"Damn the rain." Leah Henderson muttered to herself as she curled into a tight ball and pressed herself closer to the side of the bricked building in an attempt to shield herself from the ever-falling water.

The summer months were always the worst for unpredictable weather. And this year it seemed as though Mother Nature was not batting for team Leah.

Pulling her jacket tighter around her soaked body, she tried to picture herself in a warm bed and a plush pillow under her head.

Those were the days, she thought-the days when her parents were still around and not decomposing under dark soil. She used to love the rain. The highlight of her childhood had been spending lazy rainy afternoons curled up on her papa's lap with his strong chocolate colored arms secured around her while he spoke of the enormous responsibility she would undertake one day and baking cookies with her mama while she sang an Irish tune Leah would soon forget.

She hadn't realized tears were streaming down her face, due the excessive rain fall, until she tasted salt on her tongue. She wiped the wetness from her face with her dingy jacket sleeve and stood. Only one thing made her feel better when she was self loathing: stealing. She knew it was wrong, but frankly she didn't give a damn. Money was money in her opinion no matter how it got had.

She licked her lips and began to scope out the potential prospects. Unfortunately, not many people were taking a nice rainy night stroll. The only bodies out at this time of night were the cops--who she didn't want to have a run in with--and a lanky looking character with a dark bomber jacket secured snuggly to his body and an expensive messenger bag slung over his left shoulder.   

Bingo.

She could see that he had head phones on, listening to a fast paced beat by the way he bobbed his head. He was obviously oblivious to the world around him and that was a point in her favor.

She snuck up on him quietly. The rain added to the finesse of her operation. With the water beating against the pavement, he'd never hear her coming; not that he had a chance with his music blasting. She would grab his bag and book it out of there before he ever knew what had happened. This plan was flawless and she smiled at the thought.

The closer she moved the more her heart rate accelerated, so much so that she was sure he could hear it over everything else. She took one more cleansing breath before she reached out. What she hadn't anticipated was the slick pavement that caused her to jerk forward prematurely and grab a hold of the bag for balance. She felt an uncomfortable shift in her ankle and decided to abort the operation all together.

"Hey!" Owen Greenburg shouted and jerked his bag back toward his body. The dark figure began to make his awkward escape, realizing he wasn't going to get his prize.

"Oh no you don't fuckbag!" The young man reached out quickly and grabbed for his assailants arm. The masked robber jerked and twisted, still trying to runaway.

This guy has some small wrists, did his scrawny ass really think he could grab my bag and get away?, Owen thought as he continued to struggle with the guy.

"Get off me!" A distinctive female voice rang out and the young man stopped; his first fatal mistake. This gave Leah the opportunity she needed to gain some leverage and transfer weight onto her other foot while jerking her whole arm up to loosen her attackers grip.

"What the fuck..." Was all Owen got out before he received an elbow to the chin. All he could see were stars as he stumbled back just a bit. He let go of the mystery thief's arm to nurse his throbbing jaw.

"Shit," Leah hissed as her elbow made direct contact with the guys face. She hadn't intended to hurt him, just shake him loose. Realizing he would be fine, she began to slightly limp-run away.

"Get back here!" She heard from behind. Before she could do anything about it, she was lifted off the ground and secured over the boy's shoulder. She began to thrash but this only added to the pain inflicted on her own ankle.

"Are you fucking insane? Let me go asshole!" Leah yelled as she began to beat on the young man's back and squirm over his shoulder.

By the ease at which he had lifted her and her backpack off the ground, she was sure he could over power anything she threw at him. She didn't know what this guy would do to her or how he would do it. Leah knew she should have picked another night for this.  Just her luck that she would try to steal from a kidnapper and/or rapist, she thought. Her head began to feel light due to the amount of blood rushing toward the top of her skull. She was quickly losing the ability to fight back.

"You picked the wrong guy to rob." Owen growled and began to walk them in the opposite direction Leah had tried to make her escape. He angrily readjusted the struggling girl on his shoulder and reached for her ankle ready to twist.

"You better sit still or I'll break your goddamn ankle and then you really won't be going anywhere."

Leah huffed and gave up her fight, for now. "Dude, listen I'm sorry, okay? I just needed a few bucks. It won't happen again." She pleaded, trying to lift her head and inspect her surroundings. "Can you just let me go?"

"No fuckin' way! You tried to steal from me and, on top of that, assaulted me!" He said as he used his free hand to check his jaw once more. Leah had no choice but to let this guy carrier her wherever he wanted because blood was rushing quickly to her head and she was beginning to lose her battle with consciousness.

"Just shut the hell up," he growled.

Leah's last coherent sight was the word POLICE in illuminated white letters, before her world faded to black.

****

Owen lugged his attacker into the police station where his father was on duty at the moment. Some officers stopped to greet the young man, having known him since he was a child, but were brought to a standstill when they noticed the body slung over his shoulder.

"Hey man, we should call the ambulan--" A detective, Owen knew as Julius, spoke up.

"No." He grunted and continued on his trek toward his father's desk. When he spotted the older Greenburg, Owen sighed in relief.

"Dad!" He called out causing the older man to look up abruptly. David Greenburg watched his son stalk toward him, soaking wet, with a dark-coated body hoisted over his right shoulder. Confusion crossed his features and he stood to inquire what exactly was going on. Before he could utter a single word, his son dropped the body into a chair placed next to his desk that was designed for quick interrogations.

"Before you even ask, this crazy bitch tried to rob me," Owen said out of breath and pointed toward the body slouched in the metal chair. Leah was beginning to regain consciousness and he knew she would book it once she discovered where she was.

Spotting a pair of cuffs on his father's desk, he grabbed for them quickly and secured them around the Leah's wrist and the arm of the chair.

Try getting away now, he thought with a smile.

"Alright, what on earth is going on? You were robbed by this young lady here?" David asked as he watched the girl, seated and cuffed, blink a few times as she came to.

"Not only did she try to rob me but she also assaulted me!" Owen shouted and pointed toward his jaw, where no bruises were visible. David simply nodded and continued to listen to his son's story.

"That was an accident." Leah mumbled groggily and tried moving her arms, only to realize that one was incapacitated.

"What the hell?" She looked at David with wide, confused eyes.

"So you won't escape you fuckin' delinquent!" Owen growled.

"Hey, watch your mouth." David scolded and pointed toward his chair behind the desk, instructing his son, without words, what he needed to do.

"Now, let me ask this young lady what happened."

Officer Greenburg sat on the edge of his desk and loomed over the girl. She looked as though she hadn't had a decent shower or meal in over a week. Her dark jacket was soaked to the bone and her short pixie hair was matted to her head. He watched her fidget for a moment before she looked up at him with deep chocolate eyes and he could see the fear illuminating them. She couldn't have been older than eighteen years old. Tears were swimming in her dark orbs and he knew at that moment what he was going to do.

David stood and turned toward his son. "Owen, why don't you go home, huh? I've got this under control."

"But don't I need to give a statement or--"

"Go home son. You're mom's probably worried about you anyway. I don't need her calling here requesting a search party."

"Dad really, I think I should stay and tell you what happened."

David shook his head and gave his son a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I'll take care of her, okay? Just get home. I'll be there in a bit."

Reluctantly, Owen stood and nodded in his father's direction. He gave Leah one last menacing glare before making his way out of the station. David watched his son stalk off. When Owen was out of sight he turned toward the soaking girl looking just as angered as his son had been moments before.

"I'm sorry about him. He has his mother's hot temper and my stubbornness." David sighed as he began to uncuff the dirt ridden girl from the chair. When freed, she massaged her wrist in an attempt to rub out the slight mark that had formed.

"Thanks." Leah mumbled and held her head down trying to avoid David's inquisitive stare. The two sat in silence as the station bustled around them.  

"So, young lady," David started as he began to type into his computer. When he was finished he looked up with a soft smile.

"Why don't you start by telling me your name, yeah?"