108. Mae

I got out of the car and headed to where Rhea was. I know Leo asked me to remain in the car but I don't know how he was thinking that was possible when he drove me here.

"Rhea?" I called to make sure it was her before getting too close.

She turned to me and with a reflex action, pulled out her gun. I raised my hands in the air.

"The fuck are you doing here?" She asked when she put down her gun.

"Leo brought me."

"Mr Vance brought you? Really? For what?" She couldn't believe me.

"I was driving with him when he suddenly turned around and drove us here. I figured either you or Pete called him. So what happened?"

"Thx asshole in there, he just..." Rhea sighed and ran her fingers through her hair."He killed one of them."

"One of them? Them?"

"Mae, just go back to the car." She advised.

"Come on, tell me what happened?"

"The asshole was supposed to sell the kids to us but he said he won't do it if sir Vance wasn't here. We've been trying to talk him out of it but the mother-fucker just pulled out a gun and killed one of them."

"What?" I left her and wanted to go see what she was talking about but she drew me back.

"Where are you going? Are you fucking crazy? He only knows me and Pete, and sir Vance, you go in there and he could kill another child."

"Fuck." I rubbed my face.

"Go back to the car, in case they come out." Rhea insisted so I turned around and headed back to the car, stopping to look back at her standing there once in a while.

Just when I was about to get into the car, I heard a gunshot sound that echoed across the empty building. I felt my heart in my throat but decided to calm myself. Pete was there with him, they must have had a higher hand in the situation there.

I told myself that and was about to get into the car but I heard another gunshot sound. And another. Shit, they were probably having a gunfight.

I poked my head in the car and searched around for a gun hidden in Leo's car; there had to be one. After I had searched and didn't see any, I sighed and got my head out of the car, and then I saw one sitting in the back seat of the car. It wasn't hidden.

I reached for it and checked, it was loaded so I ran back to the building with it. Rhea had gone in when the shooting started.

I crept into the building as quietly as I knew how to and saw a man with a hole in his forehead lying on the floor next to a little girl whose body was soaked in her blood.

Leo threw one of the guns he held at Pete and massaged his forehead roughly."Search the place, make sure we took out all of them." He told Pete before turning to Rhea, "Please get the kids to safety."

"Yes sir," Rhea nodded and went to the kids.

I came out of my hiding and stopped Leo from walking out. He pulled me to himself and pressed the muzzle of his gun against my head, all in a swift action before realizing it was me. Hesett me free.

"I told you to stay In the car," he scolded angrily. He seemed to have lost his mood.

"What happened?" I still wanted to know.

Leo sighed."He was supposed to 'sell' the kids to us," he turned his head to the dead man on the floor as he spoke."Turns out the kids are just bait. He was ordered to kill me so he killed one of the children to get me here."

"Killed him and someone fired from the upper floor," He explained more as we walked out of the building."One of them died because of me," he muttered lastly and I could hear the displeasure with himself in his voice.

"It's not your fault," I told him but he only sighed again.

"Head on to the car, lemme take care of something with Rhea real quick."

"Okay." I nodded and started towards the car. I walked slowly and steadily so he could come back and join me soon. I didn't want to get back and just sit in the car alone.

I didn't want to think of Daniel Yrote or his death, or the deaths I just witnessed. Fuck, I was thinking of it already. I stood still and tried to clear my head of it. Then I turned around and saw Leo talking to Rhea while she had the kids. He knelt in front of one of the kids and was using his handkerchief to wipe something off her face.

Tears formed in my eyes. Leo Vance. Am I looking at him right now and not having the crazy urge I usually have to want to strangle him or stab him or hurt him in any way possible?

I chuckled dryly. I was laughing at myself. I saw him get on his feet from his knees and turned to look at me so I turned around immediately and headed for the car. I didn't want him to know I was just standing here and watching him.

I was still walking towards the car when he called out my name so loudly, it frightened me. I held my chest and turned around to ask him why the fuck he called my name so loudly and immediately, suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my back, just below my left shoulder.

My vision got blurry by the tears in my eyes and everything felt hazy and just when I was about to fall, Leo caught me.