Chapter 25
The door swung open and Scott, still on the bathroom floor, looked away from the flood of light. Miguel howled like a dog caught in a trap. The bathroom door whooshed shut, plunging the room into darkness.
The next few moments were punctuated by grunts, groans, cracks, and body blows.
Who was on the receiving end of the brutality was clear from Miguel’s screams. The strikes were fast, efficient, and decisive, the kind of blows delivered by a man who knew how to fight and inflict pain, like a Navy Seal, a martial artist, or an assassin.
A body hit the concrete with a sickening thud.
Footsteps followed and the sound of someone picking something metal off the ground. Whoever just invaded the apartment had Miguel’s gun.
Carlos hid behind the bathroom door. The doorknob squeaked—then a boom! The door burst open and onto the floor. Scott squinted through the light. Beads of sweat covered Carlos’s face as he stood against the wall.
Standing at the door was Doc, wearing his Panama and dark linen shirt, his right hand gripping a gun pointed at Carlos.
He looked at Scott. “You alright, kid?” he said in that same easy-going way he always spoke.
“Kid, can you walk?” A knife appeared from Doc’s back pocket, which he used to cut Scott’s zip ties.
Doc turned toward Carlos. His eyes narrowed, veins rising on his neck. “You’re coming with us, asshole.”
“Doc? Is that really you?” Scott said, shaking his head, then feeling the side of his cheek where he was burned.
“Expecting someone else, kid?”
“You…came,” Scott said.
“Of course I did, kid. You can buy me a beer later. But right now, let’s get the hell out of here. I’ve got a boat waiting for us at the pier.”
“What about Daniela and her father? I can’t leave them behind.” Scott struggled to stand.
“Don’t worry. They’re safe. I put them in a taxi. They’re waiting for us at the airport.” He put his arm around Scott, helping him to his feet.
Doc then grabbed Carlos by the collar and shoved him toward the door. They stepped over Miguel’s lifeless body, contorted grotesquely on the floor.
Doc threw the door open and shoved Carlos through it, stumbling, into the daylight. "March!"