Page 22 of Untouchable

“That’s us.” Doctor Macintosh, one of Lenny’s good friends, turns to face me when I walk up, looking at the rather large group of us and seeing Lenny, he nods in understanding.

“I’m sorry, we did everything we could, but the bullet punctured his heart.” My ears begin to ring, my blood running cold as he continues. “We tried to stop the bleeding, but his injuries were too severe to repair. I am so sorry.”

“Thank you, Doc.” I reach out to shake his hand, nodding at him before he shakes Lenny’s hand, speaking with him briefly before he disappears down the hallway. Just then, I hear someone’s shoes squeaking on the floor behind me, looking over to see Viper’s brother, Henry, running our way. His chest is heaving as he joins our group.

“I got here as fast as I could.” The look of hope still on his face rips me apart inside. Well, I guess notallof Viper’s family is shit.

I put my hand on his shoulder. “Henry, I’m so sorry.”

“No. No, no, no, no, no.” I pull him in, holding him up physically, while the rest of him falls apart. We stay like that for a few minutes, but when he finally pulls away, he wipes his face and takes a deep breath.

“What do we do now?” I admire the way he’s searching for the strength to move on and do what needs to be done. I know it’s not an easy thing to do.

“We lay our brother to rest.” We fill Henry in on everything that happened, consoling him as he fell apart once more before talking to the doctor to sort out the release of Viper’s body. Then we meet in the parking lot and go over everything for his memorial while the sun rises.

Lenny sighs, resting his hands on his hips as the look of exhaustion overwhelms his features. “Everybody go home, hug your loved ones, and try to get some rest. See everyone tomorrow to discuss next steps.” Hugs are shared all around the group, more intimate than the ones we typically give. Seeing one of your own go, almost right before your eyes, is something you feel deeply. A loss that will engrain itself into your very soul, unable to be etched over or forgotten. I sit on my bike, long after everyone else is gone, with quiet tears rolling down my face.

I couldn’t save him.

Katarina

How is Vipe?

I don’t want to be the one to tell her, but for some God forsaken reason, I can’t ignore her either.

Me

He didn’t make it.

Katarina

I’m so sorry, Ace.

Yeah. Me too.

When I make it to the garage, everything I’ve been feeling morphs into anger. Rage that feels like it will burn a hole straight through my chest if I don’t let it out. I walk up to the inventory shelves, taking a deep breath as I plan to channel my energy intofixing Katarina’s car, but it’s useless. I grab the wire shelf and throw it down, with every nut and bolt crashing to the ground. I do the same thing again, until every box is empty and the storage bay is a complete disaster.

“Fuuuuuck!”I scream until I’m red in the face.

I pick up anything I can get my hands on, throwing it all against the wall. Stopping only when I hear Ghost behind me.

“Hey, boss?” I turn around to see him standing in the doorway, with two officers a few feet behind him. “We’ve got customers.”

I step over some of the mess I’ve made and walk through the door that leads to the open bay, which also acts as my office.

“Officer Thomas, Officer Williams,” I greet each of them by name. “What can I do for you?” We’re familiar with most of the NPD, seeing as how we often share booth space with them at the family carnival that’s put on by the high school every year.

“You okay?” Williams leans forward, getting a good look at the damage done in the inventory room. I run my hand through my hair, looking back at the mess before meeting their gaze again.

“Yeah, um… Our club is just dealing with some shit right now and you just uh…caught me at a bad moment.”

A sympathetic look washes over both of their faces as they rest their hands on their utility belts. “We heard about everything that happened last night. We’re really sorry about that.” I nod my appreciation, not quite ready to speak on the matters yet. “Which is why we’re also sorry to do this to you today.”

My face turns sour. “Do what?”

Officer Thomas sighs, handing me a piece of paper. “We got an anonymous tip that you have illegal substances on the premises. We have a warrant to search the property.”

Could anything fucking else go wrong right now?

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