Leo didn't look up. The voice belonged to Jax, a debt collector who looked like he’d been carved out of granite and bad intentions. He had two shadows behind him, both grinning with the kind of confidence only a baseball bat provides.
As he vanished into the shadows of the alley, a single thought echoed in his mind: Issue #109 is going to be even worse.
Leo stood alone in the center of the bar. The transformation began to recede, the steel softening back into pale, bruised skin. He felt the familiar, crushing exhaustion pulling at his soul. He looked at the TV again. The news was showing a map of his possible locations. [S1E8] Issue #108: You Won't Like Him When He's...
Leo felt a surge of heat behind his eyes. His heart rate spiked. One, two, three, breathe, he told himself. But the internal rhythm was being drowned out by a low, vibrating hum in his bones.
"I’m just leaving," Leo whispered. His voice sounded like grinding stones. Leo didn't look up
"Oh, I think I do," Jax sneered, reaching out to grab Leo’s collar. "I heard the reward for you is enough to buy this whole block."
"You’re leaving when I say you're leaving," Jax said, slamming a hand onto the table. The water in Leo’s glass jumped. "You look like that guy from the news. The one with the freak problem." As he vanished into the shadows of the
He didn't strike. He simply leaned in close, the smell of ozone and hot metal wafting off him. "Run," he rumbled.