psychotic → LEO BARNES ✓

f o u r

𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙁𝙊𝙐𝙍
—𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴—

𝙎𝙃𝙀 𝙒𝘼𝙎 𝙍𝙀𝙇𝙄𝙀𝙑𝙀𝘿 at first; Allison would have someone else to lean on throughout the next few hours. But at the same time, she wanted Leo and his team gone. They were a distraction— in the way of everything she was rooting for, and what she needed. If they were to get in her way, she wasn't sure how things would end up. No one would stop her from the revenge coming to Bane.

At the moment, she was preoccupied with calling in backup from Carlson. At the most, she was worried of how many men she would lose if things went badly. These people had families, and she had dragged them into this dangerous situation without thinking too much about it. Unfortunately, it was too late to take back her offer to them.

"Stay quiet," Leo instructs, snatching the handheld transceiver from her grasp, "they're distracted at the moment. Your snipers will know what to do, mine are with them."

Two men from the back of the group were taken down after Leo was finished, their bodies hitting the ground with a familiar thud. Thankfully, the others were too focused on conversations and searching that they didn't notice. Three of Leo's men made their way out of the hotel to Allison's right, flanking Kaylin and Bryce. From above, the snipers took out as many of the men as they could; Allison wished she had a silencer so she could be as stealthy as them.

Allison and Leo removed themselves from their hiding space quick enough to catch the leader off guard. He was already furious, however, and began to swing at Leo. Chaos errupted, and Allison was shoved back forcefully by one of the tallest men. She plunged her knife into his calf, wasting no time in dodging his new swings. The man was bulky; too bulky. If he were to hit her, she'd definitely be knocked unconscious.

"Kaylin!" Allison yelled, watching for a short second as he hit the ground. Two ofthe strangers were on top of him, each taking their turns in punches. The woman wasn't about to watch him die, pulling out her pistol and pulling the trigger three times.

The tall man's blood splattered like colored water, dots of it sprinkling her face. There was blood on Kaylin, too, some of it being his own. But there were no longer men on him— both of them were lifeless on the ground. Pools of blood danced together, covering the asphalt beneath their feet. Allison couldn't imagine it belonging to any of her soldiers.

"Thank you," Kaylin shoots her a nod, before dismissing himself to take down one of the last men. Allison only nodded, her eye catching Leo and the leader.

So far, Leo hadn't the slightest of the upper hand. The leader was much bulkier, taller, everything. But after it all, Leo had been the one to shove him knife into the skull of his opponent. It was a freak show to watch, and Allison wanted to gag. These were real people they were killing. One of the bodies beside her had a slashed abdomen, his insides spilling out.

"We need to get out of here," Leo tells Allison, wiping a fresh layer of sweat from his forehead. "There are too any groups around to be sticking it out. You're better off standing out in the open."

"I can't leave," the woman swallows back her urge to vomit. "I'm here for a reason, I already told you."

"Then go with your other team, or go home," he grits his teeth, his men grouping behind him. "Let someone else get ahold of Bane. You aren't safe out here, let alone with a target on your back. Allison, you can't stay here."

"I have a few more hours," Allison stands her ground, glancing to Kaylin. "Besides, I have a team to watch after me. Kaylin, where's Bryce?"

Kaylin ran a hand through his hair, before shaking his head at her. Allison's breath caught in her throat, but she wouldn't show any emotion in front of Leo. Her heart ached, her bones rattled inside, and she wanted to end the night as soon as possible.

"There are eight more hours," Leo corrects her statement, his jaw clenching. "I refuse to let you stay out here."

"It's a good thing I don't need a babysitter, then." Allison averts her attention back to the soliders. "Boys, get back into position. One of you contact Carlson on the HT, and let him know we'll need some backup."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Leo mutters, letting out an extended sigh. "Allison, you can't—"

But she was already back in position, reloading her pistol. Allison ignored Leo while he talked to his men, focusing solely on her own movements. If she didn't, she was sure she'd break into tears. The woman was strong, but not this strong; she had her limits. With plans like hers, it was hard to turn back and cancel.

Especially with Bane wanting to kill her.

"Are you serious?" Leo groans, following behind her. He, too, got into position, and reloaded his guns.

"You don't have to be here, you know," Allison murmers, ducking down behind a storage container. "I'm not forcing you to stay. Just leave, Leo."

"I care about your fucking safety," he seethes, narrowing his eyes. "Why can't you just listen to me? Being stubborn isn't going to help anything, and denying the facts will only make things worse for you and your team."

The brunette wasn't about to let his words get to her, so she focused her gaze on Kaylin— who was speaking to another soldier at the moment.

"These people have families," Leo continues, his voice growing less stern. "You were a part of what just happened out there. That Bryce guy? He had a family, just like you do. What would your brother say if he saw you now, Alli?"

It was clear that he had hit a nerve, and Allison stiffened in her spot. Slowly, she turned to face him, her eyes void of all emotion.

"Just because you think you know me doesn't mean jack shit in my book," she states harshly. "You don't have a right to talk about my family, hypocrite. You were in my shoes not too long ago, so I don't believe you have a right to speak to me like that."

"I wish I had someone to yell at me for it," he says, his dark eyes finding hers. "It would've saved me a lot of pain and suffering to know that vengeance only causes more damage."

And as Leo scanned over her facial expression, he noticed how deeply in thought she appeared. Past that, she looked hurt beyond belief. He hated himself for speaking so bluntly and disregarding her feelings, but Leo had no other choice. How else would she listen to him? Allison was stubborn, and that was definite. But there was a reason for that, and he knew it as well as anyone.

"You can go home, and let all of this be over," he coaxes.

"I'm sorry Leo, but I can't," she shakes her head, her eyes no longer meeting his. "I have to do this for my brother, and nothing is going to change my mind."

And as Leo watched her sink down against the crate, a look of pure sorrow etched onto her face, he knew that he was in this for the long run.

Leo needed to save Allison like no one had saved him.

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