Sharpest Edge: Mercenaries and Magic

by Alessa Thorn

  “You still here?” Leo complained and then looked around. “Did you clean my fucking apartment?”

  “A little bit? There was shit everywhere.” Dante offered him the espresso, and Leo downed it in a shot before passing back the cup.

  “Dio mio, you are the most invasive asshole of a man.”

  “Keep up your attitude, and I’ll invade yours,” Dante quipped. Leo rolled his eyes at him, but as he went into his bedroom, Dante caught the hint of a smile. He’d take it as a win.

  Anything to get Leo out of his funk and back to the land of the living.

  Leo made sure his bedroom door was locked before he dropped his towel and dug about his wardrobe for some clean clothes. He had been sending them out to be dry cleaned because he didn’t have the time or inclination to do his own washing.

  Maybe he should’ve acted pathetic and got Dante to do it for him.

  I can’t believe he tidied the apartment! The sheer nerve of the man in the other room was enough to get his hackles up. And unfortunately, his dick.

  Leo had woken the second the door creaked open but had hoped that Dante would leave him alone if he pretended to still be asleep. He was wrong.

  Dante had stroked him, and that one caress was enough for Leo’s dick to twitch. He had pulled the gun so it wouldn’t turn into a raging hard-on that Dante would tease him even more about. Waking up to those warm, hazel eyes and big, broad shoulders was bad enough.

  Leo buttoned up his white shirt and dragged on a pair of black jeans. Maybe getting out of the apartment was a good idea. He did have a lot to share about what he had found, and he had been planning on it when he had passed out on the couch.

  He tried not to let the instant panic overtake him. He steadied his breathing and focused. In the back of his mind, Leo heard his brother’s jeering voices telling him that he was being weak and pathetic.

  That was the problem. Leo had never been weak. He had thought that being bait would be easy because it wasn’t like he hadn’t been before. God, he had even been drugged before and had been fine. But there had been something about that night, the cocktail of hallucinogens he had been given, the chanting… It haunted all his fucking nightmares.

  Whole sections of that night were missing, but he was sure he hadn’t been raped. Groped and covered in paint, yes, but not sexually abused. There was still a part of him that felt…violated.

  He needed to talk to Kon about whether or not the ceremony they had been performing could have had any after-effects on his brain.

  Two things haunted him the most about that night; the absolute soul-stripping terror of being hunted by monsters, real and imagined, and fucking Dante Hill appearing through the trees like some kind of heroic knight to rescue him.

  Rescue him. Fuck, Leo hated it. It made his skin fucking itch at the humiliation of it.

  Leo was a fucking Colleoni, and they did not get rescued. If they were dumb enough to get caught to begin with, then they were left to die. His family didn’t tolerate weakness.

  He hated that the whole incident had woken up his sleeping past. He had enjoyed playing Leo Riva and having Kon and the crew look out for him in the way his real family never had.

  Leo ran his hands through his curls, which had gotten long in the past weeks of neglect. He looked like hell and felt like it.

  It hadn’t stopped Dante from staring at him in his towel like he was still worth looking at. Leo’s mouth twitched again in a smile that he couldn’t seem to help, even when the merc was driving him crazy.

  “Come on, Leo! Stop fucking about in there. You look pretty enough,” Dante called. Leo scowled as he opened the door and began to roll up his sleeves.

  “What is the big hurry?” Leo asked.

  Dante’s eyes were fixated on his forearms. “What? Nothing. You were just taking forever. Let’s go already. There’s food waiting.”

  Leo put his laptop in his satchel and slung it over his shoulder. “Have you seen…” Dante held out his glasses for him. They had also been cleaned.

  There was something about the gesture that hit Leo in the ribs. Fuck.

  It wasn’t like they were prescription or anything. They just helped Leo with his self-deception. The glasses and the friendly hacker aesthetic were a way for him to become Leo Riva and forget all he had once been.

  The afternoon was warm, and with Dante walking beside him, Leo felt invisible enough not to freak out that he was outside. Dante looked casually cool and gorgeous in his usual jeans, T-shirt, and aviator glasses. When people looked in their direction, it was to stare at the massive golden man beside him. Leo wanted to scowl because he was also one of them.

  They flagged down a taxi to take them to Eminönü, and Leo breathed a sigh of relief to be off the streets.

  “You okay?” Dante asked, far too perceptive.

  “Okay, enough,” Leo replied.

  Dante hummed. “You know you’re not the only one to have gone through some hefty trauma. I can help you if you let me.” The taxi was moving, and Leo couldn’t escape the conversation.

  “Yes? And how are you meant to do that? Let me guess, your dick is secretly an anti-depressant?” he scoffed.

  “It’s not a secret.” Dante grinned, and Leo flushed. “But also not what I had in mind. You feel powerless about what happened. You thought that you would be able to handle the fight and the situation, and you found out you couldn’t. I get that. I’ve fucking been there. I can help you get your power back, train you, so you don’t feel helpless.”

  Train him. Leo bit down his laughter.

  He had told them that he could box to try and get them to back off, but Leo could do more than box. He had been forced to train every day since he turned three. He could probably wipe the floor with the merc beside him and not even break a sweat.

  Leo hadn’t thrown him to the ground earlier and beaten the shit out of him because he was a sick fuck and liked Dante holding him up against the wall.

  “Don’t make that sound at me. Learning how to not only fight but fight dirty to win will help you,” Dante was arguing. “It will make sure you’re not even in a situation like that again.”

  “Drugged by crazy cult members for magical rituals isn’t exactly something that comes up every day. I think I’ll be fine without the training, thanks.”

  “Yeah, you’re really handling it. I can tell by the state your apartment was in and the fact you’ve barely stepped outside in weeks,” Dante growled. The taxi pulled up at the ferry stop, and he passed the driver some money.

  “Did you ever stop to think that’s how my apartment usually is and that I have been too busy to play tourist? I know you love playing the hero and all, but I’m not a fucking damsel that needs rescuing, especially by you,” Leo snapped and got out, slamming the door behind him.

  “Is that what you’re so pissy about? That you needed to be rescued from Liddell’s crazy hunters?” Dante countered, striding after him as they headed for the warehouse. “For fucks sake, Leo, you were drugged! The plan was always for us to come and get you. You know that.”

  Leo didn’t reply, his humiliation mortifying him all over again. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It does if it’s messing with your head this much.”

  “Fuck off, Dante.” Leo wanted to hit him in his beautiful face.

  “I will when you can make me, ragazzaccio,” he mocked, brushing a black curl from Leo’s cheek.

  Leo sucked in a stunned breath. There was a time when he would have cut the hand off a man for such disrespect. Whatever Dante saw in Leo’s face made his eyes heat and smile slip.

  The door of the warehouse opened, and Kon looked between them.

  “Everything okay here?” he asked warily.

  “Fine. Did Cubbie get food? I’m starving,” Dante said, the easy smile back as he patted Kon on the shoulder and went inside.

  Kon’s frown deepened. “Leo?”

  “That man is fucking insufferable,” he complained. “He cleaned my apartme
nt while I was in the shower, Kon.”

  The Basty only grinned. “Well, you have been worrying everyone, amico.”

  “I don’t even know them! I’ve been working.” Leo felt even worse standing in front of Kon, the one man who knew his past and had let him work for him anyway.

  “The Edgeworths don’t care how long you’ve known them. They’ve decided you are family, and that’s it, Leo. They want to help.”

  Leo pulled a face. “He offered to train me, Kon. How fucking embarrassing.”

  Kon laughed softly. “He doesn’t know you. Maybe you should tell him. It’s not like his past is clean either.”

  “No. They are all better off not knowing, and I can still be the me I want.”

  “Then be Leo Riva. You chose to stay with this family after Liddell, knowing that you have a new target on your back,” Kon argued. And because he was a bastard, he added, “You can always go back to the Colleonis and ask them to protect you. I’m sure your mother misses you.”

  “You’re such a fucking asshole sometimes, Kon,” Leo snarled, whisper-soft. “You know what I went through to get away from them.”

  “Then if you don’t want to go back, you stop hiding out and deal with Dante,” Kon said, and his expression softened. “You know he’s only trying to make amends because he feels responsible for what happened to you. Maybe you should let him. It could do you both good.”

  “How? By pretending I don’t know how to fight so he can teach me?” Leo mocked.

  “Yeah, because I’m sure you’d really hate rolling around on a training mat with a sweaty Dante while he shows you how to punch properly.”

  Leo’s lips twitched, his mood finally shifting. He made his eyes go wide and innocent. “But I’m so defenseless, Kon, how will I learn to protect myself without him?”

  Kon laughed and nodded towards the door. “That’s what I thought. Now, get your ass inside. We have work to do.”

  8

  It was a mild night in Athens as Silas moved around tourists and shoppers in the streets. He had spent the day overseeing a group of timber shipping boxes being moved from the private airport to be delivered to a ritzy house in Psychiko and another to an apartment block in Kolonaki.

  Silas was too old to be a delivery boy, but it was easy money, and it had given him the day away to get his head straight. Not that it had worked.

  All he did was think about Izabella and how he shouldn’t have been so quick to run out of her room the night before.

  You shouldn’t even care what Dante thought. After all, he had been pushing for Silas to hurry up and make a move on Izabella.

  He had done it, but it hadn’t made him feel better. It had been like pouring gasoline on an already out-of-control fire. He had spent the rest of the night staring at the ceiling, mind racing and the taste of her still on his lips.

  Fuck, Silas couldn’t think about it and get hard in the middle of the street. Not when he had already noticed that three men had been tailing him from the last drop. He had suspected that they were the client’s guards, ensuring that Silas was watched until he was out of his territory.

  He usually had that effect on people once they knew he was close. Sometimes it was good to have such a reputation, other times a raging pain in his ass. He only wanted to do a delivery, for fucks sake.

  Silas’s phone buzzed in his pocket. His ridiculous, old heart hoped it was Izabella, but it was from Athena.

  Zeus, come back to Istanbul. Leo might have found something about Russia. And fix whatever you did to upset and worry Iz.

  Silas swore under his breath. He had upset Izabella? She had plenty of time to tell him to stop the previous night if she hadn’t been into it. Maybe she had changed her mind and was now feeling embarrassed about it. God, he hoped not.

  I’ll be home tomorrow, he sent back, teeth grinding together.

  Silas didn’t want to go back to fucking Russia either. He had fought hard to protect Athena from that place and her memories for her entire life. It was asking for trouble no matter how much logical sense it made. He didn’t want Izabella walking through that place of ghosts and nightmares and dark magic.

  Silas knew he didn’t have a choice. Athena would go without him, and he couldn’t handle the thought of her doing that either.

  Silas’s hands tightened, wanting to hit something. Movement flashed in the corner of his eye, and he saw in the shiny glass shop windows that his three shadows were coming closer. He smiled at the opportunity presenting itself and took a side street behind a row of restaurants.

  Silas turned just in time to catch the wrist of the guy about to drive a knife into his back. He hissed as the tip of the blade scratched his forearm. Silas disarmed him in a quick move, driving the blade up in between the man’s ribs and shoving him backward to crash into one of his friends.

  “That wound isn’t fatal just yet. You got time to get him to a hospital if you leave now,” Silas said calmly.

  “You’re so fucking dead!” one man shouted.

  Silas only shrugged and threw the knife into his eye. The third guy dropped his own shaking blade, turned, and ran away.

  “The only smart one,” Silas muttered. He dragged the bodies behind a large dumpster that would shield them from the view of anyone walking past. His phone buzzed again, and he wiped his hands on one of the men’s shirts before pulling it out of his pocket.

  He expected another pissy message from Athena, but instead, he got a photo from Izabella. It was of the warehouse roof, Kon sitting with his arm around Athena and Dante wearing a shit-stirring grin aimed at a tired-looking Leo.

  Why do I get stuck with the kids while you get to drink ouzo and admire the Parthenon?

  Silas laughed, the worry and the pain that had been in his chest all day easing. He snapped her a photo of the two dead bodies and sent it back to her.

  Yeah, Athens is paradise as usual.

  Want to swap? I hate babysitting.

  But it’s your night. Silas walked out of the ally and headed towards his hotel.

  One head job doesn’t equal joint custody, Jefe.

  Silas grinned. He always loved it when she called him that. If only she knew how bossy he wanted to get with her. If the previous night was any indication, she might even enjoy letting him.

  What about two head jobs? He shot back before he could chicken out. He didn’t want to push her too hard, this thing between them was strange and fragile, and he didn’t want to fuck it up.

  And a foot massage.

  You got yourself a deal. Try to stop them from doing anything too stupid.

  Even your magical tongue can’t handle a promise that big.

  Silas’s grin widened. That’s okay. I’ve got something else in mind that will cover it, Silversmith.

  Izabella didn’t know she was smiling at her phone until Dante nudged her in the shoulder. “Who’s making you smirk like that?”

  “No one. Just some new computer stuff I was looking at has gone on sale,” she said and tucked her phone back into her pocket.

  “Oh, yes? What kind of stuff?” Leo asked innocently, making Dante grin. For two men that loved to fight each other, they were both excellent at ganging up on other people.

  Iz only smiled sweetly and sipped her beer. She didn’t know what was going on with Silas, and she wasn’t about to talk to anyone about it.

  Kon cleared his throat. “Both of you cut it out. You’ve eaten, so tell me what you’ve found out about Gadal, Leo.”

  The hacker pushed his glasses up into his hair and let out a frustrated sound. “Honestly, it’s not as much as I hoped I would have. I went back to the Pokrovskoye dig because that’s the only place we know that Gadal actually was. I didn’t find anything relating to the dig, so I started looking at the people who would have been there. From what Silas said, it was a proper excavation, and professional archaeologists are usually attached to academia in some way.”

  “But we didn’t know any of their names,” Athena pointed out.
<
br />   “True, but we know their field of interest, and that was enough to get started on,” Leo continued. “I hit up the universities to see who was studying Rasputin or anything to do with that area of Russia. With a fair bit of hair pulling, I found some archived invoices charged to ‘Aurora Pty Ltd’ in the University of St. Petersburg. One of their labs had apparently done some authenticating of a document, a manuscript to be precise, that they were told had been found in a village near Tyumen. They recorded it as ‘mystical teachings of a strannik, combining multiple doctrines with a foundation in Russian Orthodoxy.’ I don’t know why academics have to create long labels for things, but that’s what it said on the invoice.”

  “Sounds like Rasputin to me. Stranniks were holy wanderers or pilgrims, and the only one from that area we know of is good old Grigori,” Iz said thoughtfully before adding, “Maybe it was his manifesto or a collection of his teachings that a follower or his daughter put together after his murder.”

  “We still don’t know if it was Gadal that brought them the manuscript,” Kon replied.

  “We know he visited the site and was overseeing the dig, so it’s safe to assume he went to the university or had one of his other minions do it for him,” Dante argued.

  Kon pulled a face. “It’s still a bit of a leap. Did you find anything else, Leo?”

  “It’s a work in progress, but I pulled the bank account from the invoice, which led to other accounts and fake shell corporations. I’ve been going through all of the account’s invoicing to see if anything pings for Gadal or Russia, and it’s slow going.”

  “I wrote a program that might help with that. I’ll get it to you tomorrow if you want,” Iz offered.

  “Thank you, that would be great. I’ve been seeing bank records in my fucking sleep.”

  Athena opened another beer. “I still want to go to the site and see it for myself, even if there’s nothing there but dirt and forest. I have this…” she made a grabbing gesture with her hands. “This feeling. Like a pull, deep in my guts. I have to go. I can’t explain it. It’s been there since we confronted Liddell. Even if it’s a dead-end, I have to see it for myself.”