Page 47 of Leo, My Partner

Leo moves behind me, raising my hand level to the can closest to me. “I want you to try to shoot that can. If you don’t hit it initially, that’s fine. I want to see how you react to the recoil. Then we can either keep practicing with this one or work with a smaller weapon you can handle.”

I nod, taking a deep breath and holding it. “Don’t hold your breath,” Leo whispers just behind me, his breath ghosting over my ear. “Breathe normally, but fire when you breathe out.”

He steps away from me, and I look down the sight of the gun. Fuck, this is harder than I thought it would be. Every time I think the can is in my sight, it seems to move again. I don’t want to shut one eye like I saw in movies because Leo didn’t tell me I should do that. And this isn’t like a rifle with a scope or something, so I’m sure it’s not necessary.

Just as he said, I breath normally and squeeze the trigger. I’m careful not to jerk my finger on the trigger like Leo told me. The recoil isn’t too bad since I know what to expect.

Surprisingly, the can flies off the stump, landing a few feet away. I lower the gun—sure to take my finger off the trigger—and look at him in disbelief. “Did I shoot that off or did a rock hit it?”

Leo chuckles. “That was all you, kotenok. Try another.”

I turn back to the stumps and find the next closest and take aim. I breathe normally and shoot when I exhale. Again, the can flies off the stump. A whoop leaves my lips as I put the gun on safety and set it down. I jump into Leo’s arms and wrap my arms around his neck. He laughs, holding me under the ass.

“Did you see that? I shot two of them, Leo. Two! My first time and I got two!”

“I saw.” Leo kisses me quickly then sets me on my feet. “How as the recoil? Too much?”

“No. It was manageable.”

“Good. Let’s test your limits.”

That’s exactly what we do. He has me shoot a 9mm Beretta, a Sig Sauer, a Glock 30, and a Heckler and Koch HK before we move on to an assault rifle. I don’t shoot as well with the others as I do the Glock 19 and Glock 30, but I still hit the majority of my targets.

When I’m finished firing at the paper target he pulled out of his bottomless bag, Leo takes the weapon from me and turns me around, eyes sparkling with what I can only describe as pride. “Kotenok, that’s the best shooting I’ve seen in years. Almost as good as Ivan and he’s the best. How did you learn to shoot like that?”

I shrug. My parents never had guns, and Juliette was afraid of them, so we never tried to shoot one as kids. As an adult, I never got around to buying one for protection or going to the range. My first time holding a gun was an hour ago when he put that Glock 19 in my hands.

“Can I shoot someone? Please?” I beg, giving Leo my best puppy dog eyes. Leo’s deep laugh burrows into my ears, making me smile. “Maybe this camp counselor.” A frown tips my lips down at the thought of the man walking free after what he’s done. “I want to see what happens when a bullet enters someone’s body.”

“Yeah sure. What else do you want to do?”

I shake my head, not wanting to tell him. “You’ll think I’m sick. I mean, I never thought about killing people before, and now I’m thinking of ways to torture.”

“I’m a psychopath, kotenok. Nothing you say can make me think differently of you. Tell me what’s going on in that beautiful mind of yours.”

Sighing, I move around his clearing, helping Leo pick up the cans. Since I’m not looking at him, it’s easier to describe what I want to happen. It’s not bad, but it will be extremely painful. I’m sure he’s seen or maybe even done worse.

After I describe what I want, I expect Leo to gape at me, at my depraved mind. But he just looks at me with a thoughtful expression for a beat, then nods. “That’s doable. I think I can scrounge up those tools somewhere.”

While I smile at his willingness to do what I ask, my excitement to have it done is giving me pause. Not that I want to take it back. Fuck that guy. He trafficked kids for money, and he deserves pain. My question to myself is: where is the anger coming from though? Have I always been like this?

No, I don’t think I was. My view of the world changed. After what happened to Juliette, I started to wish more and more that people who committed horrible crimes and got away with it would be fucking put down. Knowing Leo can help me do that without getting caught soothes my nerves and my second guesses. “That’s what I want,” I tell Leo. “I want him to suffer. Those kids suffered. He deserves nothing less. Can we leave him somewhere people will find him? Juliette isn’t here for her to know Michael is dead. His other victims aren’t either. But the kids that went through what Ian put them through are. If anything comes of this, it’ll be them knowing the man that did this to them is dead.”

“I can do that. June does the same with the victims he picks for Blu. Like I said,” Leo says, throwing an arm around my shoulder, “anything you want.”

We walk back to the house in silence. I’m not sure what’s going on in Leo’s head, but mine is a mess. I’m wondering if I’ll freeze up with this murder since I don’t have a personal vendetta against Ian. He’s a sick fuck, but I don’t know the children he sold personally. Can I still do it? I hope so. I want this fucker in the dirt.

Leo takes the guns inside while I relax on the porch. I should go inside and start the croissants, but right now, I want to think for a bit. I could always roll the dough in the morning and bake everything at once.

I sit in the rocking chair, pushing off slightly as I let my mind empty. This is the best place to relax and think about nothing. The soft breeze, the sounds of nature, the fresh smelling air. I’ll have to convince Leo to bring me back here sometimes when I get overwhelmed back in the city.

The only thing that can make my head full is wondering how I’m going to get my bakery. I want nothing more in the world than to see me and my mother’s dreams of our own recipes being tasted and enjoyed by others. I’ve thought about making a site and selling online since I haven’t been able to afford a building space.

I sigh at that option. With the way technology is now, an online bakery would be lucrative, but people would have to take a chance on it. I could advertise all I want, but if someone hasn’t tasted the food, they wouldn’t want to buy the goods. And what if their order didn’t arrive? A customer could rate my shop negatively, and other people would be hesitant to give me a shot.

The best way to build my business is in person, so there can be taste tests. I stand behind everything I bake, but all taste buds are different. Someone could say they liked my lavender cookies, and someone else could say they taste like ass.

I wish I could get a larger small business loan, but I’m lucky to have the one I was approved for. When I got my first three credit cards as soon as I turned eighteen, I was hella irresponsible and barely paid them off. It took years to rebuild my credit and get the loan. I’ll just have to work with what I have until I can locate somewhere more ideal.

---