Page 13 of Sins of Leo

“Oh!” she exclaimed in wide-eyed shock. All she could say as Leo took the limp man and tossed him across the room in time to brace for the second man who slammed into him.

Leo didn’t budge but wrapped his arms under the attacker’s and lifted him before dropping him hard.

Something crunched.

A faint Ruth wavered on her feet. What happened? Why were these men trying to break in? Why did Leo just attack without doing any of the normal cop things like yelling “Halt. Police”?

He glanced at the door vibrating in its frame as those in the waiting room tried to break it open.

“Time to go.”

“Go where? Shouldn’t you be calling for backup?”

“Do you really want to spend a day in the station answering questions?”

“How else would I press charges?”

“For fuck’s sake. These aren’t normal criminals.”

“Then what are they?” she cried with equal frustration.

“Mercenaries, sent here to retrieve that picture and your father’s journal.”

The answer baffled. “But why?”

“I don’t have time for this. We gotta go now before those assholes manage to break through.” He snatched the drawing from her desk.

“I’m not?—”

Her exclamation cut off as he grabbed hold of her and slung her over a brawny shoulder. It took her a second to yelp, “Put me down this instant.”

“Nope.” He exited into the alley, where an SUV was parked and idling. The driver side door opened, and yet another man dressed in black emerged.

Holding a gun.

While the driver was in the process of raising it, Leo somehow managed to pull a weapon of his own and fired.

Ruth stayed quiet. Very, very quiet because, while she might have been able to argue that the man in the office who’d been crunched by Leo might have just been unconscious, the hole in this fellow’s head definitely made him dead.

Leo had killed him, and now he loped down the alley, holding her tight, and it suddenly occurred to her that she only had his word about being a police officer. That she knew nothing about this man.

Therefore, when he stopped at the end of the alley and barked, “Where’s this parking garage?” she thought it best to not antagonize him. He’d not yet harmed her. Perhaps if she cooperated, he’d leave her alone once he got what he wanted.

“Keep going west. You’ll see the sign. But I don’t have my fob to get in.” Her keys still hung on the rack in her home.

“That won’t be a problem” he muttered, tapping his ear. “Aquarius, you there?” Pause. “I need access to a parking garage one block west of my location.” Another pause, then he added, “Be sure to lock it down to anyone else after I enter.”

Ruth closed her eyes as she chastised herself for not recognizing just how delusional Leo was. Talking to the voices in his head. Killing people because he thought they were after him, or her. Didn’t matter. Most likely those men at her office were the true law enforcement, trying to capture Leo, who was obviously a dangerous criminal.

To think she’d been taken in by his story. In her defense, he’d sounded sincere. She should have known better. Those in the grips of psychosis one hundred percent believed what they experienced was real.

Ruth would have to be very careful if she wanted to escape. She didn’t want to end up with a bullet in the brain.

A quiet Ruth held on as Leo ran down the sidewalk, the residential street still fairly quiet this time of day. Not that people would have done anything. The days of good Samaritans had mostly passed. Most people no longer wanted the headache that came with getting involved.

Besides, she didn’t really want anyone to interfere because she got the strong impression Leo wouldn’t hesitate to use force against anyone who tried to stop him.

To her surprise, as Leo ran down the sloped ramp leading into the garage, the massive door began to roll up, yet no car was behind them.

---