Leo Gambino A Thousand Foes

022 My Savior

"Here." Leonard slipped off his coat without hesitation and extended it towards Sophia, deliberately turning his gaze away. 

Her elegant black dress had been savagely torn open and ridden up to her waist, leaving her almost completely exposed. The last thing he wanted was to add to her humiliation by staring.

Sophia, still trembling from the nightmare, snapped back to reality at the sound of his voice.

Her cheeks burned a deep crimson as she glanced down and realized how much of her body was on full display.

Mortified beyond words, the young woman snatched the coat from his hand, wrapped it tightly around herself, and tugged the ruined gown down with shaking fingers.

"Thank you, Leonard. You saved my dignity tonight. I don't know how to repay you."

Leonard shook his head dismissively and kept his eyes fixed on the distant city lights, giving her the privacy she desperately needed.

"I found this too," he added quietly, holding out the torn piece of fabric that had once been part of her dress. "We wouldn't want the evidence lying around for anyone to misinterpret."

Sophia's eyes widened in fresh horror. She grabbed the scrap and hid it behind her back, too embarrassed to meet his gaze. 

Her face flushed an even deeper shade of red. The man who had just saved her life was now calmly handing her the remnants of her own violated clothing.

Leonard almost smiled at her reaction but held it in. "Do you have a way to get home safely?" he asked.

"Yes," Sophia replied shyly, forcing herself to look up at him. Her heart stuttered. 

He was so composed, so strikingly handsome under the moonlight. A strange warmth spread through her chest, something she had never felt toward any man before.

Wasn't she the Harrington heiress? It was unheard of for someone of her stature to feel this for a commoner. She quickly looked away and cleared her throat.

"I managed to send a distress signal to my family before the thugs grabbed me. They should be here any minute now."

"Alright then." Leonard nodded once and turned to leave.

"Hey, wait!" Sophia called out, her voice cracking slightly.

Leonard paused but didn't turn around. "Anything else?"

She stood up on unsteady legs, the oversized coat swallowing her frame.

"I'm… just a helpless woman right now. What if more of them are still out there? Are you really going to leave me here alone?"

"I'm not your bodyguard," Leonard said flatly, making her pause.

Yet he didn't walk away. He thought for a second and realized she had a point. The danger might not be entirely over.

The leader, Bruno, was only unconscious. If he woke up, he was likely to vent his anger on Sophia.

With a quiet sigh, Leonard walked over to a nearby flat rock and sat down. He would wait until her family arrived.

Sophia's face lit up with a grateful smile. She walked over and sat beside him, the subtle scent of her perfume drifting in the night air.

Leonard inhaled it without meaning to. She smelled incredible—soft, elegant, and somehow homely and comforting.

Sophia was every bit as beautiful as that scent suggested. A faint rush of warmth stirred in him. The gods really seemed determined to test his self-control lately.

"Thank you again," Sophia said softly, her voice still trembling. "For saving me. If you hadn't shown up… I can't even imagine what those animals would have done to me."

Her mind flashed back to the moment Bruno had positioned himself between her legs. A violent shiver ran through her body.

Leonard let out a quiet breath. "You're the heiress of the Harrington Group. Shouldn't you have bodyguards with you at all times?"

"Not everyone is as strong as you," Sophia replied, shaking her head. The images of Leonard effortlessly dismantling the five trained killers replayed in her mind.

Those thugs were not regular goons. Each one was capable of taking on dozens of her family's elite guards. They had been nothing but ants before him. If only her family had someone like him protecting them.

Sophia quickly pushed the thought aside and continued. "They killed my escorts. I had four with me tonight."

Her expression darkened for a moment, but she recovered with a small, genuine smile. "You should come home with me. My family could offer you protection… or anything else you might need."

Before Leonard could answer, a chorus of urgent voices echoed from the main road.

"Miss Harrington!"

"Miss Harrington!"

Twelve burly men in crisp black uniforms rushed onto the scene, with their weapons drawn. The head of the security detail, Maclin, sprinted straight to Sophia.

"Miss Harrington! We came as fast as we could. We tracked your car, but it was abandoned. Only the bodies of your escorts were there."

A deadly glint flashed in his eyes at the mention of his fallen comrades, but he quickly masked it.

"We feared the worst. Are you hurt?"

He scanned her quickly for injuries, then his gaze landed on the unconscious thugs and finally settled on Leonard.

His expression hardened instantly. He dropped into a combat stance. "Is this man holding you captive, ma'am?"

At his question, the rest of the guards reacted instantly.

Some drew daggers, others unsheathed short swords, and several yanked out pistols, clicking off the safeties and aiming straight at Leonard's head.

The head guard's voice turned icy. "Slowly step away from Miss Harrington. Or we will open fire."