Of course he did, Susan thought warily, but aloud she said, "I can imagine he does,"
She hadn't meant to sound judgemental even though that was the way she felt, but she obviously didn't do a very good job because Leo smiled again, as if her disapproval amused him.
She shook her head, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that,"
"Oh you did," said Leo, still smiling as he relaxed in his chair, "You think we're bad people, don't you?"
"I… I… I don't think my thoughts matter in any way here," she stammered," And it's none of my business either. I'm more concerned about my brother's situation…"
A waitress in uniform approached their table to take her order. Susan ordered a bluebird smoothie and waited for the waitress to leave before she continued speaking.
"You're not going to go after him again. Are you?"
"I haven't gone after him again… At Least not yet," said Leo remorselessly, "You bought him some time, but I still want my money. One way or another,"
The scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, mixing with the soft hum of conversation around them. The waitress returned, placed Susan's on the table and left.
"He's working on it, okay?" She was getting angry, but that was because she was frustrated, and Leo wasn't making it better with his lazy smile and boyish grin. "Now tell me why I'm here. I have other things to do,"
He grinned at her condescension, looking more rakish than ever. Unaccountably the image of the pirate heroes from the books she used to sneak out to buy while at boarding-school came to Susan's mind. She could just picture him aboard a pirate ship, lord of all he surveyed! But she was no longer an impressionable, naive young girl, and years on from those romantic dreams she used to weave in her head. She knew there was nothing in the least romantic about this man, that he was bad news, and even if he was looking for a woman, he was just hoping to find a warm and willing one to share his bed for the night.
She was neither warm nor willing! Not with a man like him… Even if he made her heart somersault whenever he looked at her for too long.
Leo studied her for a moment, then he sat forward with a sudden burst of energy that had been totally unexpected, having looked like a sleepy feline until that moment. "Fair enough. I've got another job for you,"
Susan found herself a little unnerved by his sudden intensity. She moistened lips glossed a tempting red, and Leo's eyes followed the movement.
She was a very beautiful woman, he thought. Her other make-up was kept to the minimum, a light blue shadow on her lids, mascara lengthening the darkness of her lashes, blusher accentuating her cheekbones beneath those slightly slanting eyes.
Susan had learnt to make the best of her looks, knew exactly how to draw attention from her small snub of a nose that tended to freckle during the summer months, so that it was the deep blue of her eyes that drew admiration. Slightly above average height, she was curvaceous, and Leo knew he'd enjoyed watching her come into the cafe way more than he should have. Hell, he hadn't even been upset about her late coming, and he grinned inwardly at the direction his thoughts had taken. She wasn't the kind of woman he usually went out with, but he wouldn't mind a night or two with her… If she'd let him, though he felt that'd be a challenge given the circumstances.
Her eyes kept drifting to him, even though she fought to keep them elsewhere. There was something magnetic about him—about the sharp jawline, the dangerous confidence that seemed to follow him everywhere. She hated that pull, the flutter she felt in her chest every time his eyes landed on hers, like he saw everything she was trying to hide.
Leo's lips curved into a slow smile, as though he knew exactly what she was thinking, and Susan gave a haughty inclination of her head. "What do you want? Another delivery to the shady car wash?"
He laughed lightly, then he leaned back in his chair, casual yet commanding, as though he owned not just the room but the very air she was breathing. "Nah. But you did so well on your first assignment that I began to think that maybe I was wrong and you're smart enough to do this after all, so I have decided to give you a promotion,"
Her heart skipped. She'd been dreading this moment, the next inevitable request, but she forced her voice to stay steady. "You already have me making deliveries of God knows what for you. Isn't that enough?"
Leo took a sip of his drink, not breaking eye contact. "Washing money isn't quite the same as dropping off packages, is it? It requires more skill and more guts"
Washing money?
Susan blinked. It took a few seconds before her brain registered what that slang meant, and it hit her like a punch. She'd heard of people doing things like this. It was called 'washing money' but it was slang for turning counterfeit money into real money. It also had a name in the eyes of the law… Money laundering.
Her stomach tightened, and she set her cup down before she dropped it. "I'm not doing that," she said firmly, shaking her head. "That's illegal. I can't… I won't, and I can't believe that you'd ask me to do such a thing!"
The smile on Leo's face didn't waver, though his eyes darkened slightly, like a storm brewing beneath the surface. He leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "You don't have a choice, Susan. Unless you've suddenly got enough money to cover your brother's debt."
Susan felt the weight of his words crush down on her. The reminder of why she was here at all—why she was stuck in this twisted arrangement with a man like Leo. Samuel. Her idiot brother had gotten himself in so deep, and now she was paying the price.
"I'm not a criminal," she whispered, more to herself than to Leo.
Leo's smile widened just a fraction, as if amused by her resistance. He leaned back again, his gaze never leaving hers. "One day. That's how long you have to decide. Either you work for me, do what I ask, and keep your brother safe, or I collect what's owed… one way or another."