Page 93 of Doc

“On my way to the clinic.”

“You sure he’s there?”

“Yes, I called Kail already and they’re not at the house.”

He has to be there.The idea that someone took him as he was on his way home, or something like that… No, I refuse to give those thoughts attention.

“I’ll be there soon.”Joel doesn’t give me a chance to say anything before hanging up, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

I should have expected that he would want to check this out personally. Both of my brothers like Ash, but the implication that I need my brother’s help is trying to override my sense.

Gripping the steering wheel with both hands, I press down on the gas just a little more, risking getting clocked for speeding, but I don’t give a shit. This is one instance I wouldn’t mind the cops sniffing around, not if it means more help with Ash.

“You’re close,” Dmitri says softly. “Not just as his bodyguard.”

“He’s my best friend.”

He scoffs. “It’s more than that. Soren told us not long after he met you all.”

“Then why ask?”

“Because Soren doesn’t talk to us. He likes to keep his private life just that—private. Which we can respect, but we worry. We knew his father was a piece of shit, and have spent our whole lives keeping tabs on him, so we could help in case shit ever hit the fan. I know he did the same for us.

“My brothers and I, we’ve always been different. Too close, too dependent on each other. Too pretty for our own good, much like Soren.

“We worried about him, because even though he wanted to keep his relationships and lifestyle to himself, we’re nosy bastards. So we knew the type of person he went for, and when he told us he was interested in Doc…” Dmitri trails off and I take a risk to spare him a glance.

He’s looking out the windshield, bottom lip clamped between his teeth as he seems to contemplate his next words. “All we ever wanted was to be safe. We knew the Amatos would give Soren the fresh start he needed. And we were happy to see him thrive.” He sighs. “I regret not jumping on the chance to come with him. Maybe none of this would be happening, or maybe it would be worse, who knows? What Idoknow is that Doc’s important to Soren, and Soren is like an older brother, so he’s important to me.”

In any other situation, I would consider Dmitri’s words, but right now, it all goes in one ear and right out the other. My brain doesn’t have room to process anything except the fact that Ash better be fucking okay.

Forcingmyself to slow down and turn the car off properly when we get to the clinic is difficult, especially when Dmitri takes off like a shot. Cursing, I turn the engine off, leave the keys in the ignition, and almost get tangled in the seatbelt as I try to follow Dmitri.

I catch up to him at the entrance to the clinic. He has his gun drawn and I don’t hesitate to pull mine as well. Trusting him to have my back, I place a hand on the door and slowly open it. Right away, I see a body on the ground and my breath catches in my throat.

The sound of a gunshot, though it’s slightly muffled, makes my ears ring. Dmitri and I burst into the clinic, neither of us giving an ounce of caution as we race towards the back of the building. The door leading to the rest of the building is open a crack, and I pull the heavy door the rest of the way, almost hitting Dmitri with it in my desperation.

There are two different ways we could go once we're on this side of the door, but Ash’s office is to the left, so that’s the most logical place to start. Rounding the corner to the hall, the sight in front of me has every atom freezing.

The angle is shit, so I can barely make anything out, but there’s a body slumped over, laying on top of someone else. My heart is in my throat as I run down the hall.

Without any finesse or care, I shove the large body off the other person, my breath catching as I find Ash laying on the ground. He doesn’t look too bad, his face is turning black and blue, no doubt from where he was struck, but I’m not surprisedby that—he can’t exactly keep his mouth shut, even in the midst of danger.

Under that, I see his color is off. He’s far paler than he should be, and as I continue my visual observation, I find red spreading across his scrub top, coloring the light blue fabric dark.

Dropping to my knees, I rip off my jacket and frantically search for my knife, only to find I don’t have it, because unlike my brothers, I prefer guns. I’m not one to get up close and personal with my kills, but my brothers are both a special kind of crazy.

“Do you have a knife?” I bark over my shoulder.

“No—wait, here.” Dmitri kneels beside me and reaches for something. When he hands me Ash’s bloodied scalpel, I swallow back bile.

Making fun of him for his choice of weapon has always been our thing, but seeing the blood coating the blade, and the dead body lying just inches away, brings everything into perspective.

I knew Ash was trained by Tennant and Cristian, and we’ve sparred enough over the years that I was confident in his abilities, should something ever happen, but never in a million years did I think we’d be in this position.

Slicing away at the jacket, I wad up what I cut and press it against the wound in Ash’s lower abdomen.

“Call Soren,” I say, but Dmitri already has his phone out and is pressing it to his ear. “Don’t you fucking die on me, Ash,” I mutter.

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