Page 2 of Sins of Leo

“Not my fault I’m better at my job,” Leo boasted.

“Are we heading straight to Tower?” Scorpio asked.

“Reports seemed to indicate only one creature,” Capricorn stated as he stood with the wendigo’s body draped over his shoulder.

“And wendigos aren’t known to hunt in groups,” Leo added, recalling some of the lore he’d learned ages ago. Upon their ascension to Zodiac Warrior, they were given a book on the various threats they might have to deal with.

“Who’s checking that pile in the middle to make sure there’s nothing else hiding?” Scorpio asked, even as he began to poke at it one-handed with the tip of his blade.

“You guys go ahead. I’ll check to make sure there’s nothing else,” Leo offered.

“Sounds good. We’ll give Aquarius the all-clear,” Capricorn stated.

Next step would be notifying authorities, anonymously of course. The world didn’t know about monsters—or the Zodiac Warriors—and they preferred to keep it that way. Their job stopped once the threat was eliminated. The cops could sort the bodies and notify families. At least there would be no more victims.

As Leo crunched his way to the mound in the middle, his gaze was stopped by something bright pink draped at the very top. A baby’s footed pajama with a unicorn on the front.

His mouth went dry, and he rocked on his heels.

Capricorn noticed. “What’s up, bro?”

“No.” It couldn’t be. He’d left his wife and child only a few hours ago to prepare for this mission. The pair had been in their apartment. Safe. He panicked for nothing.

His glance next fell on a beige sherpa jacket, identical to the one Kylie had been wearing of late. Bloodstains had turned parts of it red.

It could be anyone’s. After all, Kylie had recently bought it from a chain clothing store.

Scorpio muttered, “Oh fuck,” as he plucked a chain, barely visible against the fabric, and dangled it.

Grief swarmed every inch of Leo’s body because there was no mistaking the pendant of diamonds in the shape of his constellation. He’d given it to his wife on their wedding day.

Leo collapsed to his knees, uncaring of the filth, numb to the stench and the fact he knelt on bones.

Nothing mattered.

Kylie and his baby daughter were dead, and it was all his fault.

He should have found the monster faster.

Should have forced Kylie to go to Tower, where it would have been safe.

Should have never left them alone.

And nothing anyone said, nor how much booze he drank, could ever make him forget his greatest sin.

Not protecting his family.

CHAPTER 1

Ruth sighedand leaned back in her chair as she rubbed her temples. She hated Thursdays, the one day a week she took appointments until eight p.m. to accommodate those who couldn’t make it to a daytime session.

Only one more person to see, and then she could relax with a book and a bowl of leftover corn chowder. She perused the information on her next patient, a new one named Leo. No last name or date of birth, which brought a frown. Not unheard of. Some people preferred complete anonymity and could achieve that if they chose to pay for their sessions by e-transferring funds or using a prepaid credit card.

The intake form displayed little information other than the reason for the visit: Difficulty in dealing with grief after the loss of his wife and child.

That would be a tough one. Often those who survived suffered not just from the anguish of losing their loved ones, but also from the guilt that they’d survived.

A light on her desk blinked, showing her patient had arrived and pressed the buzzer in the waiting room to notify her. To preserve her client’s privacy, she didn’t invest in cameras for heroffice, although that might change given the recent break-ins in the neighborhood.

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