Chapter 4.
Leo’s POV
I chuckled as she slammed the door hard; she's got a temper. And she’s amazing—skilled, strong, and a real firecracker. I let her win on purpose; it’s not like I couldn’t take her down in one go. I was just enjoying her vibes. I've never chased any woman before, but I’m about to change that.
My best friend and confidant, Luca, stormed in, panic etched on his features. “Do you know who the hell you fucked last night?”
“A hot CIA agent,” I replied nonchalantly.
“What? You knew and still went ahead anyway?” He couldn’t believe it.
“Nope, I found out only after she slept and I stumbled on her bag, the contents spilled everywhere.” I shrugged, a playful grin spreading across my face.
“God, how I wish her ID card had been in that bag. At least I would’ve known her name,” I said dreamily, a flicker of hope igniting my curiosity.
“And what would you do with her name?” he quizzed, arms crossed as if bracing for my answer.
“What does a young man do with a young woman’s name?” I countered, smirking.
“Leonardo!” he exclaimed, exasperated.
“What?” I shrugged, striding to the bed.
“Do you know her? You sound like you do,” I pressed.
“I met her once; she almost arrested me, but I escaped,” he replied defensively.
“Then do you know her name? If she was about to arrest you, she must have shown you her ID,” I pointed out, raising an eyebrow.
“Why would I keep the name of a CIA agent?” he scoffed, clearly caught off guard by my reasoning.
“For reasons like this,” I said matter-of-factly and he scoffed in disbelief.
“So what's up? I’m sure you didn’t rush in here just to discuss the CIA agent,” I said.
“You missed the business meeting last night,” he shot me a cold stare.
Oh yeah, that’s right. That was my primary reason for being at the bar last night, but that captivating girl had completely diverted my plans.
So what's next?" I asked.
"He waited around, so if you want, you could meet him right now," he said.
"No, qualms." I laid in bed nonchalantly and I could see Luca roll his eyes before leaving the room.
He came back in a few minutes with Donald, the man I was supposed to meet with last night.
"Don," Donald greeted me and I simply gave him a nod.
"May I?" He asked, gesturing if he could place the briefcase he came with on the bed. I gave another nod, granting him permission.
He placed the briefcase on the bed and opened it and turned it towards me so I could see the content.
"So is this real gold?" I asked, taking a look at the gold in the briefcase.
"Tested and verified," he replied.
I ran my fingers over the gleaming pieces of gold, their weight denoting both value and risk. "And you brought this all the way here just to show me?" I raised an eyebrow, feigning nonchalance.
Donald smirked, showing hints of impatience. "No, Don. This is a business deal, not a showcase. I came here for your approval. If you want it, we can split the profits fifty-fifty."
I leaned back, the edge of my lips curling into a smile. "You know I don’t do half measures. What’s the catch?"
Donald leaned closer, “The catch is that we need a cleaner. Someone on the inside who can help us move it without drawing any heat.”
I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “And you think I can help you find that someone?”
He nodded, his gaze unwavering. “You have your connections. And if you pull this off, imagine what we could accumulate. We could be untouchable.”
“Untouchable,” I repeated, the word rolling off my tongue like an enticing secret. I took a moment to ponder Donald’s proposal.
“Alright, so let’s say I’m interested,” I said casually. “Who do you have in mind for this ‘cleaner’?”
Donald leaned back, a grin spreading across his face, clearly spotting the glimmer of interest in my eyes. “That’s where you come in. I need you to gauge your contacts...and you have some very… resourceful ones.”
“Resourceful,” I muttered thoughtfully. My mind skimmed through the list of people I knew, dismissing the riffraff until it landed on one name: Nyx. Notorious, cunning, and quick on her feet, she could turn the tides in our favor, and I had a way in.
“You’re looking at a potential roadblock,” I said, a smile creeping onto my lips. “Luca is going to have a fit when he finds out about this."
Nyx is his girl.
"You know I'm still here," he reminded me of his presence.
I waved my hand dismissively at Luca, who was still watching us with narrowed eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I know,” I said, glancing back at Donald. "I'll call you later," I said.
"I await your call, Don," he said as he closed the briefcase and left the room.
"Seriously, Leo? You're going to use Nyx?" Luca shot at me the moment Donald stepped out of the room.
"I didn't say that, did you hear me utter her name?" I shot back defensively.
"Oh, please, we both know who you were referring to even without you mentioning her name." He replied, a hint of anger in his tone.
I crossed my arms, unfazed by his rising temper. "Okay, who do you suggest we use if not Nyx? We both know she’s the only one who can pull off this deal for us."
"You also know this is just cheese in the trap for her. She’ll run this smoothly." I added.
"Why not Ria?" he suggested, grasping for alternatives.
For heaven's sake, this guy knows Nyx is more than capable for this job, but his boyfriend instincts just wouldn't let him think straight.
"How about we send both of them?" I proposed, hoping to strike a balance.
"You just won’t let her off the hook, will you?" he said, shaking his head in resignation.
"It's not my fault she's incredibly efficient. That’s on her," I shrugged, a hint of mischief in my smile. Luca rolled his eyes, looking away like he was ready to dig his heels in.
"Seems like your CIA agent left something behind for you," he muttered, his gaze fixated on the floor.
Curious, I followed his line of sight to find a hairpin glinting in the light. I quickly rose from the bed and picked it up, a playful smile spreading across my face. "Even God wants you to leave behind a souvenir for me," I chuckled, twirling the hairpin between my fingers.