That’s when I spotted Leo staring at me with a calm expression on his face. He was six pews down from me and at the end. When I came close, he would have an easy opportunity to get me. He had his hands together in a prayer, but I could see the flash of metal between his fingers—his knife. His gaze remained on me and then went to Rose.
I lowered my voice. “I see him.”
She stayed silent, but shivered.
“When I let go of your hand and race after him—”
“Don’t.”
“When I do, run to the Phantom and lock the doors. Even if my driver is dead.”
Another tremble came from her.
“Do you understand me?”
“Y-yes.”
“Let us pray!” Fen’s voice lifted within the candlelight. “Father, we come to you in the middle of a storm. And not just the storm outside, but the ones within us. The ones around us. The ones inside the people we love.”
A woman cried next to us, “Yes, Jesus!”
Moving further ahead, we were now three pews away from Leo. I let go of Rose’s hand, but kept my hand on the gun and my body in front of her.
“God, you look over us,” Fen continued. “You love us.”
Without his head bowed, Leo watched me.
Tightening my grip on the gun, I continued forward.
He remained still in his pew.
Another step forward.
Leo rose.
I stopped.
Rose did too.
We stared at him.
Fen’s voice lifted over the pews. “God, I have not forgotten your miracles! God, I have not forgotten that your son walked on water!”
I raised my gun and pointed at him.
“Not here.” Leo frowned. “Not during prayer.”
A few people in his pew raised their heads to see what was going on. One spotted my gun and screamed. Then others stopped praying and spotted it too. Several jumped up and rushed off in the other direction.
Leo shook his head. “Don’t do it, Dima! Not here!”
“I wished you’d done the same for Viktor.” I pulled the trigger.
Before the bullet left my gun, Leo tossed his knife. I ducked and yanked Rose down. The bullet shot up to the church’s ceiling. More people screamed. People raced by. Rose’s body crashed into me.
Leo turned and jumped over the pew.
“No!” I shoved people out of the way and rushed for him, but couldn’t make it forward. There was too much chaos and panic. “Move!”
Some ran out of the church. Others raced to the altar. More babies cried. Women shrieked. Things fell.
“Fire!” Someone yelled. “Fire!”
I looked over my shoulder.
Some of the candles had been knocked over. Flames blazed up the walls. People in blue tried to stamp them out with no help.
I made it a few feet forward, frantically searching for Leo.
Someone grabbed my arm. I almost shot them. It was Rose.
I moved the point of the gun away from her. “Did you see where he went?”
She pointed to the front. “He rushed out the door.”
“Okay.” I had her hand again. It was a feat to get out of the church. It took a lot of pushing and knocking people to the side.
I can’t lose him. I can’t.
When we made it to the doors, I bumped into Marcelo. I came close to hugging him.
“Sorry I was late.” Marcelo held an umbrella. Ten of his men were behind him. “What did you want to meet about?”
Searching around me, I stepped outside. Although the afternoon, the sky was as black as night. Rain dripped down my face. “Did you see Leo?”
“No, why?”
“He’s the killer.”
“No.” Marcelo shook his head. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
I pointed at Marcelo’s main guy, Gunner. “Take Rose and guard her with your life. If something happens to her, I will remove your dick from your body and put it in your wife’s mouth.”
Gunnar widened his eyes. “But, I’m not married.”
“Then, your mother’s mouth.”
“Eh, man!” Marcelo roared. “Calm down. What do you mean Leo did it?”
Rose hurried to Gunner. Two more of Marcelo’s guys gathered around her. Her eyes plead with me. “Please, be careful, Dimitri.”
“Take her back to her place now and don’t leave her side!” I raced away.
Where are you, Leo?
I ran off.
“Dima!” Marcelo and more of his people ran after me. He got to my side. “You can’t just kill Leo. We have to make sure he really did it.”
“He did. And Leo also killed Viktor and the rest of my men. Sliced their necks within seconds.”
“Shit!” Marcelo quickly pulled out his gun. Three of his men were with us. “If you’re wrong, Lei will come for you.”
“If Lei isn’t dead.” I thought back to Leo saying that he’d helped his son get some sleep. “The sick fuck.”
“We have to check then.” Marcelo gave a man his umbrella, blocked me from running off, and grabbed my arm. “Eh! Are you listening?”
I blinked away the rain, looked to the right, and stared off at the flooding streets. People had parked on the side, probably waiting for the storm to stop before they got back on the road.