Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Alicia
Waking up the next morning, I'm surprised to find myself in my room, instead of on the sofa, but as I rub at my eyes and glance around my room, I find another note left for me on my bedside cabinet, explaining he's out for most of the day, and Leo will be around to for me if I need him.
Adding the note to the rest I've kept hidden in my drawer, I grab my phone, scrolling through the few notifications from my sister. I'm choosing to ignore them for now, not wanting to think about my brother or the issues he could cause me now that I've angered him.
Deciding I need a distraction, I leave my phone on the side, quickly get dressed, apply a little mascara to my thick lashes, and then hurry out of my room, whistling for Jellybean to follow.
"Come on, girl. Let's go do some shopping."
Grabbing my purse and sliding my boots on over my leggings, I make my way to the elevator, Jellybean hot on my heels.
"We're gonna have a good day today, baby girl," I tell her, stroking my hand over her fur as the elevator starts moving, taking us down to the lobby where I know Leo awaits us.
Exiting into the lobby, I flash a bright smile at him. He jumps up from his chair when he sees me walking out of the elevator, and I pass Jellybean into his waiting arms so I can zip up my coat.
"Remember when I mentioned a shopping trip?"
He glares at me and groans.
"I thought you were joking about that."
"Well, maybe I was at the time, but now, I need the distraction, and there's no better way to occupy your mind than to do a little retail therapy," I tell him, winking as I turn and walk out of the lobby.
He follows after me, putting Jellybean down once we're outside. When he catches up to me, he grumbles something about wishing he'd palmed the job off to someone else.
My shoulders shake with laughter, and I glance over at him, amused by the disgruntled look on his face.
"Oh, come on, Leo. We both know you love our budding friendship, and you wouldn't pass up a minute with me if you didn't have to."
He scoffs, shaking his head, but his denial doesn't hurt me in the slightest, because I know, deep down, it's true.
After browsing at least ten shops, only buying items from three of them, Leo had Charlie come and pick up my bags, telling me he would lower himself to babysitting duties, but there was no way he'd act as my courtesy clerk.
Now, we're headed to a quaint café down the street, one Leo himself recommended.
As we grow closer to the end of the street where the café is situated, chills break out across my skin, and a sense of dread settles in my gut.
"Leo," I say, slowing my pace and pretending something in the shop window ahead of us has caught my eye. "Someone's following us."
He moves closer to my side, almost squashing Jellybean between us as we come to a stop outside a boutique, staring at the mannequins in the glass window.
"Yeah, I know. I realised a few moments ago, just before your shoulders locked up," he says, pointing at god knows what.
My attention is focused on the reflection in the glass window before us. My eyes scan the people walking around us, and the few people who have stopped across the street, looking in shop windows, just as we seem to be doing.
"Dark hair, blue jacket, outside Mayfields, eight o'clock," Leo mutters, his shoulder brushing mine as he once again points at the glass in front of us, this time, pointing out the reflection of the man he's spotted.
As soon as my eyes glance over his blurry dark features—the tanned skin that stands out against his dark leather jacket, the way his hands are stuffed in his pockets while he seemingly scans his surroundings, and his gaze landing back on us every few seconds—I know immediately that Leo's assumption is correct.
That's the guy who's watching us.
The chills running through my body intensify, and I look up at Leo, waiting for him to tell me what we should do.
His eyes dart down to Jellybean, back up to the shop in front of us, and then over to me.
"How do you feel about splitting up?"
I choke, raising my brows as I whirl around to face him.
"Are you insane?" I hiss, shaking my head. "If we split up, he's going to follow one of us, and probably kill us!"
"No, he won't. We'll make it seem like we're splitting up, but we'll meet down the alley next to Loch Jewellers."
He reaches for Jellybean's lead, but I keep a firm grip on it, shaking my head again.
"Leo, I don't think this is a good idea."
He sighs, letting go of the lead and capturing my hand in his instead.
"Hey, you trust me, right?" he asks, his dark eyes locked onto mine. "You know I will keep you safe, yes?"
With no hesitation, I nod.
"Right, so trust me when I say this is what we have to do.
" He squeezes my hand before letting go and grabbing for Jellybean's lead again.
"You are going to walk into this shop, and I'm going to walk back the way we came with Jellybean.
If he doesn't follow me, I'll cut through another side street, and I will then run to the alley beside the jewellers. "
"And what am I going to have to do?"
"You'll go into this shop, pretend to look at the clothes, maybe even talk to the shopkeeper, and then after two minutes, you'll leave the shop, glance both ways down the street as if you're looking for me, and then head towards the alley. I'll be waiting there, Alicia."
"You swear?"
He nods. "I swear. I won't let you get hurt. If he follows me, I'll lead him elsewhere, dispose of him, and still be at the alley in time. If he follows you, I'll be there waiting, and we'll lure him into a trap and find out what it is he wants before deciding on what to do with him, okay?"
"Okay," I mumble, nerves flowing through my body.
"Okay. Now, walk into that shop, wipe that fearful look off your face, and pretend like everything's okay."
Nodding, I take a deep breath, straighten my shoulders, and turn away from him, walking into the shop and heading straight for the rack holding the dresses from the display window. I flick through them as I count the seconds in my head.
After a minute goes by, I move onto another rack, risking a glance outside of the shop, and when I see the man still standing across the street, my heartbeat begins to race inside my chest.
Shit.
He's following me.
Moving away from the racks of clothes, I glance around the store, smile at the woman behind the counter, and then exit back out onto the street. I shove my hands into my pockets and walk in the direction of the alley beside the jewellers Leo mentioned.
My pulse thunders in my ears, and my hands begin to sweat inside my pockets as I grow closer to the alley and feel the closeness of someone behind me.
I'm probably just being paranoid.
At least, I hope I am.
I have nothing to worry about. Once I round this corner, Leo will be there with Jellybean, and whoever it is that's following behind me will either make a run for it or do something stupid. They'll likely be shot by Leo before we even get the chance to ask him any questions.
Taking another deep breath, I duck around the corner, hurrying as I enter the secluded space. My eyes dart around every inch of the shadowed alley in search of Leo or Jellybean, but I see no sign of them.
My fear spikes, and as I go to spin around, prepared to run out of the alley back the way I came, an arm bands around my waist. Another covers my mouth, and my rigid body is dragged back against another.
"Hello, Alicia," he drawls against my ear. "Brother dearest is going to be pleased I found you."
I immediately start struggling in his hold. I drop my bag to the floor, wriggling against him, jabbing my elbows backwards into his gut, and kicking my legs out, catching him in the shins.
His hold around my waist loosens, and I lift my arms, scratching at the hand covering my mouth.
"He said you'd be a fighter," he barks out, just as the cold metal of his gun jabs into my lower back. "He also told me not to give you a chance to get away, apparently, you're good at that."
Opening my mouth as wide as I can beneath his tight grip, I slam my jaw closed, his skin between my teeth as I do so. He howls in pain as I clamp down on the palm of his hand, not loosening my hold, even as the taste of his sweaty skin invades my mouth, curdling my stomach.
I knew this was a bad idea.
I should've trusted my gut.
Still struggling in his hold, I can feel the fight slowly draining out of me, the fear overtaking everything else in my body as I think about just how bad this situation really is.
This is the end.
I know what Lenny's like.
He wants me gone.
I betrayed him, and he's out for blood.
My blood.
Just as the man behind me starts dragging me backwards, his hand slipping from my mouth so his arm can wrap around my neck, Leo rounds the corner, running into the alleyway towards us with Jellybean in one hand, a gun in the other.
"Leo!" I scream, thrashing violently against the arms holding me, choking as his arms tighten around my neck and my stomach. "Leo!"
In the next moment, a gunshot rings out around us, blood spurts across the side of my face, and my body begins falling backwards as a scream rips its way out of my throat.
I land on top of a solid body, my head thumping against his chest, arms and legs hitting the pavement beneath us, and the blinding sun shining down on me from between the two large buildings on either side.
"Alicia!" Leo shouts, his voice piercing through my skull.
Blinking up at the sun that's filling my vision, Leo calling my name slowly brings me back to the present.
I don't feel any pain, besides the throbbing of my left arm from hitting the ground, and my neck from the tight hold the man had on me as we fell.
Sucking in a greedy breath of air, I realise he's no longer holding me, his arms now lying limp on the floor, and I blink rapidly as I mentally run a thorough check over my body.
"Alicia!" Leo barks, his panicked face filling my vision, blocking the sun from my view. "Jesus. Please, please tell me you're okay."
He readjusts his hold on a whimpering Jellybean, tucking her under his arm so he can reach for me. Grabbing a hold of my arms, he yanks me up from the floor and back onto my wobbly legs, holding onto me as I regain my balance.
His eyes run across my face, hands swiping through the wetness spread over my skin, which I can only assume is blood.
"Are you hurt?"
I shake my head. "No. I-I think I'm okay."
"You think? I need you to be sure, Alicia."
Tearing my eyes from his, I glance down at my own body, pulling myself out of his hold. I run my hands along my body and face, waiting to feel any pain, and when nothing comes, I sigh and nod.
"I'm okay. I'm not hurt."
His eyes assess me one more time before he mutters a curse and pulls me into his chest, wrapping his arms around me, and squashing my poor, worried furball between us.
"Thank God for that."
"No, Leo, thank you. You're the reason I'm okay."
Tentatively wrapping my arms around him, I squeeze him tight, burrowing my head into his chest. My face is close to Jellybeans, allowing her to lick the underneath of my chin, helping to calm me down.
After a moment, he loosens his hold on me, passes me Jellybean, and then glances at the scene around us.
"Okay, go stand over there," he says, pointing at a shadowed part of the alley. "You wait there while I call someone to bring us a car and someone to clean this shit up, okay?"
Nodding, I follow his instructions, walking a few feet away to conceal myself slightly in the shadows. I turn around to face him, watching as he holds a phone to his ear with his shoulder, while he bends down and grabs a hold of the dead man's arms, dragging him to the other side of the alley.