LIBERTY

Chapter XXI

Libby hugged herself as she stepped outside. The motion detector lights went off and it momentarily made her feel as if she was standing in the center of the spotlight, the center of attention. She hated it, wanted nothing more but to hide in the darkest pit she could find and never come out again.

A shiver ran up and down her spine but it wasn't caused by the cold night's chill. Her eyes locked with Axel standing across the street. She had hoped Adam would've sent one of his men, preferably Paul or even Aaron. Her brother casually leaned against the car; ankles crossed, one hand cupping around the cigarette dangling from his lips while the other flicked the lighter. He took a first long drag, held it for a few seconds before blowing it out.

Libby couldn't read him; his face was blank. She searched for tell-tale signs that would betray his thoughts but Axel's demeanor remained stoic. The nerves that still coursed through her veins doubled up. Libby had a hard time keeping the shivers at bay.

Axel didn't make a move to approach her and Libby wasn't sure what to make of it. Her brother was unpredictable; was this his way of instilling fear into her? Because it was working. She'd rather get a hint of what she was dealing with, at least then she could prepare.

Axel remained where he was, waiting patiently, not bothering to hide his presence or the fact he was openly observing them. Take your sweet time, was what it looked like he was thinking. Libby tried to meet his eye but he wasn't paying much attention to her anyway, his cold gaze fixed on the person stood behind her.

"Hey," Leon's hand clamped around her shoulder causing her to jump. He waited for her to turn around. "You don't have to go if you don't want to. Do you wanna stay – "

"No," she gently interjected with a little shake of her head. Her eyes briefly flickered to Axel's, gauging his reaction. If she let him out of her sight, he might be tempted to stab her back.

"Libby."

It took everything in her to draw her eyes away from her brother and physically face Leon. She focused on his chin – ever since he told her about her father and what he did to his family, Libby had a hard time mustering the courage to face him. "I'm just gonna head home. It's getting late."

Leon looked over her shoulder at Axel. He made sure to keep his own features void of any emotions. "You want me to drop you off?"

"No, it's fine." Libby cleared her throat, her arms tightened around her stomach. "I-I'm sorry."

Leon's head snapped back to her. This time he allowed a sliver of his thoughts spill into his eyes. "Stop it. I don't hate you."

"You should."

"Did you kill my parents?"

Libby didn't bother to answer the rhetoric question. She worried at her lower lip, something else was bothering her. "You said you wanted to help me find out the truth ... about me. Why?"

"Because you deserve to know."

"Why?"

He huffed incredulously. "What kinda question is that?"

"Why now? You've known me for years, why wait until now?"

"I didn't know how to approach you," he admitted, raking his fingers through his hair, pushing the strands back. "I mean how do you tell someone that her ... that her father killed their parents?"

"You just did."

He sighed. "Listen Libby, I just wanna help that's all. I know what it's like to be kept in the dark, to feel like your entire existence is a big question mark."