Luck had nothing to do with it, I remind myself, he and his brothers attacked you, for fuck’s sake. Don’t forget that.
“Here we go,” I say, forcing myself to sound chipper, despite my warring emotions, “Dinner is served, my dear.”
“Looks great, babe,” he says, helping me fill our plates.
“Didn’t want you thinking I don’t know my way around a kitchen,” I smile, pleased with his praise despite myself. Coming from anyone else, all of this would sound incredibly condescending and dismissive. But Leo is so appreciative that I still feel like his equal all the while.
I really have whipped up a feast fit for a king (and his queen). Two perfectly seasoned steaks, a big bowl of roasted fingerling potatoes, grilled asparagus drizzled with olive oil, and a crusty loaf of garlic bread make up the menu tonight. I’m just glad Leo happened to have a stocked kitchen for me to work with. And truth be told, I’m just as glad to have found his liquor cabinet packed with the finest collection of whiskeys I’ve ever laid eyes on.
“To your victory,” I say, raising a glass of amber liquor.
“Cheers.”
“Look at you, all civilized and shit,” I laugh, clinking my glass with his, “I have to tell you, Leo, I’m kind of surprised.”
“I know I don’t look it,” he says, cutting into his juicy steak, “But I enjoy decent things.”
“I can see that,” I say, looking around his impressive home, “But it must feel like you’re leading a double life. Going between here and the Nest, I mean.”
“This is just where I live, the club is my life,” he shrugs.
“Of course,” I nod, spearing a head of asparagus onto my fork, “Do you mind if I ask...what your life was like, before you became a Wraith?”
Leo takes a moment to savor his steak before answering me. “This is perfect, babe,” he says, “Sexy as fuck and a good cook? Christ. I knew you’d be a keeper.”
“So I guess that means you’re not going to tell me where you’re from?” I reply, cocking an eyebrow at him.
“Not much to tell,” he shrugs, “Grew up in a shitty neighborhood, had a rough go of it, and joined the Wraiths MC as soon as I could save up for my first Harley.”
“How long have you been in the club?” I persist, taking a sip of whiskey.
“I told you, since I was a kid,” he says gruffly. Clearly, someone’s not used to chatting at the dinner table. “I was eighteen when I became a prospect,” he says, “So...that’s more than a decade, I guess.”
“Wow,” I reply, “A decade ago was when I almost got into the life. Matthew had me all set up to be some old lady’s house mouse with the SoCal chapter.”
“What happened?” Leo asks, “Why’d it fall through?”
“I wanted to go to college instead,” I tell him, “Make something of myself.”
“And now you’ve circled back to the life,” he says.
“So it would seem,” I say, “But I don’t regret getting my education first. Now I’m choosing the life. Not just throwing myself at a club because I don’t have any other option.”
“I like that,” Leo smiles, “Great tits and a brain.”
“You’re gonna make me blush,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“What does your family think of all this?” Leo asks, “They must’ve been happy when you decided to go the whole educated route. Are they pissed that you’ve come around to the MC life again?”
“I’m not very close with my family,” I admit. It’s nice to be able to tell the truth once and a while, amid all the lies. Makes it easier to remember things. “My mom raised me and my sisters alone. She loved us, but it was hard. I never really felt like they understood me. They don’t even know I’m back around an MC now.”
“What about your old boyfriend?” Leo asks, not meeting my eye, “The one you just broke up with? What’s he got to say about your new...ambitions?”
“He would shit himself if he knew what I was doing,” I laugh, thinking about the vain Bryan back in LA. His precious head of hair would go snow white if he had any idea what I’ve been up to, lately.
“Guess he didn’t know you that well either, did he?” Leo asks.
“No. He just knew what he wanted me to be,” I say, my smile fading. “But, what about your family? Were they in the life, too?”
Leo’s expression hardens at the mention of his family. “Hell no,” he growls, cutting into his steak with vigor, “My old man never could have cut it in an MC. He had some shitty government job. But drinking was his real vocation. Drove my mom out of the house before I was a teenager. That just left me and my little sister to grow up despite him.”
“You have a sister?” I ask, “What’s she like?”
“Had,” he says, his voice flat, “I had a sister.”
“Oh,” I say softly, cursing my curiosity, “I’m...so sorry, Leo.”
“Yeah. She was something else,” he says, stabbing a potato with his fork, “Fierce, bright, and the kindest person you could ever imagine. Gone way too soon. Way too soon.”
“What was her name?” I ask.
“Emilia,” he says, the edges of his voice softening, “Her name was Emilia.”
My eyes dart to the tattoo on his arm—the portrait of a woman, looking sad but radiant. It’s his sister he’s immortalized in ink, not a lover. I feel guilt tugging at my heart. I’ve been secretly jealous of the mysterious Emilia, thinking she was a girlfriend from Leo’s past. I should have known no mere lover could have meant so much to him. He’s not exactly the fluttering romantic type, this one.
“Do you...would you mind if I asked...” I start.
“What happened to her?” Leo suggests.
“Yeah,” I say, “If you don’t mind talking about it.”
“It’s fine,” he says, his muscles tensing, “I’ve come to terms with it, by now. She was sixteen when it happened. It was just fourteen. We were walking home from school together one day, and some big guys on motorcycles rolled up next to us. They started harassing her, but she held her head high. Back then, I wasn’t exactly the bulky guy I am now and I had no idea what to do. They started threatening us, saying they’d hurt me if Emilia didn’t go for a ride with them. I begged her not to go, but she promised me that she’d be OK. She climbed on the back of one of their bikes, and that was it. She was found a few days later. Her body. They had their fun, then left her behind.”