Page 112 of Love Bleeds Red
“Here’s where the real work happens,” Alfred says with pride. “Where defiance is corrected.”
Bastard.
I don’t want to walk forward. This is all too much already. Leon’s hand is the only thing keeping me from losing it.
He leads us to the doors. One peek in the window of the first shows an empty cell, thank God. But the small cot, concrete walls, and prison toilet in the corner are bad enough to make me nauseated. Polly was in there. How many other people’s lives has he destroyed?
“Your mother is in here,” Alfred says, stopping at the door on the right and pulling out his key card again.
As the lock beeps to open the door, I catch a glimpse of Leon’s mom through the window. She’s sitting on the edge of the cot, staring at her hands. She looks so small and scared. I know Leon’s holding back a burst of rage from the change in his posture.
“Ada, darling,” he calls through the opening door. “You have visitors.”
Her head snaps up at the sound of her name, her expression going from despondent to relieved as she sees Leon. But then her eyes dart to mine, and her brows furrow.
“Alfred! What did you do? Why am I in here? I want to go home! Leon? Is that you? Who’s with you?” Her voice turns panicked with each word.
I can’t imagine what she must be feeling. There’s relief at seeing Leon, confusion about me. Anger. Fear. Probably a mix of both. I have no idea what’s going through her mind, but I know the panic in her voice too well.
Leon lets go of my hand and cautiously steps into the cell. Ada practically throws herself into his arms. “I don’t understand what’s happening,” she says against his shoulder. “Alfred said you were in trouble, that he was helping you. But this place...” She pulls back to look at him, her eyes wide with confusion. “Leon, what is this place?”
“Ask him,” Leon says. He gestures to Alfred, who’s leaning against the doorframe watching this unfold as if it’s some kind of heartwarming family reunion and not a nightmare he orchestrated.
Ada looks at me again, studying my face. I see her mouth open slightly, like she’s about to say something, but then she closes it.
“I still don’t understand,” she says finally, looking between Leon, Alfred, and me. “What’s going on? When I woke up, I was in there… What is this place?”
Leon rolls his lip ring between his teeth, gathering his thoughts. “Mum, it’s time to go. I’ll explain later.”
He holds her under her arm and helps her to the door. She’s clearly disoriented and probably dehydrated. Leon has this look in his eye when he glances my way. I know he’s planning something. I just wish I knew what, so I can help.
“Don’t forget we still have business to discuss upstairs, Leon. The women can wait in the?—”
“No,” Leon abruptly cuts him off. “They don’t leave my side.”
Alfred’s expression shifts to show the darker side of him behind the mask he wears for the world. The side of him I’ve seen many times. “I don’t think you’re in a position to make demands, son.”
That’s when Leon moves.
It happens so fast I almost miss it. One moment he’s helping Ada toward the door, the next he’s stepping aside and slamming his shoulder into Alfred. Alfred stumbles backward, caught off guard, and Leon uses the momentum to drive him further into the cell.
There’s a struggle. Alfred shoves Leon hard against the wall, his face contorted with rage. “You ungrateful little bastard!” he sneers, swinging his arms attempting to get a hit in.
But Leon ducks under the punch, like a practiced fighter. Alfred may be calculating and manipulative, but he’d never win in a show of physical strength, especially not in his condition. Leon sinks his fist into Alfred’s stomach, forcing him to double over, then brings his knee up to connect with Alfred’s jaw.
My heart pounds as I watch it all unfold. I know Leon’s fine. He has the upper hand, but still, a fight is a fight.
Alfred staggers backward and blood trickles from his mouth. He spits onto the floor, something I’d never think the prim and proper Sir would stand for, before lunging at Leon again. But this time he’s off-balance and desperate. Leon sidesteps himeasily, grabbing his shoulders and spinning him around before punching him in the temple.
Alfred stumbles, completely dazed, but somehow still holding onto consciousness as he drops to one knee. I step closer to get a better look and see his eyes roll back in his head for a moment, nothing showing but bloodshot globes of dull white. Breathing fast, Leon grabs him by the collar and shoves him hard against the wall, while Ada stifles her cries beside me. Alfred’s head lolls to the side. He seems to be semi-conscious and mumbling incoherently.
“Is he knocked out?” I ask as my heart pounds out of my chest.
Leon studies him, keeping one hand pressed firmly against his chest to pin him to the wall. “Not fully. He’s drifting in and out. Bailey, I need your help in here. Quickly. I have to search his pockets before he comes to, but I can’t hold him and search at the same time.”
Shit.
The last thing I want is to get anywhere near that twisted psycho, even unconscious. But Leon needs me.
