TAMED

Gone Rogue

The morning came all too soon for the agent. He sat at the coffee table, waiting for Ares and Vince to wake up. He hadn't slept for a moment, instead, he'd spent the whole night considering what to do and how to do it without setting off Ares. He sipped his umpteenth cup of coffee and went over his thoughts again, considering the call, if he'd recognized the voice, if there were any other sounds on the line that would have indicated where they might have been. He'd gathered nothing. The only thing he'd heard on his end was a train horn, but there were trains all over this country as a main form of transporation, so that wasn't enough to go off of.

The sudden and violent hacking and coughing from the back bedroom jolted Levi from his thoughts. No doubt it was Ares who was dislodging a lung. After one more sip, the man stood and made his way back to the room. He didn't bother knocking as he turned the handle on the door. The metal was cool against his coffee-warmed hands.

"Ares?" He mentioned in a quiet tone, then walked into the stuffy room. He silently moved to the window and unclasped the lock, pulling it to the side a few inches in order to let in some fresh air.

The Hound grumbled and hid beneath his blanket, avoiding the light and chilly breeze. Another string of coughs ripped through his body as he tried to hide away. Levi frowned, the kid had gotten worse over night. Taking him to a doctor would be the ideal thing to do, but they couldn't risk putting out their information. Then again, whoever was after them, already knew where they were.

The man sighed as he brushed a hand over his face and contemplated what to do. After a few moments he gave an unhappy huff as he pulled his phone out. There was no choice. He punched in the familiar numbers and waited as the line on the other end began to trill.

"Michael here." The voice said plainly. Levi hesitated only for a moment.

"Hey Michael..."

"Levi? What's up? Finally ready to talk about proper training for the kid?"

Levi gave a half hearted laugh as he ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't ready for the earful his friend was about to unleash.

"Well...not exactly."

The line went quiet for a moment before Michael spoke again. "What did you do now..."

Levi inwardly chuckled at how the guy always seemed to know when he was in trouble. Thats a long time friend for you after all.

"Ares is sick." Levi began to explain.

"Ares?" Pause. "Oh, 3170?"

"Yes. He's sick. He's got a high fever and a nasty cough. I need to get him to a doctor."

The man on the phone seemed perplexed. "Oookay. Can you not get him there? Is there a problem with the house doctor?"

Here it comes.

"Erm, no. Look, I do what I can to keep my job but also take care of the kid. The estate house was thick with security and military backup and it wasn't healthy for Ares. If there hadn't been so-"

"Levi." Michael said in exasperation and mild warning. "Where the hell are you?"

That didn't take him long. The italian paced the room and then back to the window.

"Austria..."

Michael seemed to choke on whatever he was drinking, tea more than likely.

"You left the country?! When?!"

Levi removed the phone from his ear for a moment to regain his hearing. "It's...been a while...6 months about?"

"How did you keep this under wraps for so long?! What about the staff at the estate? What about the men I posted there?!"