"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.
