Amberleigh refused to let her nerves get the best of her on the ride to the penthouse. Leo didn’t say much at all. Luckily, their car had been prompt and traffic wasn’t too bad to make it to uptown Omega City. Preeminence Tower was just as tall and imposing as Amber remembered it, that shiny, spiral high rise which rose towards the clouds from where the God of this city lived at the top. But now she knew better of course. Grayson Godwin was just an imperfect man with problems and faults, even if he was as beautiful as a God and just as wealthy. But neither of those things made him invincible, immortal, or immune. And now his very life, or what was left of it, was most probably at stake. Amber shuddered at the thought as Leo and the driver messed with their luggage. The chef hadn’t wanted her to lift a finger to help and she was in no mood to argue. She did feel like shit anyway. The doorman brought them a luggage rack to cart all the shit up to the penthouse, though Leo ins
When Amberleigh’s world came back into color and focus, Leo was the first thing she saw. The chef was kneeling beside her on the marble floor with a concerned look on his face. She looked around the room with a groan trying to remember what the fuck had just happened. Her eyes landed on Courtney who gave her a dark look while the heiress clutched a crystal vase to her chest. Fuck. It hadn’t just been a nightmare after all.“Easy does it Love, you feinted,” said Leo, “I’ll call Dr. Gainey to come and check you over.”“You nearly broke this crystal vase which has been in my family for three generations! It’s a Baccarat,” snapped Courtney, “and we can’t risk having anyone else in the penthouse right now Leonardo. You heard what that man on the video said about anyone going to the Marshals. The less people who know about this situation, the better.”Leo turned toward Courtney with a look on his face that Amber never wanted to be on the receiving end of.“Are you fucking kidding me right
Moral support and company weren’t all Amberleigh had to offer Leo while he sorted through the billionaire’s accounts and other financial records. At eight a.m., under the guise of needing to pee, Amber left Leo to actually try and whip him up something to put in his stomach. She had enough cooking lessons under her belt to make a couple editable omelets at least.She wound up overthinking it and throwing out her first batch altogether. It wasn’t like Leo would really critique or really taste her creation at a troubled time like this. Right now, food was merely fuel to keep him upright and grinding away at that computer. She carried the tray of omelets into the office, his contained peppers, mushrooms, Swiss cheese and spicy sausage, hers the same fixings save for the Swiss cheese of course as it was one of the few cheeses she disliked.Leo looked up and gave her a grateful smile when she presented him with the tray. He also gave her a kiss on the cheek.“Thanks Love. You didn’t have t
Sweet talking the bank managers -to make hefty withdraws without prior notice from three of his own savings accounts around Omega City- wasn’t the only contribution Leo planned to make towards Grayson’s ransom. Or so Amberleigh came to learn over the course of the day. Before they had even left Grayson’s room that morning, the chef had tried to convince her to stay at the penthouse and get some rest. Between the banks, shit ton of different pawn shops he planned to hit around the city, and meeting with four different potential buyers, it would keep Leo occupied for hours. But Amber was having none of it.“I’ve had more sleep than you Leo. Besides, I don’t like the idea of you meeting with all these strangers to sell them the weapons alone. It isn’t safe.”He answered her with a smile and a kiss first, “I’m flattered that you’re worried about me Love. And the thought of you all protective like is sexy as hell. But I can take care of myself. And I’m taking certain precautions.”He walk
Amberleigh was super proud of her man as Leo was quite the calm and professional businessman over the next few hours as he sold off most of his worldly possessions. Not even a sheen of tears as he handed over the keys of his beloved Porsche to an Asian businessman. Leo had just made his warehouse his selling hub and also met some buyers for Grayson’s weapon collectibles by the docks as Amber had suggested. A centralized location just made things easier.Most of the buyers were legit. They did get a few bullshitters who cruised by with ridiculous low ball offers. Even in his desperation, Leo wasn’t going to put up with that shit of entitled people wanting handouts. One man even got irate when Leo refused to accept his offer on the Mercedes for twenty grand less than asking price, which the chef had already set well below market value as it was. The Mercedes was in mint condition, purchased just last year, with low miles. Leo threatened to call the marshals if the man didn’t leave his
Ten frat boys in several pickup trucks showed up while Leo was in the shower. Amberleigh dealt with it, pretending she knew the details and asking if they’d brought the cash. The president of the frat house, a senior with nice hair and amazing cheekbones, handed her 20 K. Then he and the rest of his crew basically cleared out the game room. Amber hated to see the pinball machine go as she had many memories atop it . Some of the boys were flirty with her, but none crossed any lines, and it was all in good fun. If Amber hadn’t gotten pregnant at sixteen, this would have been her life. Parties, studying, and frat boys in her senior year of college. But she didn’t regret her decision to keep her pregnancy then give the ultimate gift to a deserving family. Even though she’d chosen a closed adoption, she had met with the adoptive couple once before the birth of her son. The woman was gorgeous with freckled skin and beautiful auburn hair, but her bright green eyes were truly stunning.
Amberleigh took a few seconds to let the chef’s words sink in as he whipped the Ferrari into a parking spot behind the club. “Leo, you can’t be serious. You could be arrested or worse, shot. Get yourself killed. It’s far too dangerous. I don’t like it one bit.”He slid his hand atop hers, “Actually I’ve been thinking over the logistics of it, and it’s totally do able. The building should be empty except for a security guard through the holidays. There should be plenty of cash on hand in the safe because they’re taking donations at stores and other businesses around the city. And they are preparing for the auction at the first of the year. Easy in and out. Piece of cake.” “Okay, Leo so how do you plan to get past the security guard and crack the safe huh?” she pressed. “Simple. Glad you asked Love. I’ve been in that building a million times. They know me. I’ll call up Mama V and tell her I forgot something there the last time me and G-
Amberleigh knew she needed to pull herself together and not have a mental breakdown in front of the Head Goddess. But that was easier said than done as her emotions threatened to consume her entirely. She needed a level head right now as she was useless to the cause otherwise. Time to put on her big girl panties and woman the fuck up.“Thank you. I appreciate your kind words and your help Head Goddess. I would love to stay, but time is running out. The deadline to pay his ransom is midnight on Christmas Day. And it’s been quite the challenge to pull together that much cash in forty-eight hours.” She handed Amber a tissue, “I’ll get back to you as soon as I talk to Harrison. Is there anything else I can do to help in this matter? Perhaps the club can contribute some of the funds needed for his safe return.” “Whatever you could do would be a big help. And we’ll pay you back.” “I’ll put a call in to the cashier’s office. Stop by there before you leave Amber. And please keep me update