witness," Leo said, his voice dropping even lower. "Not entertainment. Not a toy for you to play with."
"A witness." Santiago drew the word out, tasting it. "Is that what we are calling her now? Because from where I was sitting, it looked like she was something else entirely. The way you watched her all through dinner, the way you practically ripped my head off when I dared speak to her. That is not how one treats a mere witness, cousin."
"You are overstepping."
"Am I?" The amusement in Santiago's voice sharpened into something darker. "Or am I simply pointing out what everyone else has already noticed? You have been different since you brought her here. Distracted. Softer."
"Careful, Santiago."
"Oh, I am always careful. Unlike you, apparently. Tell me, does the Don know how personally invested you have become in this particular prisoner? Does he know you have been protecting her rather than interrogating her?"
Nia's breath caught. She pressed herself harder against the wall, afraid even the sound of her breathing might give her away.
"My methods are my own," Leo said coldly. "And they have always gotten results. Do not presume to question how I run my operations."
"I would never dream of it, Enforcer." Santiago said the title like it was a curse, laced with mockery and contempt. "You have always been so very good at your job. Ruthless. Efficient. Cold. Which is why this sudden display of protectiveness is so very interesting."
"This conversation is over."
"Is it?" Santiago's voice shifted, becoming harder. "Because I think we both know there is more at stake here. The Don is losing patience, Leonardo. He wants blood. He wants justice for Andrea. And if you cannot deliver it, he will find someone who can."
"Is that a threat?"
"It is a fact." Santiago's footsteps moved, the sound of expensive shoes against marble. "You have two weeks left on your deadline. Two weeks to produce Alex Navarro or some satisfactory explanation for why the Don's daughter is dead. And if you fail, well." He paused, and Nia could hear the smile in his voice. "There are others who would be happy to take over the investigation. Others who would not be so gentle with your precious witness."
"Touch her, and I will kill you."
The words were spoken so quietly Nia almost missed them. But the absolute certainty in Leo's voice, the cold promise of violence, sent ice water through her veins.
Santiago laughed again, delighted. "There it is. The truth finally comes out. You care about her, do you not? Actually care. How perfectly tragic. The Enforcer, brought low by a nobody from nowhere. Andrea must be spinning in her grave."
The sound of movement, fast and violent. A body slammed against a wall hard enough that Nia felt the vibration through the floor. She risked a glance around the corner and saw Leo had Santiago pinned, one hand around his throat, the other braced against the wall beside his head.
"You do not get to speak her name," Leo snarled, his face inches from Santiago's. "Andrea has nothing to do with this."
"Does she not?" Santiago wheezed out, still managing to smile despite the hand cutting off his air. "She has everything to do with this. She is the reason we are all here, playing this game. She is the reason you are so desperate to find her killer. And she is the reason you will never let yourself have what you actually want."
Leo's hand tightened, and for a moment, Nia thought he might actually kill Santiago right there in the hallway. But then he released him, stepping back, his chest heaving with controlled rage.
Santiago coughed, rubbing his throat, his eyes gleaming with malicious satisfaction. "You are too easy to provoke, cousin. That is going to get you killed one day."
"Get out of my house."
"Oh, I am going. But before I do, let me give you some advice, Leonardo. From one family member to another." Santiago straightened his jacket, his smile turning razor sharp. "That girl is a liability. The longer you keep her alive, the more dangerous she becomes. Not to us, but to you. Because the Don can see it, even if you cannot. You are compromised. And in our world, compromised men do not last long."
"I said get out."
"I heard you the first time." Santiago started walking toward the main entrance, then paused and looked back. "Two weeks, cousin. Make them count."
His footsteps echoed down the hallway, fading into the distance. Leo stood there, his back to where Nia was hiding, his shoulders rigid, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. She watched him take several deep breaths, watched him visibly force himself back under control.
Then he turned.
His gray eyes locked onto hers immediately, and Nia's heart stopped. She had been caught. There was no point in pretending she had not been listening.
"How much did you hear?" His voice was carefully neutral, giving nothing away.
Nia stepped out from behind the corner, Matteo close behind her looking distinctly uncomfortable. "Enough."
Leo closed his eyes briefly, a muscle jumping in his jaw. When he opened them again, they were hard, unreadable. "Matteo. Leave us."
"Boss, I do not think..."
"Now."
Matteo hesitated, looked at Nia with something that might have been sympathy, then disappeared around the corner. His retreating footsteps left a silence that felt suffocating.