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A muffled chuckle escaped Will. He’d take that. He didn’t want Charlie miserable any more than Charlie wanted him to be miserable. But the petty side of him felt a bit better to think that just maybe Charlie had been hurt over their parting too.
“Before I forget, we got your drugs,” Edison blurted out when they were a few blocks from the clinic.
Will jerked upright and his head snapped around to stare at the other man. “I’m sorry. What?”
“We thought it might help to throw any suspicion off you if we made it look like it was a robbery that broke down into a gang war,” Edison continued. “Sorry, but we smashed into your pharmacy area and stole pretty much everything you had on hand. West and I will sneak it back in once the cops stop watching and the place is secure.”
“How long do you think that will take?” Will inquired, finally remembering to power on his phone. They’d turned it off as West and Ed had arrived with the food so Will could easily deny that he knew anything about what was happening.
“Judging by the neighborhood, probably a day or two.”
Will winced when his phone wildly vibrated in his hand as countless voice mail and text notifications rolled in. Yeah, shit had gotten crazy last night, but what was anyone expecting him to do? Chase the people who broke in and shot up the place? He was a doctor. Not the police.
They could have thought he’d been kidnapped, though. Shit. He hadn’t considered that.
“This will be the first break-in since I’ve been there, but my predecessor mentioned that it used to happen quite frequently, forcing the clinic to remain closed until supplies could be replaced. A lot of the people in the area engage in…illegal activities. He said that when their families couldn’t be treated due to the break-ins, they stopped.”
Edison chuckled. “The criminals started policing themselves when they were all being hurt.”
“Pretty much. There aren’t a lot of other alternatives. The hospitals will take them, but more questions are asked, forms filled out, and police notified. Everyone appreciates our ‘no questions’ policy.”
Edison stopped the car not far from the clinic and shifted it into park. There was plenty of police tape surrounding the building, and one squad car was parked outside. At least the dead bodies had been cleared away. Will’s heart sank to see the poor building pockmarked with bullet holes and broken windows. It was going to take weeks to get the glass replaced because they would need to spend what little money they had on getting doors and locks replaced first. How long were they going to need to stay closed? How many people were going to go without the help they needed?
He swallowed a frustrated sigh. It could be worse. Francisco could be dead. He could be dead right now. Then he wouldn’t be able to help anyone.
“Do you want me to walk up to the clinic with you?” Edison offered.
Will was so very tempted to take him up on that offer, but he preferred to keep Ed and all the guys out of this mess if at all possible. “No, I got this. Thanks, though, for everything.” He reached for the door handle but Ed stopped him.
His friend shifted in his seat as he dug a piece of paper out of his pocket. He handed it over and Will’s heart locked up to see Charlie’s name along with a phone number.
“Before you tear it up,” Ed quickly said with a crooked grin, “remember that you can use that to get ahold of all of us. Think of it as a ‘just in case.’ You know, just in case shit goes sideways and you need a hand. We’re gonna be in Buenos Aires for a few more days at least. We’ve always got your back. Even if Charlie is being an ass.”
Will tucked the slip of paper into the pocket of his sweats and clapped Ed on the shoulder. “I appreciate it. And I promise to keep it.”
Without another word, he slid out of the car and walked briskly toward the clinic, trying to ignore the imaginary weight of the paper in his pocket. He had Charlie’s number again. That night after their fight, he’d deleted all of Charlie’s contact information. It also helped that Charlie had never reached out to him. That night, it had felt like he’d cut off a limb, but it had been for the best, giving him his best shot at recovering rather than clinging to false hope.
He would keep the number, as he’d told Edison, but he had no intention of ever using it. Charlie, Ed, Kairo, and Westin would all be out of his life in the blink of an eye. It was better to not get used to them being around.
