Chapter One: The Girl Who Should’ve Run

The alley smelled like trash, rain, and bad decisions.

Leo hated alleys.

Too narrow. Too messy. Too many places for rats and cowards to hide. But tonight, the city had forced him into one, and he wasn’t in the mood to argue with fate.

Blood soaked through his shirt, warm and sticky against his skin. The bullet hadn’t hit anything vital, but the blood loss was annoying. He pressed a hand to his side and leaned against the brick wall, breathing slowly.

“Unbelievable,” he muttered. “I let my guard down for two seconds.”

His phone buzzed.

Jin: Boss where are you???

Leo typed back with one hand.

Leo: Handle the mess. I’ll deal with this.

He slid the phone back into his pocket and took one step forward.

His legs betrayed him.

“Seriously?” he growled, stumbling. The world tilted, lights stretching like bad memories. He hit the wall again, jaw clenched.

That’s when he heard footsteps.

Light ones.

Not rushed. Not scared.

Leo lifted his head, eyes sharp despite the dizziness.

A girl stood at the mouth of the alley.

She wore an oversized hoodie, sneakers, and carried a grocery bag like she’d just committed the crime of buying snacks at midnight. Her hair was tied up messy, strands falling around her face.

She stared at him.

He stared back.

For three seconds, no one moved.

Then she spoke.

“Oh.”

Leo blinked.

“…Oh?” he echoed.

She took a cautious step closer. “You’re bleeding.”

He almost laughed.

“No kidding.”

Her eyes dropped to his side. Blood dripped onto the pavement. She winced like she felt it herself.

“That looks… bad.”

“It’s fine.”

“It is not fine.”

He straightened slightly, forcing authority into his voice. “Go home.”

She hesitated.

Good.

Then she shook her head.

Bad.

“If you stay here, you’ll pass out,” she said. “And then you’ll die.”

Leo smiled, slowly and was dangerous. “You should be scared of me.”

She frowned. “You should be scared of blood loss.”

That was new.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Ava.”

“Run, Ava.”

She sighed. “You’re heavy, aren’t you?”

Before he could react, she stepped forward and hooked his arm over her shoulder.

Leo stiffened instantly. “Don’t touch me.”

“Relax,” she said. “If I wanted to kill you, I’d let you bleed.”

That sentence sat wrong.

Very wrong.

She dragged him down the alley, step by step. Leo wanted to fight it. He really did. But his body refused, traitor that it was.

“You’re making a mistake,” he muttered.

“The Story of my life.”

Ava’s apartment was small, clean, and smelled faintly like strawberries.

Leo noticed everything even while half-conscious.

Weapon count: zero in sight.

Security: basic locks.

Threat level: nonexistent.

Which made no sense.

She sat him down on the couch and disappeared into another room. He heard drawers opening, cabinets closing.

She came back with a first aid kit.

“A kit?” he scoffed weakly. “That won’t fix a gunshot.”

“It will if you stop bleeding like a drama queen.”

She knelt in front of him.

Her hands were steady.

Too steady.

“Where’d you learn this?” he asked.

“YouTube,” she said instantly.

He snorted. “Liar.”

She glanced up. “Excuse you?”

“You’re calm. Precise. You didn’t flinch once.”

She smiled sweetly. “Maybe I’m just built differently.”

She cut the fabric cleanly, cleaned the wound, and stitched him up with smooth, practiced motions. Leo watched her like a predator watching something unfamiliar.

“You’re not normal,” he said.

“Neither are you,” she shot back.

He liked that.

When she finished, she leaned back and exhaled. “There. Try not to die.”

“Thank you,” he said.

She blinked. “Wow. Manners.”

His phone buzzed again.

Jin: Boss I traced you—

A knock hit the door.

Ava froze.

Leo stood instantly, pain forgotten. He moved in front of her without thinking.

“Stay behind me,” he said.