The man stiffened and relaxed his grip. Gasping, I fell against the building, clutching my throat as I gazed up at Leo.
“You have two seconds to run before I start shooting.” His expression was filled with fury as he aimed at the man’s forehead.
My assailant only hesitated a moment before darting away, and Leo rushed to my side. Holstering his gun, he reached for me and cupped my face.
“Are you okay? Did he—”
“I’m fine,” I said, still struggling to breathe. “Fuckingbastard!”
“I’ve got you,” he said, his eyes roving over my face. “Damn, you’re bleeding.”
“I scraped my cheek on the brick,” I said, touching the cut. I lowered my fingers, looking at the blood and realizing how close I’d come to disaster. “My keys...”
“I got them from the ground beside the guy you pepper sprayed,” Leo said, handing them to me. “Nice job, by the way. He’ll be blind for a day at least.”
“I hope he loses both eyes,” I spat.
Leo’s expression was fraught with worry as he gently held my upper arm. “Do you have your phone and wallet?”
“Yeah, they didn’t manage to get those from me.” Sighing, I ran a hand through my tousled hair. “Jesus, you really saved the fucking day. How are you here?Whyare you here?”
Leo’s blue eyes darted between mine, and I saw the concern there.
“You followed me,” I said softly.
“I had a feeling you were going to try and do this on your own, and I was worried. Looks like I was right.”
“I do everything on my own.” My throat bobbed as I swallowed. “And I don’t stay on the sidelines when someone is trying to hurt me or the people I love.”
Something flashed across his expression, and he stepped back, dropping his arm from mine. “Yeah, I get that. But I don’t want you doing this by yourself. I’ll help you, but we need to make a plan. Skulking in alleys isn’t the right way to figure this out.”
I exhaled a deep breath. “Obviously. I really fucked that up. I’d be mad at you for following me, but you saved my life, so I guess you’re forgiven.”
Leo glanced up at the apartment building. “Did Alexis give you this location?”
“Yeah. She thinks the hacker might live here. I saw a teenager who might fit the profile enter, but who knows if it’s him?”
“Look, I want to get you home and get that cut cleaned. We’ll work on a plan to investigate tomorrow. Can I drive you home?”
Feeling defeated, I nodded.
He slid his hand over the small of my back, the gesture comforting as he led me to his car. I sat in the front and settled in as he began to drive.
“How long have you known where I live?”
He shot me a look, as if he was hesitant to tell me. “For a while. I always wanted to make sure you got home safely after we met at the club. I’m old-fashioned.”
“Or a creepy stalker,” I said, feeling my lips curve.
“I know it sounds weird. I’m sorry if it makes you uncomfortable—”
“Hey, you just saved my life,” I said, covering his forearm to reassure him. “And you don’t give off stalker vibes. I think you’re just a really good guy. Maybe a bit grumpy, but good nonetheless.”
“You’re the second person who’s pointed out that I’m difficult today.” He scowled. “Maybe I’m just a guy who doesn’t say every damn thing on his mind unless it’s necessary. Unlike most people, I don’t need to blab about what I had for dinner, post it on social media and share it with the world. I like thoughtful silence, okay?”
Suppressing the urge to laugh, I nodded. “So, you hate Instagram. Noted. I’m not a huge fan either.”
He glanced over and arched a brow.
