Chapter Two
This chapter contains scenes that may be disturbing to some readers.
"Come on, let's go." Leo said impatiently. He eyed the clock. 9:35. They were supposed to be out of the lair by 9:15. He jiggled a foot nervously. He'd be late to Randi's…
He had gone back, after that first initial encounter… albeit a few days (okay, week) later. Since then, he'd gone back frequently, until almost every nightly run ended with him at her window. He enjoyed their talks immensely. She was eager to listen and easy to talk to, and he soon found himself spilling his thoughts and feelings to her; something he'd never been comfortable doing with anyone before. His worries and concerns flew easily out of his mouth, into her waiting ear. He grinned at the thought.
"Yo, Leo!"
He broke from his revere with a start, looking to the source of his disruption. His brothers stood nearby, ready, finally, to head out for the night.
Don slung his bag over his shoulder, adjusting the strap as he spoke. "You ok, Leo?" He asked, concern on his face.
Leo opened his mouth to say that yes, he was, indeed, fine, but was cut off when Mike started talking.
"Yeah, bro, what's the rush? You got a hot date or something?" He elbowed Leo in the arm playfully.
Leo's face turned flush at the statement. It wasn't a date. 'They weren't dates', he told himself. They just talked. Just enjoyed each other's company, is all…
Raph looked at Leo. "Y'know," he began, "That would explain why ya been rushin' us outta here for the past few weeks."
"Nonsense." Leo said when he finally found his voice again.
Mike grinned excitedly.
"Let's just go." Leo gave Mike a friendly push on the shoulder, and they headed out into the sewers.
"Your brothers love you, do they not?"
Leo sighed. "Of course, Randi…"
"And you them?"
"Absolutely." Leo sat up more at that. "I don't question any of that, of course."
"Good." She nodded, her hair bouncing. "That's all very good." She smiled brightly.
He grinned in return, but it fell into a frown quickly.
"I have to go, Randi." He said, rising from his place on the ledge.
"Oh." She said, standing also, where she leaned on the sill of the window. Leo moved a hand quickly to above her head as she rose, so she wouldn't bump her head.
"Careful." He said quietly.
"I've got it." She said, just as softly. "I've had a lot of practice at it alone."
Leo closed his eyes. She nodded at his silence. "Go." She said. "Your brothers are waiting for you."
"Yeah," He said. "See you, Randi."
"Bye Leo." She said, her voice devoid of the usual joking it contained.
He hung his head for a moment, breathing deeply a few times before leaping from the ledge, and down to a roof below.
"There he goes."
The masked man came out of the shadows. He looked behind him. "We have a schedule, you know." He said to his partner.
"I just don't like this." The other man said. "We should be going after him. He's right there."
"Calm down, Jay." The first man said. "We have our orders. We'll get them." Jay broke in, sighing, frustrated.
"But…" The first man continued. "Our first priority is to get her."
"About time." Raph said dryly as Leo finally landed on the roof of their designated meeting spot.
Mike laughed. "Maybe he did have a date." He said. "Maybe Leo's got himself a girl. Where's yours, Raphy?" He winked, nudging his red bandana-ed (and, right now, red-faced) brother in the side playfully.
Leaning on the edge of the roof, Don sighed.
"He don't got no girl." Raph sneered.
Mike laughed again, but stopped when Raph smacked him as Leo approached.
"Good night?" Raph asked wryly. Mike burst out with another laugh, but Raph continued.
"We didn't see ya all night."
Leo bristled up at that.
"I was… busy." He finished lamely.
Raph gave a short laugh. "Whatever." He said, then began climbing down the ladder, towards the alley below.
Randi turned from the window, sighing softly.
She enjoyed Leo immensely. But he shut himself off so easily…
Suddenly, she turned, a noise reaching her finely tuned ears. She reached down for something, anything, as her heart began racing. Someone was in her house.
"Who's there?" She called, trying to sound brave, but flinching at the loudness of her voice. She shouldn't have done that.
"You'll do enough talking later."
She gasped as a voice sounded behind her, and a hand covered her mouth.
Leo looked back towards Randi's window. It was funny, but he already missed it, the talking, and he only left Randi's a few minutes ago. He stopped suddenly. Hadn't she closed the window when he left…?
"Stop struggling, and this'll go a lot easier…" Randi was shoved down on her couch.
"What do you want?" She cried, putting her hands up in front of her, in a vain attempt to protect herself. Her hands were pinned above her head roughly. She struggled against the iron-like grip of her attacker.
Another voice sounded in the room, sighing.
"Help me." She gasped to the new presence. "Help me, please."
The owner of the voice rolled his eyes. "Isn't this a bit much, Jay?"
"Stubborn thing, isn't she?" Jay responded. "Doesn't know when to quit." He grunted, putting his weight on her.
"No. Please." She whimpered.
"Oh, now you're cooperative, eh?" Jay sneered. "Sorry. Too late for apologies. Time for punishment."
Her eyes widened, and she struggled against him more as she felt his body shift and heard the sound of a zipper.
"No." She said, and then with more force. "No…"
"Our mission was to merely detain her and bring her back to Master." The other voice said, sounding somewhere in-between bored and unsure.
"Don't worry." Jay said, lowering himself to her rebellious body. "Master will get his… as soon as I get mine."
Randi could hear the other man sigh again, and begin walking away.
"Sometimes you are so over-dramatic, Jay…"
Leo shook his head, looking back to Raph and Mike, who had begun racing their way back and were now well ahead of him.
"You okay, Leo?"
So caught up in his thoughts was he, that he quite nearly jumped when Don came up beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah." Leo said finally. "I'm just… thinking, is all."
Don grinned at that. "Don't I know how that goes." He joked, smiling at Leo. He walked a few steps ahead, then looked back at his brother. "You sure you're alright…?"
Leo opened his mouth to answer, looking back towards Randi's apartment.
Suddenly, he squinted. He thought he saw movement.
His senses on full alert now, he watched the window with his breath held.
A shadow by the couch… He relaxed a moment later. Just Randi. He sighed, relieved.
Suddenly, another shadow passed by the window. Leo's eyes darted to the other window. Movement still on the couch. Randi was being attacked!
Leo could hear Don calling his name as he took off towards Randi's apartment. Don's voice grew closer; he was following him, but Leo barely registered that. His whole attention was focused on his goal.
Soon, but not fast enough for his liking, he burst through the window. Landing, he looked around quickly. He'd hardy had time to realize that he was in the kitchen when a punch landed on his face, turning his body to the side.
Leo staggered backwards, reaching for his swords. He'd just gotten the unsheathed, when his attacker was hit to the ground.
Don gripped his bo, looking at Leo, his eyes questioning.
"Randi's in the living room." Leo got out, as the man began getting up.
Don nodded, turning in the direction Leo had indicated, but stopped when the doorway was suddenly darkened by another figure.
"Two for one deal, hmm?" The new figure sneered. He lunged at Don, and they began fighting; all the while Leo found himself defending himself against the first man.
As he blocked strike after well-placed strike, Leo heard Raph shout from the other room as he and Mike arrived at the fray.
"Problem in here, Leo!" Came Raph's booming voice.
Leo glanced at Don, who nodded, and as Raph came to take his place, ducked back into the room Raph had just come from.
The first man grunted as he brought a knife down to Leo, only to be blocked by Leo's katana.
"We're out." He shouted over the din. Raph's opponent nodded, and, with a slight movement of his hand, the kitchen was filled first with a blinding light, and then smoky darkness.
The smoke cleared, and Raph waved a hand in front of his face, coughing.
"Great workout and all, Leo." He began, looking at his brother, who still held a defensive pose. "But you mind tellin' me just what the heck's goin' on here?"
Leo opened his mouth to answer, but merely shrugged as Mike appeared in the doorway, looking pale.
"Leo," He gasped. "You better get in here. Don needs you."
Leo and Raph ran to join their brother's, as Mike went to stand behind Don.
"I don't understand." Don was saying. "There's more blood than these cuts allow for."
Leo's eyes flew to the couch, which was spattered with large spots of blood. Then he looked to Don. He held Randi in his arms. She was seemingly unconscious.
Raph looked around the room. "Yer friend gave one heck of a fight, Leo." He looked at his brother. "How did you know she was in trouble?"
"I… don't know." Leo answered. "I just… knew."
They both looked to the woman in Don's arms. Her body shifted, and suddenly, Randi began screaming.
Author's Notes -
Many apologies for this. I seem to do that a lot, huh? I have no real excuse for the tardiness of this chapter, but I hope it makes up for the wait! I was out of the country for a week, then also sick the past week or so (even going into the emergency room) so I really was pushed back. I'd written a good chunk of this on vacation and had hoped to post it soon after returning.
Anyway, I'm writing the next chapters of both Trials of the Heart, and Learning to Live Again, so hopefully they, also, will be updated soon!
Thanks for reading, as always, and I'll talk to y'all soon!