Roses Are Red

Chapter 19

  Before we leave though Leo stops us in front of this store. It looks really sketchy with half of the wood building rotting and smelling. The door creaks as we open it and I hold the little girl in my arms. She has her head buried in my shoulder as we walk in. I see food on surrounding shelves and when my eyes land on the cashier I immediately get a bad feeling.

It's an old man standing there. He has a short gray beard and a black eye with some other scratches on his face. I see his eyes go to the child in my arms back to my face and then down to my body and then he smirks. The little girl who I have decided I will call Rose raises her head and looks around the store and then immediately puts her head back on my shoulder.

Leo pulls me towards him by wrapping his arm around my waist and he looks down at me," Stay close." I nod my head and he releases me as he walks off towards the back of the little store. I try to keep up with him but someone grabs my arm and Leo stops immediately as if sensing that I stopped. I turn around to face the person who grabbed my arm. It was the old man at the cashier. I try to pull my arm away from him but his grip is too tight. Rose is looking at the man terrified as she starts crying.

"Hi beautiful," He says and his voice reminds me of a drowning cat.

"Get off me," I say, trying to pull my arm away from him but I dont succeed. Leo though takes my arm and pulls me away from the man. He reluctantly lets go and the man looks up at Leo with a smile on his face. I back up from the man terrified as I try to calm down Rose.

"Don't lay another hand on her, got it?" Leo growls out.

"Listen, you can have anything you want in this store if I can have her."

"Fuck No."

The man backs up with his hands raised as he looks between us, "Never thought you'd go so low, knocking up some random chick." That's when Leo's fist collides with the man's jaw. I quickly cover Rose's eyes as I take another step back as a fight ensues. The man only get a punch in on Leo's arm before Leo is pinning him down with his foot.

"Get out Cleo," He says, turning to me and there's a feral look in his eyes. I shake my head nervously taking a step towards him.

"Leo no..." I say tugging at his arm to get him off the man he doesn't move, only glaring at me.

"Get out Cleo," he says again, his tone commanding but I still don't listen.

"Please, let's go."

"Listen to your girlfriend," The old man says and that makes Leo dig his heel into the man's chest before taking his foot off. I let out a sigh of relief as he takes my arm and starts walking out the store but not before he takes some random food off the shelves.

Once outside I turned towards him with a glare on my face," I thought you only killed people because of the"disease "!"

"There's exceptions," He says, sounding bored as he continues walking towards our horse.

"What was the exception there?"

"He touched you Cleo."

"He didn't try and kill me though."

"He might have." He hops up onto the horse offering me his hand, I don't take it.

"I don't understand you," I say as I feel tears forming in my eyes.

"That's the whole point." I glare at him.

"One minute you're nice and the next you hate me."

"Come on Cleo," I take his hand reluctantly as he pulls me up.

"You also made Rose cry, great job." I say sarcastically.

"Rose?" He asks, raising his eyebrows at me as I blush crimson.

"I thought of the name while in the shop," I say quietly as I look down at Rose to see her smiling up at me, I smile back as Leo just laughs and we head on our way, but of course Leo wants to stop at an inn first so we can get a good night sleep one last time. God he's annoying.

So of course when we top in front of this rusty old inn I know it's not going to be a good sleep.