The Bad Guy's Doctor

TWENTY FOUR

"Are you free tonight?" Arsenio smiles, a dark turtleneck covering the marks beneath. I tip the vial of fluid into the other, mixing slightly with a soft flick of my wrist. I ignore him and he rests his chin on his palm, watching me adoringly.

I place a stopper onto the top, before storing it beneath the counter. "Stop staring." His lips curve upward, eyes sparkling as I turn my attention toward him.

"How could I when you're so angelic?" I give him an uninterested look, before hearing the door open. Arsenio follows my gaze as several men stumble in, injured.

"Do any wounds need immediate treatment?" I pick up one of my kits, just as they grumble amongst themselves.

"Nothing too bad, they couldn't get a clear shot on us." Several of them laugh, clapping each other on the back. One of them winces, casting the other a solid scowl.

The door pushes open once more, Jasper stalking in and wiping blood from his brow. Several people from my clinic stand at his appearance, probably part of his group. "Zakel's early."

I tilt my head. That shouldn't be right. It would take at least a day for them to arrive. It's barely— "He must've planted some of his crew here." I shake the can of disinfectant, before taking the arm extended toward me and spraying.

Carlos jumps, staring at me with eyes. "It stings, Doc. This is going to kill me quicker than the Calentinoes." I scoff and he pouts, yet his eyes were still bright with adrenaline.

"Fucking idiots didn't think to look up!" They laughed, filling the clinic with noise.

"Did you check to see if you are followed?" Arsenio questions Jasper, handing me a pair of scissors while he's at it. The latter nods, wiping his hands with a clean towel.

"They fled first. They're not used to the roof system and we have the obvious upper hand." He turns to look around, before pausing. "Shit." I understand as Arsenio makes his way toward the back door.

"I'll find him." Orlando is nowhere to be seen.

- - -

"Duck!" I drop behind a pile of boxes just as someone lobs a brick down the alley. It smashes into the ground, yells scattering down the supposedly empty space.

A man snarls out unfamiliar words, firing shots down blindly. I see the spark of gunfire against the metal gleam of the pole, bullets embedding themselves into bulletproof crates. Unassuming, completely ordinary. But bullet proof, the perfect cover for stealth and silence. Jasper places an arm over me just as the group gets riled up over something else.

The smell of gasoline fills the air. "Come on." He leads me over, behind a corner toward a ladder arching upward. These buildings are all vacant. They stand as places for momentary meetings, but it had remained empty for years. Jasper nods, just as shots ring out. I start climbing, sticking to the side of the building as I exhaled through the tactical gear. I had to move, to somewhere bigger.

Somewhere safer.

Things had escalated quickly into the night. More and more of Zakel's men arrived. Numbers greater than typical airlines would allow. Especially over international travel, there was clearly something playing in his favor. I step up onto the roof, the night vision goggles scanning through the pitch darkness.

A muted crash makes me raise my head, looking over the side, just as flames burst into ignition. The entire alleyway is alight with dancing flames, shouts and screaming casting large shadows against the walls. Men pat frantically at gear, drop their guns, and some flee. Bullets fire toward the rooftops, some order rising from the chaos. I get down again, just as Jasper stills.