Haymaker: Part 1 of the Hayflick Series

Chapter 3

Cruz was a cop. Not the mall cop type, not the donut-eating type. He was the type who made every effort to make the world better. He wasn't born with his strong sense of justice, but once he'd taken it on, it had stuck ever since.

So when Cruz had heard of the other immortals' plight, he knew he couldn't walk away. He was the one that had convinced Darragh to help — Darragh, who, although he didn't always seem like it, was the smarter of the pair. It really took some prodding in order to get him on board. And a few pizzas.

Cruz knew full well Darragh was sticking his neck out here for him. He glanced over at him as they walked into the building from the parking garage. Darragh took on a cooler composure, his bright hazel eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. Darragh had actually combed his reddish-brown hair out for this role, but to Cruz, he looked good either way. The man must've caught him staring, and flashed him that signature, toothy smile he never got tired of.

Cruz focused up. The corridor they had entered had white tiles and stone walls, unsettling Cruz to a degree. The group's footsteps echoed as they made their way down the halls. Jaeger was tied up in between the three of them, back in character, eyes downcast in defeat.

Soon enough, they began to see other people in the building, dressed in the same uniform as well as others, such as lab coats and suits. Darragh greeted them with wide smiles, while Thomas and Cruz opted to nod.

They turned into another empty hallway, following Thomas' lead, as he knew the layout best (because he'd been paying the most attention during their planning sessions). Jaeger dropped the act for a second and blinked a few times, cracking his neck from side to side, when a shadow approached at the end of the corridor. Jaeger sighed and then put his act back on like an itchy mask.

As soon as the stranger turned the corner, Thomas's chin jutted up, his attitude changing ever so slightly. Cruz eyed the figure as he approached, and when he finally recognized his rank, his gut rolled over.

"Page, sir! So good to see you!" Darragh exclaimed with a grin. They'd been told about this man while planning.

He had a military air to him, his brown hair combed over and parted to the side. He looked about middle-aged, probably experienced to not be totally stupid.

This man was also a higher-up in the Ambrose Foundation. He walked up to the group with his hands tucked behind him, and leaned over to the side to see behind them.

"Remember that man I told you we were suspecting?" Thomas piped up. "Turns out we were right about him." With that, he grabbed Jaeger by the shoulders to steady him before snatching his head up by his hair so that he could look at Page in the eye (despite the evident height difference). Thomas had been working undercover in this place for the past two or three months in order to get a feel for the layout and help formulate their plan.

Page put his hand under Jaeger's chin and tilted the man's head, as if Jaeger were some kind of animal he needed to appraise. Jaeger — or rather, Jaeger's persona — tried to look brave, but a quivering lip and a lone tear sliding down his cheek gave him away.

Without warning, Page pulled out a knife and planted it in Jaeger's arm. Darragh flinched and Cruz's breath caught as Jaeger grunted in pain, squeezing his eyes shut and hissing through his teeth.

Thomas didn't react for a second, as if deciding whether he should egg the man on or tell him to back off. "Careful with the merchandise. This here is my raise."

"He can't die, Jennings," he said with a glance at Thomas's name tag. His voice was far deeper than Cruz had expected it to be, broadcast down the corridor in a way that conveyed authority.