Page 26 of Beautiful Villain
Judd didn’t even glance back.He took a half step closer to Leo—then, just as smoothly, took one back.The cards stayed in sight.Close enough to ache.Far enough to torment.
“You ever see a pack this clean?”Judd asked.“No bent corners.No mystery stains.Straight from the source.”
Leo’s shoulders tensed.“Can I?—”
Judd tilted his head.“You can.The question is, how badly do you want to?”
Silence stretched.Sticky.Humid.
Leo’s resolve cracked in stages.First his jaw loosened.Then his shoulders sagged, all the tension draining out of him in one visible wave, replaced by the defeated look of a kid who’d realized he’d lost the negotiation several moves ago.
I almost admired the timing.
I made a mental note not to hire him when he came of age.I had enough problems already—what I didn’t need was a rat with lousy self-control and a face that announced his thoughts five seconds before his mouth caught up.
I exhaled sharply.“For the love of—just say what you saw.”
Leo flinched at my tone, then glanced back at the cards.Judd let them dip a fraction lower, close enough that Leo’s fingers twitched.
“Easy,” Judd said.“No rush.We’re all friends here.”
“We arenotfriends,” I snapped.
Judd smiled wider.
Leo cracked.
“Okay,” he blurted.“Okay.I might’ve seen some stuff.”
Judd raised a brow.The cards didn’t move.“Might have?”
Leo sighed, scrubbing a hand through his hair.“I saw stuff.Alright?A lot of stuff.”
“What kind of stuff?”I asked.
Leo hesitated, eyes flicking between me and the cards like he was trying to calculate how much truth each one cost.
Judd took another step back.
The gum rustled softly.
Leo groaned.“That’s not fair.”
I threw my hands up.“Spit it out!”
Leo finally snapped, words tumbling over each other.
And just like that, Leo stopped being a kid on a bike and became the most valuable person on the street.
“The bride,”Leo said.“She ran out onto the road.”
The word hit harder than it should have.Ran.Not taken.Not dragged.Not screaming for help.
She ran.
My jaw tightened as I leaned closer.“From where?”
“The big building with the bells,” he said, nodding toward the church like it was obvious.“She came out fast.Like—really fast.No shoes.Dress all ripped up.”He mimed tearing fabric with his hands, enthusiastic.“She looked crazy.”
