𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡

𝟓𝟎 | 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬

Great. For almost the whole day, I dreamed of a plan to disappear from the motel without Leo or Otto noticing, and when I finally made it, I have to march there and tell them I was on a suicide mission. Hmm, something tells me Leo wouldn't like this.

And he didn't like it.

The moment Miller and I got in front of our room, the door flew open, and an enraged Leo stood inside. His hand with the gun flew into the air, straight toward Miller. He wasn't aiming his gun at me, but I have to say, his eyes weren't far from the bullets.

"Where the hell have you been?!" I've never seen him so angry. With his bloodshot eyes and dark circles underneath them, he looked like a rabid dog about to eat his prey. Apparently, he didn't sleep much. His body also looked different — tired, as if he were almost on the brink of strength. Nevertheless, the right hand in which he held the weapon was firm, ready to pull the trigger.

"You...," he began, but then collapsed on the doorframe and the gun flew out of his hand.

"...Crazy girl! I missed you so much!" Otto finished the sentence for him, rushing at me from the hall so fast that poor Leo took a hit. "I almost went crazy out of fear! When I woke up and found that you were gone..." The friend fell silent, but his embrace intensified. "Are you OK? Did nothing happen to you?" He closely looked at me from my head to toes, like the goods in the shop.

"I'm fine," I replied, trying to calm him down with words and a gentle smile.

"No, Ria, you're not fine," Leo said again, rubbing his right shoulder with which he hit the doorframe. „You're in a real pickle."

A chill ran from Leo's cold look. His voice was cold as ice and made me afraid. I didn't expect him to be so angry with my leaving. After all, nothing happened, right? But it could, my wiser self contradicted. But it didn't, I ended the internal argument and tried to send Leo signals to calm him down.

Miller, meanwhile, took Leo's weapon from the ground. He held it in front of him and smiled.

„You shouldn't leave it laid in the hallway," he said. „Especially not in such a dodgy motel."

„Are you criticizing my taste, Tom?" Leo raised an eyebrow. Tom? Is Miller's first name Tom? Why does everyone call him by his last name? Wait... Do these two know each other?!

„Maybe," Miller grinned, I mean, Tom. „But you made one thing right," he said, smiling at me. „How long have you been dating?"

„We-we are not dating," we both stuttered at once. I couldn't help but notice that Leo's cheeks were red.

„We aren't dating," he repeated as if for the first time he wasn't sure and needed to assert himself.

„EW, the last thing my bestie needs is dating this arrogant...," Otto jumped into the debate but didn't finish the sentence. He caught Leo's unpleasing reaction, and it discouraged him from everything he had on the tip of his sharp tongue at the time. „Great guy in a good shape," he saved it as best he could. He patted Leo on the shoulder, which wasn't a good idea. He had just touched Leo's shoulder which was hit into the door.

Leo hissed in pain. He gave him a slap.

„Ouch, what are you doing?" Otto shouted.

„What you deserve," Leo snapped, snatching a weapon from Tom's hand. „Inside. All of you. Now!" He ordered us, and we obeyed him. Leo led us into a small kitchen and let us know that we should have sat down.

We all sat in silence for a moment, then Leo placed a crumpled paper in front of me. Letter from Mercado. It must have fallen out when I ran out the window.

„So, a tampon, huh?" He growled.

I remembered Leo rushing into the bathroom when I held a letter from Mercado. Fortunately, I haven't got slow reflexes and I managed to hide it behind my back. It's a pity that the tampon was the only excuse at the time, which occurred to me when the question "What are you hiding?" was asked.

„Don't be so dramatic," I rolled my eyes angrily. „Perhaps you didn't expect me to show you the letter. Have you read it at all? If I told you about it, you would all be dead!" I defended myself.

„Sure, that's why the best thing you could do was stun your friend and go on a suicide mission by yourself. Congratulations. Very wise." This time he threw an empty syringe on the table, the content of which I inserted into Otto.

„Especially that part of stunning me was shitty," Otto criticized, cracking the bones on his neck. „Because of you, my back is now stiff, plus, my ice cream has melted."

Tom laughed.

„Is he always like that?"

„Worse," I said, laughing as well.

„If I could, I'd get rid of him a long time ago," Leo said, and Otto frowned at him.

„You're not exactly the person I'd like to die beside, either, but at least I don't whine like a child because of it." Leo ignored Otto's remark and asked the question everyone was waiting for.

„Why are you here, Tom?"

„I'll probably fulfill your secret wish, buddy, but I came for this computer genius," he explained.

„For me?" Otto's eyes widened.

„Yes, Otto, for you," Tom agreed. „Only if Ria also has hidden computer skills that I don't know about."

„If I have any, they're really well hidden, because I don't know about them myself," I smirked and turned to Leo. „I hope it's clear to you that you don't fall into that plan?"

Leo approached me, so our faces were only inches apart.

„That's what you think, my dear. You're not going anywhere without me. I won't leave you alone again to throw yourself into danger. Forget it." I could feel Leo taking his words deadly seriously. But I was confused. On one hand, I wanted to have him by my side, but on the other hand, part of my core could only be torn apart at the thought that something could happen to Leo.

„But-" I wanted to protest. Leo's face moved even closer to me and darkened.

„I must have made myself clear."

I almost forgot to breathe. Something in his voice, and in fact, something in him, paralyzed me from the roots of my hair to my fingertips. I had a terrible desire to lean over those beautiful lips and kiss him. And maybe I would do it if we didn't have two spectators next to each other.

„Great. We're all going," Tom broke the intense silence. „Take it as a small road trip."

„A road trip, where we can die, all righty!" Otto said panickily and stood up. „Really great. Should I pack my swimsuit, too?"

Tom laughed again, and only now did I notice how nice a smile he had. Big and honest. As if his bad past hadn't marked him at all and hadn't taken away his reasons for joy.

„I know you don't think so now, but you'll like the place we're going," he winked at Otto.

„I wonder where the hell you're going to take me to this time," Leo chuckled, punching Tom in the shoulder.

„Somewhere you never dreamed of, bro. Trust me."