CHAPTER 61

LEILANI.

His hands stopped stroking my back. "Five."

My heart slowed, as if my veins were filled with icy slush instead of warm blood. I didn’t know if I wanted him to continue his story, even though I was the one who asked him to tell it.

"She was a beautiful child. Russian. Big blue eyes and yellow hair that curled. Like a doll. Like you."

"Oh..."

His lips pursed, his face hard. "I went undercover as Laria's personal trainer and spent weeks with the little one. That look in your eyes was Love. She looked at me that way. She likes being in my company....a damn first for me.

"What did you do?" My voice was small, barely passing my lips.

"I did my job. On a very good day, I dressed up in black and ambushed them at home. Killed four of the father’s men and put a bullet between his eyes as his daughter cried."

I could barely breathe, my heart heavy.