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I sigh and roll my lollipop in my mouth, deciding he’s good enough for travel. “Can you walk, man? We’ve gotta get out of here.”
“Are we going home?”
“Home blew up, dude.”
His eyes widen, and he gapes, almost losing his lollipop in the process. “It blew up?”
Scrubbing my jaw with one hand, I bite my tongue to keep from ripping into him. Just have to remind myself that he doesn’t know better right now. “Yes, Keys, Cobra blew up the Burrow. Now get out of that bed and come with me. I even bought you some clothes to wear until we can swipe something more your style.” No need to tell Keys I stole those, too.
While he works out how to put them on, I pull a lanyard out of my pocket. I managed to swipe it before the paramedics took him into the ER. I don’t know what’s on the flash drive hanging from it, but I figure if it’s one of the only things he grabbed in our mad dash to get out of the Burrow, it must be important. He looks a bit confused as he takes it from me, and I guess it’s going to be a while before he remembers what’s on it.
Five minutes later, Keys is dressed and standing, though he wobbles a bit on his feet. I mentally kick myself for not getting him a hat while I was in the gift shop; the glaring white bandage on his forehead is going to draw attention when we leave the hospital.
Well, nothing to do about it now. I grit my teeth and hope for the best as we head for the exit. Through some miraculous stroke of luck, a couple of gangbanger wannabe thugs bump into us in the hallway, and the guttural growl that comes out of my throat scares them enough that one of them drops his pristine ball cap as they run off. Bingo.
With Keys’ bandage better concealed, we walk out of the hospital together, my arm around his shoulders not only to keep up the façade of him being my boyfriend, but also to keep him upright as he slowly regains his footing.
A black SUV revs its engine as we leave, and I pull Keys into a run as soon as we hit the nearest alley. The car can’t follow us here, but if the Vipers stalking us get out on foot, we’re dead.
We run for a solid half hour, taking seemingly random turns at odd locations. Keys is even more confused than he was at the hospital, but I don’t have time to explain.
Finally, I think we’ve lost them. I allow us a moment to slow down and catch our breath as we near one of the safehouses that Bunny and I set up early on in our time together. Mama Navid’s Holistic Healing Center beckons in the distance, and I pray the Vipers aren’t smart enough to figure out Mama Navid’s connection to Bunny. She’s one of the few who knows Bunny’s history, and Bunny’s time at the Healing Center did wonders for mending her broken mind after her stepdad fucked up her life.
If only Mama Navid can do the same for Keys …
Chapter 19
Doc
Gotta stay calm … Can’t panic because Neil is already fucking panicking. No need for both of us to freak out …
It’s bad enough being separated from Kendrick and Bunny, not knowing where either of them is or if they’re safe. But being separated from themandcut off from the clinic by mountains of crumbling debris while shrapnel from the exploded van sticks out from my side? Not good.
I talked Neil through padding the wound and stabilizing me. He did well enough, considering he’s never seen real-life trauma like this—and considering he lost his glasses in the blast—but he’s no nurse. Kendrick would have been better, as he already knows what I need in this situation. I hope he’s okay …
Neil and I manage to sneak out of the rubble when the cops arrive. Between the chaos of the Vipers scrambling to vacate the area before any of them are caught and the smoke billowing through the streets, we’re able to get away clean. Neil supports me by putting my arm around his shoulder on my good side, and I cradle my wound with my other arm as we snake through the back alleys of Summer City.
I can tell from the chill in the night air and the increasing tremors that I’ve lost too much blood. Neil casts a worried glance my way, and I force a grin.
Our secondary clinic is still a good five blocks away. Officially abandoned, like the Burrow, but well-kept by some friends of ours. I send them regular shipments of medical supplies, excess that the Burrow doesn’t need, so I know I’ll have what I need to take care of myself once we get there.
I just have to stay conscious long enough to guide Neil there and do the work.
Neil’s not without his own injuries, but I’ll have to give him credit for not complaining about them while we hustle. From that limp, I’m pretty sure he sprained his ankle, and I don’t like the look of the cut on his arm. We both need antibiotics and I.V. fluids—a blood transfusion would be better, but that’s not something the other clinic has on hand.
I could kick myself for not grabbing a med kit on the way out of the Burrow. If I’d had the foresight, we might be better off. Keys didn’t give us much warning, though, so I’ll have to make do.
No, I shouldn’t blame Keys. Hedidgive us enough time to get at least near an exit, and if I know Bunny and Kendrick, they’re doing okay. They have to be.
Since Kendrick probably got cut off from any viable exits in the blast, he’ll likely be headed the opposite direction from us. His only escape route will be to go back into the Burrow and take one of the alternate exits up there. The garage only had one way out, and he wasn’t on our side of the debris pile.
With the secondary clinic finally in sight, I stumble and let out a shout as something tears in my side. Neil shrieks, and I have to grit my teeth and nudge him on. We can’t stop, not when we’re almost there.
The steel door of our makeshift clinic creaks open, and out bursts a young black man with dreads even longer than mine. Manny breaks out into a run, and he takes my other side to help Neil get me in the building. Once there, he shuts the door and turns on the lights. Rows of mismatched camp cots line the front room, and I know the rooms beyond have all the tools I need.
Summer City doesn’t lack for abandoned warehouses, a fact we’ve taken full advantage of. The factory industry dried up ages ago, leaving us plenty of blank canvases to paint. This one is on the smaller side compared to the Burrow, but it’s just enough for our needs. I come here once a month to treat people on this side of town, the homeless, poor, and downtrodden who can’t afford a trip to a real doctor. The clinic boasts a full supply of the best medical equipment and medicine Kendrick can steal, so I should be okay.
After some quick instructions to Manny, he takes Neil and races off to gather supplies. Scalpels. Sutures. Cautery. Anesthetic. Bandages. Antibiotics. I.V. kits. ACE wraps. I try to list everything I could possibly want for this operation, plus some extras for Neil’s injuries.
