"It was easy to forget that Leo was the youngest of the bunch...
The valley’s hierarchy tilted around him like an axis. Even Travis, despite throwing commands around like a demotivated dictator, followed his lead in most conversations. Mike wasn’t sure how comfortable Leo was with the responsibility; it always seemed to shift onto him like an afterthought, a status quo upheld by those that had known and relied upon him for so long.
But Mike saw the strain of hesitation behind his eyes when Connor would ask his opinion, or Travis made a request of his skills. Mike knew that look. It was one that worried what might happen if he wasn’t there to see things through. If he took a moment to breathe.
This much Mike could see clearly in the short time he’d spent in the valley: Leo was a load-bearing wall. And he acted like he could see a wrecking ball swinging back in his periphery."
i hav been enjoying writing more of my novel lately. :)
