Author's Note: Thank you all for the really sweet reviews. I am so grateful that other people are as interested in Cabe getting some love. It's a little bit of a slow start, but I promise there will be much more of Cabe and Scorpion starting with the next chapter. Just had to get Leah started!
Chapter 5- Your Body is a Battleground
Leah couldn't drive back to the hotel quick enough. She couldn't get up to her room quick enough before she needed to throw up. Dodging into the room with the vending and ice machines on her floor, Leah puked into the corner.
The job done, her forehead sweating, she continued on to her room. Leah stood in the middle of her room, her breathing growing heavier by the second.
She was panicking.
The shakes started small, but grew by the second until her whole body was shaking heavily. She pulled her hands into fists, trying to calm herself, but it didn't work. Leah threw herself down next to the bed and buried her face into the comforter, gripping it tightly as she screamed as loudly as she could into the fabric.
Over and over she screamed, letting it all out until finally, her body stopped shaking and her mind stopped burning.
Leah let go of the comforter and stood up. She turned and hit the wall as hard as she could, twice. Groaning, Leah pulled her hand back, grimacing at the plaster in the wounds. Stupid choice, really. This was going to take more than a band aid to fix.
She collapsed to the floor, falling onto her back. Resting her wounded hand on her chest, she looked up at the dingy ceiling. She wished she could say this hadn't happened before, but every so often, a kill would get to her. Although, it wasn't like she had killed Agent Gallo yet.
Leah never talked to the mark. She didn't do it. It only created problems, like the one she was facing. This was dangerous. Far more dangerous than just assassinating someone. This was complicated.
Not only had Agent Gallo seen her, but so had, at minimum, three of his colleagues. And, Leah had been done enough to give them her first name and the state she was born in. She had given them too much, but the Doctor had thrown her off. Leah had never met someone who did that kind of stuff. It was unnerving. Combined with her photo, they could easily find out who she is.
Her breathing steadied, the out of her depth assassin began going over her options. "You can go back, set up in the building across from the garage and shoot Agent Gallo the next time he leaves," she muttered to herself. "Or, you can leave. You can go back to New York to kill Andy and then get the hell out of dodge, but likely you'll be dead before you even leave New York. So, last option is to get the hell out of dodge. Go somewhere. Mexico maybe? Canada? No, New Zealand. New Zealand is nice. Nobody ever checks New Zealand." She couldn't go back to New York and pretend like this never happened. If you didn't complete the job, then you paid the price. Andy had sent her here and he'd be furious if she didn't finish.
Looking around the room as she sat up, Leah needed to make a decision. "So get up, asshole. Get up and get the hell out of Los Angeles," she pushed herself.
She scrambled to her feet and began gathering her things. Unlike most people, she kept most of her things in her bag, so she didn't need to pack many things if she had to leave in a hurry. Like today. Within 30 seconds, she was ready to go. She left her room key on the bureau and slung her bag over chest. Grabbing her rental keys, she jammed the key into her left pocket as she headed for the door.
In the next five seconds, she reached the door and pulled it open.
As the door swung open, she came face to face with someone she didn't expect to see. The wannabe gangster from outside the garage.
"Need help?" he asked, looking at the bag slung over her chest.
Leah's head tilted to the side as confusion filled her head.
In the next second, he punched her in the sternum. Leah fell back into the hotel room, landing on her bag. The man came at her, shutting the door behind him. Leah kicked, hitting him in the stomach with her right foot and then she swung up with her left, catching him in his chin. Quickly, she slipped her bag off and jumped to her feet, taking a defensive stance.
She had to end this quickly. She didn't have time to fight. The assassin needed to run.
The wannabe gangster rushed at her, madness on his face. He made it too easy for her. She hit him with a right and then a left, followed by another quick right, even though her hand was screaming in agony. He stumbled back a foot, but Leah didn't let up. Leah kicked his left knee, making him collapse to his knees. Once there, she wrapped her legs around his neck, twisted around his body, and threw him to the other side of the room.
She hit the ground and he hit the front of the bed, groaning in pain as he did so.
Leah jumped to her feet and headed for the door. She stopped and turned back around, watching as her attacked climbed to his feet unsteadily. Eyeing him carefully, Leah waited for the right moment. She had to time this perfectly to get the ending she wanted.
When the man had stood up enough, Leah took off as quick as she could in the short distance she had. At the last possible second, she jumped, feet first. Her size 7 feet slammed into his chest with as much force as she could possibly muster. Leah hit the floor too hard, but even better the man flew back through the glass sliding door and onto the balcony.
Leah groaned loudly, arching her back as she tried to alleviate some of the pain. She slowly pulled herself to her feet, watching the now broken door. The man didn't move. Given the small amount of blood around him, she assumed he was still alive, for now.
She needed to move.
Leah pushed herself up, grabbed her bag, and exited the room. There was no way for her to know how many people were with her attacker. She had no weapons, her back hurt, and her right hand was badly damaged.
Hurrying through the hallway, she took the stairs. She couldn't risk getting caught in an elevator. Her footsteps sounded in the empty stairwell as she took two at a time, leaving smears of blood on the railing as she went.
Finally hitting the first floor, Leah pushed through the door and into the hallway. A few people lingered around, some walking to their destinations, but most ignored her. Leah moved to the lobby. Her rental car was out front, parked too far from the front door, but it was her best chance out of here. As she briskly walked through the lobby, Leah dug the keys out of her pocket.
A man came at her from her right, but she didn't have time to react. He caught her in her throat with his forearm, clothes lining her. Leah's neck caught on his arm and she jerked before hitting the ground, once again landing on her bag. The people in the lobby screamed, but naturally, no one came to her aid.
Coughing and trying to find her breath, Leah struggled on the ground. Looking up, Leah watched as the man stood above her, reached down, and pulled her to her feet. Still coughing, she tried to pull away, but her head was spinning.
The man yanked, pulling her closer to him as he headed for the front door. Leah wheezed, trying to find her breath. Her throat burned. She couldn't say she'd ever been hit in the throat before. It was an effective technique.
Sunlight blinded her eyes as they left the hotel and hit the sidewalk. Leah needed to get away from this doofus. She bent over, pretending to be in more pain than she was, although it wasn't too much of a stretch. As her new attacker yanked her by the back of her jacket, she popped up, headbutting him from the front. He let go of her, giving the opportunity to pull away. She took a strong step back and elbowed the prick in his face.
"Shit!" he yelled as blood began to pour from his nose.
Leah kneed him in his groin, pushed him to the ground, and ran towards her car. But as she grew closer to the rental, she realized her keys were gone. She looked over her shoulder at the hotel, knowing she had probably dropped the keys when the guy had caught her in the throat.
So much for a quick getaway.
Leah kept running, heading out of the parking lot and down the street. She needed to get to LAX and fast.
