The Maad Doctor [The Maad Series #1]

|16.2| Wanted: Dead Or Alive.

Don led the way, and Sky followed. He felt unease being in front of her. She could kill him at any moment if she wanted to. But part of him believed she was a woman of her word. She had promised to protect him, and that was what she would. Barbie had stayed behind looking after Pipi.

It took them forty-five minutes to get to Modish on foot. When they neared Pills And Potion, Don spotted a brown carriage outside the drugstore.

It's him. "Dammit!" he muttered.

"Something wrong?" Sky asked.

"No." He lied. He wanted to get there before Doctor.

They arrived outside the carriage and found a dark-skinned man with green eyes and a bald head. He wore a purple suit, which hugged his body for its dear life, showcasing the man's large muscles.

Don gulped as he stared at him. He had fought men like him countless times in the pits and won thrice out of fifty-plus battles. He turned to Sky, and she looked unimpressed. She crossed her arms and glanced at the guard from head to toe.

She must eat men like him for breakfast, he thought. I'm glad she's here with me. He turned to the guard. I won't tell her that, though.

The guard knocked on the door, then walked to the other side of the carriage. The door opened, and a voice said, "Enter." Don recognized Doctor's voice.

Don and Sky entered the carriage and sat opposite Doctor. The man wore a dark-purple suit with a black vest, a black top hat, and a purple mask. But the mask covered the top half of his face, leaving his mouth and chin exposed.

"How was it?" Doctor asked.

Don glanced at Sky, who rolled her eyes, then back at Doctor. "How was what?" he asked.

"The wings. I assume you followed my instructions before operating them."

Don nodded. "Your instructions worked to perfection. I used them to fly out of the city."

"I saw," Doctor replied.

"Really?" Don's eyes widened.

"Yes. We also briefly spoke at the auction, but you won't remember."

Don thought about it and recognized Doctor's amethyst eyes and a handlebar mustache. Back at the auction, a blue masked aristocrat had walked up to him and asked about the First Iron Age Knife. Is it him? It had to be. Even though his memory hadn't been perfect since falling from the airbike, he wasn't mistaken here. But that would mean Doctor is Lady Camilla's... He gulped. Dammit.

"You should have told me it was you," Don said, hoping Doctor wouldn't tell he knew who he was. For him to hire Don to steal the wings meant he had turned against Lady Camilla. And whatever plans the man had, Don wanted no part in them.

"I didn't want to pressure you. You had enough to worry about that night." Doctor gazed outside the carriage. Though men, women, and children passed by, his thoughts seemed elsewhere. It was silent for a few seconds inside the carriage. Then, Doctor looked at them. "All right, can I have them now."

"Sure." Don removed the gunny sack on his back and handed it over to Doctor. The man shook his forefinger, then pointed to the empty seat beside him. Don placed it there.

"The wings are undamaged, yes?" Doctor asked.

Don glanced at Sky, who narrowed her eyes at him, then back at Doctor. Don laughed nervously. He hadn't used the wings after Pipi fixed them. "Yes," he said while scratching his neck.

Don feared if he told Doctor one wing had broke, then he would kill them right there. Men of Doctor's caliber didn't entertain mistakes because they left evidence. And once that happened, it would force them to tie up loose ends. And that meant killing everyone who knew about the wings.

"I see." Doctor reached inside his coat, took out two pouches, and handed them to Don.

Don opened them one at a time. Then he smiled after seeing its contents. Gold coins, yes. It was what he had dreamt of. Now he and Pipi had enough money to pay rent, old debts, and buy other things. He looked at Doctor. "Thank you."

Doctor nodded, then knocked on the door beside him. It got opened from outside. The guard from earlier stood there, staring at them. "Unlock their door," Doctor said, and the guard nodded.

A few seconds later, the door Don and Sky had used to enter the carriage opened. The guard stared at them. "Out," he said with a deep voice.

Before Don and Sky got out, cheers clogged the streets. People were jumping up and down, catching papers falling from the sky.

"Hank, what's happening?" Doctor asked.

Hank picked a paper from the ground and delivered it to Doctor. It was a flyer. "They're falling from the sky," the guard said. "Millions of them."

"I see." Doctor started laughing as he read the flyer.

"What is it?" Don asked, then gulped. A sunken feeling clutched his stomach. Something terrible was about to happen.

Doctor gave him the flyer. In bold capital letters, it read:

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE.

TAKE THEM TO LADY CAMILLA.

YOU WILL RECEIVE A BIG REWARD.

It had images of Don and Sky and their names below those words. On Don's image, it said: Bring him alive, and I will give you permanent residency in Virtue City and a big reward. Bring his corpse, and the first option won't be available. But I will still give you a big reward.

Under Sky's image were the words: Tried to murder Stella. Bring her alive, or you won't get the reward.

Sky snarled. "Tried?" she said. "Tried? How is that wench alive?" She tore the flyer into pieces then balled her hands into fists. Her nose flared, and her breathing increased.

Don stared at her with wide eyes and an open mouth. His heart raced. He had wasted time trying to find out who had hired her to steal the wings. While in fact, she had gone to the auction to kill Stella. If he didn't have a bounty on his head too, Don would have captured Sky and taken her to Lady Camilla.

"Hank," Doctor's called the guard. His voice caught Don and Sky's attention, and they looked at him. "Show them the door."

"Out." Hank beckoned.

Don and Sky stepped out of the carriage.

Before the door was closed, Doctor had called them, "Don and Sky." They turned to him. He continued, "Much obliged for delivering the wings. For that, I won't allow those who work for me to pursue you." He placed a hand on his heart. "I wish you two the best. Everyone in Sin City will become a hunter, and you're the bounty."