Devil on the Rooftop [Book 1]

Chapter 56 - Khaleel

I didn't have the luxury to panic. I had to focus. I couldn't let my anger get the better of me, not in this kind of situation. I had to keep moving, keep running, through the third hall, down the stairway, and into the school foyer. Loyal was behind me but I couldn't slow down for him. Arisa was in trouble, Tomasia was in trouble, and...Zander was in big fucking trouble. He was never in his right mind when Dobberman was involved; his temper always checked out at the mention of his former friend. If he got caught fighting on school grounds, he could easily get suspended. I couldn't let that happen. I had to get to him before he did something stupid.

Arisa's message to Loyal was not something we were expecting. We bolted out of the rooftop so fast, we didn't get a chance to explain the situation to Hino. I didn't mean to leave him up there by himself to watch over Derek, but things sort of turned out that way. Derek must have known Dobberman would show up at Jackheights. He was probably told to keep us occupied while Dobberman snuck his way onto the campus. Derek's loyalty was bothersome to say the least, and I wished I could strip him of it.

A swarm of students crowded the school foyer. Loyal caught up and decided to lead the way through the overwhelming number of bodies. At first, they weren't happy about us pushing them back, but as soon as they realized who we were, they began to clear the way.

We reached the inner circle just in time to see Arisa block Zander's attack. It was obviously meant for Dobberman, who stood inches behind her. I couldn't believe what happened next. Zander got a hold of Arisa's arm and tossed her out of the way. Thankfully, Hermans was in a position to catch her.

My shoulders tensed. Zander was supposed to protect Arisa, not put her in harms way. What the hell was he thinking? He should know better than to let his personal feelings get in the way of his task. I should have never left Arisa's side. I should have protected her until the end. My feelings become irrelevant when Loyal moved to take Arisa out of Hermans' hands.

I stewed in my own irritation as the history teacher brought the whole fight to an end. Hermans was able to handle Zander with one easy move while warning Dobberman to cool it.

The prick had the balls to lock eyes with me. His chilling smile added to my frustrations and made me bolt after him. I rushed the weasel out the front doors, and chased him past the security booth and into the school parking lot. He was fast but I was faster. My lungs were prepared to work overtime. I couldn't help but enjoy the taste of adrenaline as my fingers reached for the back of my target's blazer. Dobberman was only inches from me—close enough to receive a kick in the back of the head but he managed to pick up speed at the very last second. He turned and jay walked across a busy one-way street, barley escaping the honking cars that swiveled around him.

I stopped myself from making the same mistake. "Fuck," I cursed. Sweat dripped down the sides of my forehead and soaked up my back. My body was beginning to feel the effects of the sprint and I didn't like it. This was a clear sign for me to train harder in the boxing gym. I tried to keep my eyes on the asshole on the other side of the street, but he was too slippery, too good at hiding behind hedges.

Damn it! I wanted closure.

My phone rang abruptly. I pulled it out of my pocket and answered the call. "I wasn't fast enough," I reported to Loyal.

"We need to make sure Pino blacklists him," he said. "More importantly, why wasn't he around when the fight started?"

"Lunch break?" I joked. "How's Zander?"

"Full of hot air," came the bored reply. "Hermans took him and Arisa to the principal's office."

"What do you want to do?" I asked, catching my breath.

"Honestly, I don't know."

I shook my head. "And Tommy?"

"I'll take her home. I'm sorry to ask but can you take a lead on things at school?"

"Whatever you need, man."

"Thanks."

I hung up and dialed Hino's number. He answered immediately. "Are you two planning on coming back anytime soon or should I just kick this guy off the rooftop and be done with it?"

"Dobberman showed up," I summarized. "Zander lost his shit on him and will probably be suspended for it. Arisa is stuck in the dean's office with our little menace. I need you to encourage Carter to spill something, anything."

"What are you and Loyal going to do?"

"Loyal's taking Tommy home," I said, combing my hair back. "He's asked me to take lead and honestly, at this point the only thing I can think to do is call for backup."

"You think Kumar is going to help you when you were almost suspended?" Hino asked.

"I've got no other choice," I sighed. "We need better intel on Dobberman and the creeps he hired to snatch Arisa. This can't keep happening. It's making me age, rapidly."

"What if this gets back to Papa Abdul?" Hino's voice dropped a little. He knew better than anyone how formidable my old man was. He had gone up against him enough times to learn that getting on his bad side was easy, and earning his forgiveness after the fact was close to impossible.

"That's future Khaleel's problem," I answered.