The doctor flinched at the sound, but he flinched more when the officer called out for him. “Doctor!”
“Officer? How can I help you?” Dr. Moor asked, voice sounding calm.
“Unsavory business, I’m afraid. We are looking for a man who kidnapped a child in the ruckus of that gas leak.”
“Gas leak…” the doctor drawled slowly. “No building around here runs on gas anymore. From what I heard, there were bombs.”
Did Preston hire idiots on purpose?Severo thought with irritation. Who the hell would believe a gas leak in this day and age?
“Nonsense. Why would someone bomb an apartment building here?”
“Why indeed,” Dr. Moor replied stiffly.
The officer cleared his throat. “So have you seen any such individual?”
“No,” the doctor lied.
“I see…well, carry on then.”
The doctor walked swiftly on. When they rounded a corner, the man took a slow breath in and out. “Wow, I don’t like acting.”
Severo chuckled before a cough overcame him, and the doctor was forced to start coughing when they passed some people.
“That officer was lying…” Dr. Moor said the moment they entered a room full of equipment. “Gas hasn’t been used here for heat in many centuries…”
“The person who is after us, unfortunately, has an unending supply of people under his control. Officials included.” He sighed and clicked the safety back on before putting his gun away.
The doctor nodded grimly. The man turned and grabbed two boxes off the shelves before grabbing a tote from the wall. Facing him again, Dr. Moor dropped the boxes in the bag and held it out.
“There are instructions on the box about how to adjust for size and the age of the user. I’d offer to help that arm of yours again, but you should really leave before they snoop more… There are cameras everywhere. I’m not sure if they caught you dragging me into the room or not.”
Severo slipped from the shadows and grabbed it. “Thank you.”
“I hope you get to wherever you are going safely, Agent… Please, when you can, take care of that arm.”
“Thank you,” he whispered again, before stepping back into the shadows.
Severo wasted no time leaving the hospital. And once he was far enough away, he pulled out his phone and called Ender.
“Are you safe?” Ender asked without a hello.
He ground his teeth together before saying, “Seri was trapped under rubble when I reached the apartment… I escaped with Skya.”
“By the time my men got there, there was no sign of Seri, and the place was overrun with emergency services.”
“Tell me…it wasn’t any of you.”
“Never,” Ender growled. “Where are you? Tell me so I can send people to come get you.”
“If you are lying to me…you’ll regret it,” he warned.
“Severo…” Ender hesitated before admitting, “My people's calls are all monitored. What they do, where they go, who they talk to…all of it is monitored. Privacy is a freedom they give up when they join Cryptid Means. No one in my group betrayed you.”
Severo took a deep breath, and quickly told him where they were. “I went to the hospital and had Skya checked out. She is going to be fine. I have an injury on my arm that possibly needs to be looked at.”
“They’ll examine you both once you two are back at base.”
“Well, they will have to do it all quickly, as I need transportation back to Kansas. Back to the Main North America CEB Headquarters.”
