Against All Odds Choices (2ndt in a series of contemporary romance books for Kindle) (6 page)

“If we're
gonna get back together, it makes it my business.”

“That's not
going to happen,” Leo piped in with a cold voice. He put an arm around my
shoulders, and I instantly felt safer.

Ryan's
forehead furrowed – deeply, his eyes narrowing.

“You should
leave,” I suggested.

Ryan snorted.
“The hell I am.” He stepped forward.

Leo
automatically went in front of me, as though he was shielding me from an
unstable Ryan. It was strange how he made me feel so safe and secure.

Maybe he
cared, after all.

A part of me
considered telling him everything. But what good with that do now?

“Take her
advice,” Leo ordered him. “Just leave.”

“Step aside,”
countered Ryan, glowering at Leo.

“No,” said Leo
in the coldest voice I've ever heard him use.

I felt bad for
letting Leo defend me, especially when it wasn't his fight in the first place.
I needed to defend my own self. I always had for a long time now.

“Let me handle
it, Leo,” I said quietly, placing a hand on Leo's shoulder in hopes to ease his
tension. “This isn't your problem,” I added – which in fact, it really wasn't
his problem.

It wasn't fair
to him if I acted like a Damsel in Distress now. He had stuff to deal with,
which reminded me.

“Go deal with
that other matter that called you,” I told Leo. “Really, I'm fine.”

“You heard
her, man,” shrugged Ryan smugly.

I caught the
corner of Leo's lips twitch. His eyes looked ablaze, like he was going to snap
any second.

“No fucking
way am I gonna let you deal with him on your own,” replied Leo callously, his
eyes never leaving Ryan's. “He looks irrational. I know because I've seen the
same kind of spoiled heartless eyes in the mirror a long time ago.”

Ryan
straightened up his stance, raising his chin in a cocky kind of way.

“Let me
guess,” Leo nodded to Ryan, “you're a rich brat that don't get enough attention
at home. So you seek affection from someone outside your screwed up family. But
what people don't know is that you're just as screwed up as them. You hide that
with a good face.”

I stared at
Leo.

Based on that
and what the things he shared to me when we were in the Hamptons, he used to be
that kind of person. But he changed . . . ever since his older brother died.

Ryan didn't
reply for a moment. He just stared at Leo with an unreadable expression on his
face, as if he was measuring how much truth Leo was talking about. Then, his
eyes wandered over to me.

“Don't tell me
this guy's your new boyfriend, Bri,” said Ryan. I sensed something in his
voice. It was like, he was hoping I would deny his assumption – that I would
tell him he was wrong in his statement.

I honestly
didn't know what to answer.

Thankfully,
Leo answered for me.

“She's mine
now,” replied Leo in a solid tone.

My heartbeat
accelerated at what he said. He might not have lied and said that he was my
boyfriend, but he stated that I was his. I wasn't sure if he was just saying
that, but honestly, I already owned me in some ways.

I glanced at
him and noticed that he still looked pissed off.

“You missed
your chance,” he continued, the frown still in place. “And I should really
thank you for being such a dumbass, otherwise I wouldn't have met her.”

Ryan probably
sensed the superiority that Leo was omitting, because I saw his jaw clench and
his eyes narrow.

“Don't mess
with me,” he warned, stepping closer to Leo.

They were less
than a feet apart now. I just realized that they were about the same height and
same build. But unlike Leo, Ryan didn't have that natural dominance that was
oozing off of him. Like I mentioned earlier, Ryan was a regular conceited prick
while Leo was very self-assured probably because he was aware of his power.

Leo laughed
humorlessly. Just as quick, his face turned sharp.

“No, don't
mess with
me,
” corrected Leo. “I'm telling you now, man: leave her
alone. I can fucking destroy you. Believe me, you wouldn't like me as an
enemy.”

I had
goosebumps.

A small part
of me was scared for a moment. It was weird, but I was incredibly turned on.
Seeing Leo's face look so serious and proud like that made me have some sort of
fluttery things in my stomach.

I couldn't
believe that Leo, having his status and secret life, would one day make me feel
safe – when in fact, his life was anything but safe. Still though, this was the
first time that I was actually thankful that he had that kind of background.

As much as I
hated to admit it . . . Now I get what he meant by feeling so powerful when the
most wanted criminal in the City was afraid to cross him.

I felt secured
with him.

Also, Leo
looked so hot.

My eyes
wandered to Ryan to see how he took what Leo just said. He was staring at Leo,
as if measuring if he was telling the truth. I decided to save him the trouble.

“He's not
joking, Ryan.”

Ryan's eyes
turned to me. “Where the hell did you find this doofus, Bridget?

All right, he
called me by my full name. It must meant that he was angry now. Unlike before,
I didn't cringe anymore.

“He found me,”
I answered truthfully. “Now please just go.”

Ryan looked
like he was making second thoughts about it. He watched Leo, his eyes wandering
from head to toe then back again.

If he actually
thought that he could take on Leo, he was out of his mind.

“Fine,” he
finally said, scowling. “Here,” he added, as he threw a little box at me.

I caught it,
my face with a puzzled look.

“It belongs to
you,” he simply said.

And with the
last word, he walked away. He got on his car that was parked in front of the
building next door. In a matter of seconds, he drove away.

I turned my
attention to the box in my hands. Opening it, I saw the silver bracelet he gave
me that I threw at him when we broke up.

I sighed,
shaking my head.

What was he
thinking? I had no use of this anymore. Couldn't he just move on with his life?
Couldn't he just let me move on with my life without him messing it up?

“Persistent
guy,” commented Leo, facing me.

“You have no
idea,” I murmured.

“Hey,” he
whispered, lifting my chin so he could look me in the eyes. “I'm here whenever
you need me. You know that, right?”

I gazed at
him.

Do I?

“Just give me
a call and I'll be there.” He kissed my forehead lightly.

What are we?

“Look, I have
to go. I'll call you tomorrow.”

But at this
point, I couldn't really ask him about our relationship. It felt like we were
crossing the line, bit by bit. It didn't really feel like we were only friends
that were fooling around. It felt like something more.

We said that
we wouldn't involve each other in our personal lives. And yet, we were sharing
stories like we were getting to know each other better for future purposes.

He personally
met my sister and my best friend. He was even spending time with them. I, on
the other hand, had been to their family villa a million times. I met his best
friend and his sort of second mother. I also bonded somehow with them.

We weren't
even seeing each other only for booty calls anymore. Like tonight, he would
bring food and we would eat dinner together – just talking and not having sex.

And now, he
was involving himself in my problems – which I thought we shouldn't do when we
started this. Not to mention, I was beginning to see his side of things. I was
beginning to understand how he felt that passionate about his secret life.

He made me
want to be open-minded.

No, scratch
that.

He was already
making me open-minded.

Wasn't that
telling something?

But I kept all
this to myself. For now, he had something to take care of. I didn't want to
distract him by voicing out what was bothering me.

So I just
nodded.

“Be careful,”
I told him, not being able to keep the concern from my voice.

He smiled
confidently. “As always.”

I couldn't
help but return the smile.

That's my man.

Oh, how I wish
I'd be able to call him that.

Two days
later, I was about to come out of the kitchen when Jack entered looking at me
all grim and serious.

At first I
thought that maybe a customer was being demanding that he was losing his
temper. But then, I remembered Jack was the perfect server. He always kept his
cool and never once showed his annoyance towards a customer.

“Guess who's
here,” he told me in a low voice. “In your section.”

I had a hunch
it was one of the Fab Four. Yup, we named Michael Vanderbilt, Leo Russo and
their co-bachelors the Fab Four. It was easier to identify them that way.

Anyhow, I
thought it was them because Leo informed me earlier today that they'd have
dinner here in the restaurant. And it was already past seven in the evening.

“Who?” I asked
still.

“Your
ex-boyfriend.”

“What?”

His answer was
seriously the least I expected.

I growled in
frustration. I thought we made it clear the other night that I wasn't
interested in getting back together with him. I even threw away the necklace he
returned to me the other day. I didn't want him in my life – period.

Didn't he have
a clue?!

Ooh, I bet he
stayed away for a couple of days to wait until I cooled off.

“Do you want
to switch with me?”

I looked at
Jack. He had a frown on his face.

He very rarely
offered something like switching tables. He strongly believed in
professionalism. But he knew Ryan and I's history. I wasn't planning on telling
him. One day, he just saw my bruises on my arms when I was changing in the
locker room. He immediately got the picture and demanded for answers. When he
did, he wanted to protect me from Ryan. But he was too late. Ryan already left
town by then.

I closed my
eyes tightly. As if that wasn't enough, I rubbed a hand through my face. Then,
it traveled to the back of my neck.

“No,” I
breathed out, shaking my head. “It's my job.”

“We can make
an exception if necessary,” Jack reasoned.

I bit my lip.
It was really tempting.

“Please?” I
gave in, worried.

He smiled a
little. “I got your back.”

“Don't do
anything rash, though,” I quickly said. “I don't want you to get in trouble.”

“Don't worry,”
he assured me. “I could be professional.”

I considered
it.

Well, he was
right about that. He was the most professional person I'd ever met. When it was
work, it was work. No bullshit whatsoever.

I waited in
the kitchen until I was ready. Jack already went out and served Ryan. His plan
might have backfired if he thought he could talk to me if he sat in my section.
It was scary how he still remembered where I always served.

I didn't want
to see him. He'd absolutely ruin my day. Actually, he already did. I woke up
with a smile on my face because Leo spent the night at the apartment.

He looked
really princely in the morning.

I didn't
notice that there was a smile on my face until a co-waiter of mine passed me
and gave me an odd look.

When I decided
to leave the kitchen, I was shocked to see Leo and his friends entering just
then. As they took their seats, his eyes found me and he immediately smiled.

Oh, no! I
totally forgot Leo coming here tonight. He would definitely lose it if he sees
Ryan in the restaurant, too.

As if on cue,
his eyes scanned the room. The smile on his face instantly vanished when his
eyes caught something in the distance. Even without looking, I knew who he saw.

Nonetheless, I
followed the direction of his eyes.

And there,
sitting two tables away, was Ryan. He obviously saw Leo's arrival too, because
there was an evident scowl on his face.

I forced to
move my feet. Putting on the default polite smile, I bravely went to Leo and
his friends. Leo's eyes returned to me when he caught me approaching, and I
noticed his hard eyes softened when we made eye contact.

“Good evening,
gentlemen,” I greeted them courteously.

“Ah, Bridget,”
grinned Michael warmly.

The others
quickly raised their heads at the mention of my name. The expression on their
faces told me that Leo obviously talked about me.

I felt my
cheeks heat up at their curious looks.

“She's it?”
asked Mr. Walton incredulously.

I was slightly
awkward at referring to him as 'Mister' now that I was aware that he was only
two or three years older than me.

It was clear
in his facial expression that he wasn't impressed with me. I didn't let that
get to me, but it did a little. Then again, I couldn't please everybody. So I
let it go.

“Don't,
Thomas,” warned Leo calmly with a low voice.

Thomas Walton
rolled his eyes, turning his attention to the menu in his hands.

“Not bad,”
said Mr. Roosevelt, nodding his head as though he was very impressed with what
he was seeing.

“Bridget, this
is Nicholas,” introduced Leo, gesturing to Mr. Roosevelt then to Thomas Walton,
“and this uptight virgin is Thomas.”

Nicholas and
Michael burst out laughing. Thomas just rolled his eyes, giving out the
impression that he was used to his friends making fun of him.

“Just Nick,
though,” Nicholas –
Nick
– added to me, grinning.

“Hello,” I
greeted him and Thomas, flashing them my best smile.

Thomas
uninterestedly bowed his head in acknowledgment, while Nick greeted me warmly
like Michael did.

“For the
record, I'm no longer a virgin,” clarified Thomas tonelessly.

The other boys
snickered.

“Never doubted
it,” I quickly replied to Thomas. “Have you made your selections?” I politely
asked everyone, getting back to business.

“Since it's a
special night,” began Michael thoughtfully, “why don't we all order the special
course, as well?”

“Redundancy on
your choice of words, Michael,” remarked Thomas, bored.

“No one cares,
Tom,” chuckled Nick as he scanned the menu with his eyes

“I'll go with
the special,” said Leo, flashing me a little smile.

I discreetly
returned it.

“Me, too,”
nodded Nick once, handing me the menu.

“Same,” said
Thomas, giving me his menu.

“Four special
courses, Bridget,” finalized Michael.

I gave a
courteous nod and went to the kitchen. I wanted to get away before Leo could
ask about Ryan in front of all of his friends. I didn't want to give the
impression that I needed Leo to take care of my problems – even though this
time, I actually did.

It was hard
for me to admit that I needed someone with me to face some troubles, especially
when I was used to taking care of them on my own. But damn it to hell, Ryan was
a special case.

Speaking of
special . . .

I took care of
the Fab Four's orders. A couple of minutes later, Jack came in the kitchen
looking troubled. He didn't speak to me at first; he went directly on preparing
his customer's food. I waited for him to say something. When he didn't, I
picked up the tray of appetizers and headed for the door.

“He got angry
when he realized you weren't going to serve him,” piped up Jack.

I turned
around and saw that he wasn't looking at me. His eyes were on the floor, his
forehead was creased as if he was in deep thought.

“He got
angrier when he saw Mr. Vanderbilt and his friends enter,” he continued.

I stiffened. I
knew where this was going.

“He muttered
something about what one of them was doing here. He looked aggravated. Then, I
saw Mr. Russo looking just as distraught when he saw your ex-boyfriend.”

I swallowed
the lump in my throat.

“I don't have
time for this, Jack,” I told him, feeling my arms weaken at the weight of what
I was carrying. “Let me serve this and we'll continue this discussion.”

Jack looked at
me seriously. “When you get back, tell me everything.”

I could only
nod. He returned his attention back to the preparation of food, and I left the
kitchen to serve the appetizers to Leo and his friends. I couldn't even bring
myself to smile at them while I served their food in front of them.

I was very
distracted by the fact that Jack knew what was going on between me and Leo. The
last thing I wanted was to hurt Jack. He warned me very clearly about Leo and I
didn't listen. He must feel like I betrayed him.

However, it
was my life. I just hoped he understood that.

I was so
absentminded that I didn't even notice Leo giving me a concerned look. He held
my hand to stop me from walking when I passed him.

“What's the
matter, B?”

I saw that he
was slightly frowning. He knew that there was something wrong. Nothing could
get past his piercing eyes. That, and I wasn't doing a very good job at my
poker face.

“Nothing,” I
answered, smiling weakly.

His frown
deepened. “Is his presence bothering you?”

I knew he was
referring to Ryan. I also knew that he'd take care of the matter instantly if I
said yes. But I didn't want anyone to cause a scene. Not here. Not now.

I shook my
head. “No. I promise to tell you if he is,” I added to ease him.

He stared at
me for a moment, before letting go of my hand.

“All right.”

With that, I
walked back to the kitchen. I started to pace, nervously waiting for Jack to
enter the kitchen. I didn't know what to say to him to justify my actions. Then
again, a part of me was questioning why I should justify in the first place. It
wasn't like he was my father or brother. He was more like a mentor – a mentor I
respected.

Well, that
answers that.

The door swung
open, and in walked Jack. He placed the tray on the nearest empty counter and
leaned his back there, like he was getting comfortable.

“How do Leo
Russo and Ryan know each other?” he inquired, direct to the point.

“Ryan met Leo
the other night outside my apartment building,” I replied evenly. “Leo and I
have been seeing each other for a while now.”

Thank God
Wendy wasn't here to hear this.

“Exactly how
long?”

“A couple of
months.”

“Bridget . .
.” Jack trailed off.

“It's nothing
serious,” I quickly said.

I wanted to
laugh at myself at how much a lie that was. The correct thing to have said was:
“It's nothing official.” Because I sure as hell was serious about Leo.

“Nothing
serious?” scoffed Jack. “I've seen the way he looks at you possessively
tonight. I can't believe you'd involve yourself with someone like him, Bridget.
He's dangerous. I thought I made myself clear on that.”

I found myself
wanting to defend Leo.

“He's not what
you think,” I told Jack firmly.

Jack's
eyebrows raised up. “Enlighten me, please.”

“He's not as
bad as everyone says he is. He might have been irrational and reckless when he
was younger, but he isn't the person he used to be. He's different, especially
with me.”

Jack stepped
forward, grabbed my hand, and pulled me to the locker room. He made sure we
were alone in the room before he let go of my hand and faced me. He looked so
grim that he was scaring me a bit.

“Six years
ago, I saw him order one of his goons to kill my neighbor on the spot. The old
man might not have been the best chap in the area, but he didn't deserve to
die. Leonardo Russo didn't even blink an eye. He even smiled. He fucking
smiled, Bridget.”

My eyes were
wide after what Jack just told me. Jack was there when that happened. This was
what he was talking about that he saw with his own two eyes.

If I was being
honest, I wasn't surprised about that information.

“Leo told me
about that,” I admitted. It was one of the stories he shared when we were at
The Hamptons. He wasn't very proud of it, but he didn't deny it either. “The
man who was killed raped Leo's fourteen-year-old cousin.”

That seemed to
surprise Jack. He didn't know that.

“I'm not
saying what Leo did was right, nor am I justifying it. But in his world, family
is
extremely
important. It's their first priority among everything
else.” I shrugged, tears glistened my eyes. I didn't even know why. “Maybe the
man didn't deserve to die, but the girl didn't deserve to get raped either. I
can't expect Leo to handle things the same way I would to a certain situation.
We grew up differently. We were raised in very different beliefs. But believe
me when I say, the Leo you saw back then isn't the Leo I know now.”