Chapter 29
"I'm going in this time." gruffs out the purple haired man. After calming down, the group drove off to Paul's second home where they are meeting to discuss how to rescue Dawn tonight. May has been tirelessly working on her laptop to try and hack into all of the Hayden Corporation cameras, but the cyber security is different from the mansion's.
"Me too." Gary speaks up because he has an idea that Leaf might be in the building. He won't believe that she's dead, so he's banking on the thought of her being captured by the authorities or Junior.
"Drew should go too." Ash chimes in. As much as he would like to join them, his broken ankle just makes him a liability.
Drew nods, though he would prefer to stay and protect May, especially after she just got shot last night. However, he owes it to Dawn and Paul to help Dawn. Drew also knows he'll be more helpful infiltrating the building than staying out with May. Besides, despite Ash's injuries, Drew knows Ash can provide good protection for May. "Since Hayden Co. has more armed men, we're gonna need everyone we can get."
"I'm going too then." Misty speaks, which makes Ash give her a concerned look.
"Someone should stay with me and May. We're injured." he notes worriedly, but Misty's determined blue eyes gaze at him.
"No way, Ash. Dawn helped rescue you, so I'm gonna help her. Besides, Drew's right. We're gonna need everyone who can fight in there. Junior's got too many people, and they're gonna be prepared for us."
Sighing, Ash reaches out to her hand where he squeezes it gently, making her blush. "Okay, Mist." That worried goofy smile of his causes Misty's heart to skip a beat as she squeezes his hand back. Unlike Ash, Misty will never leave him. Thus, she will return to his side after all of this.
The group awkwardly avoids the two's PDA, and Drew says, "We're not alone though." His grin makes everyone turn their attention to him. "Galactic Gang wants to get rid of the Hayden Family as much as we do."
Paul can't help but feel moved by these people wanting to rescue the troublesome woman he loves. Is this how Misty felt when she learned they wanted to rescue Ash? Is this why she joined them and trusted them after barely knowing them for 5 minutes? While Paul has known these people longer than Misty has, he's never really formed a relationship with them besides for Drew. And Paul only knew May through Drew. Plus, Paul only spoke to Ash as a colleague, but Paul found him too annoying to hang around with. Besides, Ash would always hang out with May, Drew, and Leaf anyway.
Clenching his fists, Paul feels very grateful for these people. Rescuing Dawn alone is a suicide mission; however, here they are risking their lives for her too. Maybe he does have friends? They're not in the Hayden Family anymore since they betrayed the gang, so he can't use the 'there are no friends in Hayden Family' excuse anymore.
Returning his gaze to his allies, Paul asks, "What's the plan, May?"
Hours Later
"That's the signal!" Drew shouts after Galactic Gang rushes in to shoot and fight off the many guards outside of the building. Unfortunately, this time, they don't have any earpieces to communicate since May didn't account for them needing more past last night. Thus, the group is going in blind.
Since most of the dirty cops are injured from last night's scuffle, there aren't many at the corporate building. Besides, the dirty cops aren't used by the Family for fighting anyway. They're just used to erase evidence and help the Hayden Family escape any problems. Thus, these dirty cops are easily taken down by Drew and the angry Paul. Even Gary and Misty are putting up good fights.
"Let's split!" Paul exclaims and runs off down a hall with Misty following.
"Stick with Galactic Gang!" Misty yells at Drew while Gary runs down a different part of the hall. As much as Drew wants to search for Dawn on his own, he knows Misty is right about him sticking with Galactic Gang. He's the only one who can stop them from accidentally killing Dawn if they happen upon her.
"I thought I told us to split?" shouts Paul to the redhead behind him.
Rolling her eyes, Misty responds, "I will when we reach a fork." Before Paul can tell her to leave, some thugs are on them, causing everyone to fight. There have been a lot more guards here than at Hayden Mansion, but with Galactic Gang's help, it's been an even match.
"Watch out!" Paul yells, and with Misty's quick reflexes, she manages to avoid the man charging at her with a knife.
"Thanks!" Smirks the former detective. Even though she's not a top fighter like Paul, she is still a very good fighter. Ash had helped train her at times just in case they come into a problem like this.
Eventually, the pair fight their way through all but one thug. Paul grabs the last guy to pin him against the wall. This thug is very scared because he's trembling and begging for his life, despite Paul and Misty not killing anyone. With a terrifying glare, Paul asks, "Where is she?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" pleads the thug.
Misty puts her gun to his head. Being a detective, she's good at changing ehr demeanor to fit the situation. "You have 2 seconds before I blow your brains out." The man starts blubbering in tears claiming he has no idea what they're talking about. "One." Come Misty's stern voice.
"Basement down the left corridor!" shouts the thug. "I heard something is going on down there, but I don't know anything! I'm just a lowly guard!" he cries out, and Paul quickly knocks him out.
The top fighter doesn't have time for tears, nor useless little Hayden Family members. His priority is that troublesome bluenette in the basement. Fortunately, his group had figured the basement would hold the prisoners, so he and Misty were headed that way anyway.
Grabbing the thug's ID card, Misty rushes past the worried man. "C'mon, Paul! We gotta get Dawn!"
After fighting more thugs, Misty and Paul finally make their way to the end of the corridor the first man had told them about. They haven't found Dawn in any of the rooms along the way, causing Paul to grow more frustrated. "Let's split up already!" he shouts at Misty.
Glaring back at him, she exclaims, "You really think you can rescue Dawn by yourself? Junior's probably got his 10 best fighters with her right now!"
He angrily punches a hole in the wall beside her head as he glares back in those intense blue eyes of hers. "We can cover more ground if we split up." He growls at her. Since they're at the end of the hall without a sign of Dawn, he's starting to fear the worse. What if she's not here? Where is she? Did that thug lie? He was just a lowly thug, so he most likely doesn't know anything.
Removing his fist, Paul turns away. He'll just check the other side of the hall because Dawn is obviously not on this side. Although upset at his outburst, Misty won't leave him. Ash had asked her to keep an eye on Paul because he's scared Paul will do something rash while angry. Therefore, Misty has to deal with this temperamental man who can only say mean things.
Before the two can run off down the hall of knocked out goons, they hear a, "Paulie!" Both instantly stop in their tracks because they recognize that voice.
Misty, being closest to it, runs back to the hole in the wall from Paul's fist, "Leaf?"
"That's the name, sweetie!" comes the playful voice from the other side.
Paul quickly asks, "How do we get in?"
"I don't know. I woke up in here." She confesses, causing Paul to groan.
"Is Dawn in there?"
"Dawn?"
Hearing Leaf sound confused lets Paul know that Dawn is obviously not in there. "Get her out." Paul tells Misty and he sprints away from them. As much as he'd like to help Leaf, she can handle herself. That troublesome woman can't fight off any of the top goons Junior must have with her.
Misty mentally curses herself as Paul runs off, but what is she supposed to say to Ash? Yeah we found Leaf, but I ran off with Paul and left her trapped in that room? No. Paul has been trying to get rid of her since they entered the building. Besides, Misty knows he can handle himself. She's getting tired of being around the angry man too. Once she frees Leaf, they'll have another ally to rescue Dawn.
"I'm gonna get you out, Leaf!" Misty shouts through the hole.
"I see why Gare likes you."
Although Misty knows Leaf means in a platonic way, she still slightly blushes. Misty and Gary had danced together before, and she was the victim to his many flirtatious conversations. Nevertheless, she sees the man as a great comrade who just flirts too much. Plus, Gary seems completely entranced with Leaf, who is perfect for him because she also flirts a lot. The two get along well, which is the reason Misty wants to rescue her for Gary. He deserves someone to care about after everything he's gone through.
Running into the nearest room, Misty had used an ID card of one of the more official looking goons to get inside. However, she doesn't see any door inside the room. Maybe there's a secret one? As the woman searches through the room, she can't help but chuckle at the situation. She used to despise Leaf, but here she is trying to rescue her. Of course, Misty claims it's for Gary and Ash since they care about her, but really, Misty finds comradity in the assassin. Maybe they could learn how to get along after all of this is over?
"Leaf?" Misty shouts to the wall that should lead to the assassin, but she hears nothing back. Maybe she's in a soundproof room? That would explain why they didn't hear Leaf's voice until Paul punched a hole in the wall out in the hall.
Upstairs
Due to his injuries from being on the run and last night, Gary is hurting a lot. He's still able to fight his way through the lowly guards, but he's taken quite a beating. However, all of this is worth it for that female assassin he needs to see again. He won't believe she's dead until he sees her.
As Gary runs down the hall he just cleared, he feels a sharp pain in his side. Grunting, he notices a knife in it, and he instantly recognizes the knife, which allows him to roll into the room next door to avoid the next knife. Huffing out painful breaths, he pulls the knife out, causing the wound to bleed.
Pressed up against the wall, Gary eyes the only door to the room as he clenches his teeth in pain. However, he already knows he'll endure anything for that woman, so he'll have to get answers from Lucas. Lucas has to know where Leaf is. And if he doesn't, then Gary will die trying to find her because he refuses to believe that she's gone.
Since Gary is focused on the door, he doesn't notice the figure at the window until a loud crash erupts the room, and the sound of glass shattering litters the floor. As he rolls out of the way, he feels a new sting on his shoulder from narrowly dodging another knife thrown at him. In the dark room, Gary can't make out the assassin he knows is in here now.
"Where's Leaf?" he shouts. When the new knife closes in on him, Gary ducks to avoid it. He has a sense that someone is beside him, and fortunately for him, he's correct because he holds Back Lucas's arm from stabbing him. In the dimly lit room, Gary can make out the white in Lucas's eyes.
"I see Leaf's been training you." comes his sly voice, but before Gary can react, Lucas frees himself to deliver a kick to Gary's back. Pulling out his gun, Lucas shoots at the ex-cop who rolls out of the way to move through the various items in the room as Lucas shoots at him. None of the bullets hit Gary, causing Lucas to furrow his brows angrily.
When the Galactic Gang attacked, Lucas was ordered to kill Paul while 5 top guards are to watch Leaf. As much as Lucas wants to kill Leaf, he has to follow orders first. He's pretty sure Leaf has already freed herself and killed those 5 guards, but Lucas will let Junior's greed teach him a lesson. Besides, with Leaf heavily injured, Lucas knows he can find and kill her later.
Moreover, now he has the opportunity to kill Gary Oak, who Leaf someone cares about. Lucas can't wait to bring this former cop's head to Leaf just so he can torment her. Also, the last time Lucas saw Gary Oak, he lost his opportunity to kill the Kanto native; thus, Lucas will finish the job here. Being a top assassin, he needs to complete his jobs, even if Matthew, who ordered the hit, is dead. It's about principle with Lucas.
"Let's make this quick, Oak." taunts the assassin.
"Where's Leaf?" comes the angry shout, causing Lucas to shoot his gun in that direction. Gary Oak must be desperate or stupid to be yelling out his location like this.
"Dead." Lucas lies, but she will be dead eventually.
"I won't believe it 'til I see her dead body!"
"You'll believe it when you see her in the afterlife." snickers the assassin because he's figured out where Gary Oak is. This game of cat and mouse has gone on for far too long.
Outside
"I got it!" exclaims the brunette causing her friend to look at her in excitement.
"You found Dawn?"
Shaking her head, May responds, "No, but I figured out how to communicate with them." She then turns to face his brown eyes. "I got into the PA system."
Ash gives her an awry smile. "But then everyone would hear us."
"Yeah, but we're only gonna use it when we need it." her attention then falls back on the window of Lucas and Gary fighting. With the night vision setting on the security camera, she sees Gary is in a losing battle. May can't see Misty in any of the security cameras because she's in an area where the technician doesn't have camera access, else May would help with freeing Leaf.
"What are you gonna do?" asks the raven haired man.
Smirking, May puts her hands back on her laptop. "Distract Lucas."
Inside
"We're not waiting any longer, Drew!" shouts Saturn, one of the admins of Galactic Gang.
"My people are still in here, Saturn!" exclaims the green haired man. Although Drew and his colleagues don't have a way of communicating, they did develop a signal once they rescued Dawn and everyone is out. May is supposed to set off the alarms in the building when everything is ready, but that hasn't happened yet.
"My people are dying!" Saturn glares at Drew as he shoots another thug. "I'm not gonna take this big of a hit when I don't have to!"
"What are you talking about?" Drew angrily asks.
"My people have already planted the bombs. You have 5 minutes." he then speaks into his walkie, and his men start to run away.
"Saturn!" Drew shouts after the man, but he knows it's too late. Galactic Gang isn't here to rescue Dawn. They're just here to take down the Hayden Family, and this is the best course of action for Galactic Gang. Biting the inside of his cheek, Drew fights off more thugs as he makes his way to where he remembers his colleagues disappeared.
In a Different Room
"Any last words, Oak?" grins the assassin who had managed to pin Gary to the ground. Lucas had taken a beating because Gary Oak is very cunning. Despite being at an advantage against Lucas, Gary used the night and the elements in the room to land surprise attacks on Lucas. It bought the former officer some time, but Gary knew it wouldn't be enough to defeat Lucas, nor is it enough for Gary to escape.
Coughing up blood, the weak man replies, "Yeah." His mind flashes back to the last time he was in this situation, and Leaf had rescued him. Gosh, he's glad he didn't let her kill Lucas. She's not a monster, so she should never feel like one. He misses her. If she is dead, then he can't wait to be happy with her in the afterlife. "Where's Leaf?"
Smirking because that's all this dying man has been asking, Lucas now replies, "Locked up in the basement." When Gary's eyes become alert, Lucas presses the blade of his knife tightly against Gary's neck. "She'll be joining you soon."
However, before Lucas can slash Gary's throat, an intense screeching noise runs loudly through the PA, which allows Gary to shove off the surprised assassin. After hearing that Leaf is alive, and in the basement, he found strength to fight off Lucas. Gary needs to save Leaf before anything happens to her. Unfortunately for Gary, Lucas is quick. These little surprises don't distract him for too long, so he shoves Gary into a wall before Gary can run out of the room, causing Gary to hit his head and pass out.
The screeching returns, but Lucas is unaffected. What he doesn't account for, though, is getting hit hard in the back of the head, knocking him away from the unconscious Gary. The amount of force that was put on his head causes the assassin to wince as his ears ring loudly. Taking in a deep breath, he dodges the next hit where he sees Paul quickly approaching him. While Lucas gets ready to kill the brute, he notices Drew run into the room too.
Lucas knows he can't fight both of these top fighters, so he opts to just run away for now. He'll kill Leaf and lie to Junior that she tried to escape. Or he'll kill Leaf and then Lucas since the Hayden Family is too far gone to be restored now. Lucas doesn't care what he does as long as he kills Leaf. Smirking at the two fighters, Lucas hops onto the window sill he had broken into earlier. "You're all gonna die." he taunts before disappearing out of the window.
Paul runs over, but there's no sight of the stealthy assassin. Furrowing his brows, Paul clenches his fists in frustration because he's pretty sure Lucas knows where Dawn is. When the screeching had started, Paul was on this floor. Once he saw this door open but no one come out, he decided to investigate where he saw Lucas. Apparently Drew was also on this floor because now the men are together with Drew checking on the unconscious Gary.
Walking towards the door, Paul gets stopped by Drew's voice. "We gotta get outta here!"
"I haven't found her yet." he gruffly replies.
Drew stands up from Gary to glare at Paul's face. "They're gonna blow the place, Paul!"
"That's why I need to find her!" It wasn't Paul's idea to bring Galactic Gang, but he knows that they need the gang for manpower. Else they would've never made it this far.
Letting out a frustrated breath, Drew looks into Paul's intense grey eyes. "Fine! The bombs are going off in a few minutes! I'll meet you outside with Gary!"
Paul nods and runs out of the room. He doesn't care if he dies in here because that'll mean he's dying with her. Although, he prefers she doesn't die at all.
Basement
As Misty has been searching for a secret switch or anything to get to Leaf, the door to the hall swings open. Looking over, Misty makes eye contact with a skinny man dressed in all black and a mask. She instantly recognizes him as an assassin, and she manages to dodge his gunshots. Fortunately for her, though, it seems like he has to reload, which gives her the opportunity to tackle him.
The two engage in a scuffle with Misty clearly losing, but at least the gun has been knocked away. Luckily for Misty, a loud explosion shakes the building, which also surprises the male assassin. A few more explosions erupt, and in a panic, Lucas gets up. He'll let Leaf die from the explosions because Lucas isn't risking his life like this. He flees out of the room, much to Misty's relief.
The fire alarm is going off throughout the building as the sprinklers are also one. Despite being drenched, Misty notices Lucas dropped something. It seems like he had run in here with his ID card ready, so he dropped it when he ran away. Misty must be in the correct room then! Grabbing the ID, she runs back out to the hall where she sees smoke filling it up. However, she ignores this as she speaks into the hole Paul had punched earlier.
"Leaf!"
"What's going on, Misty? I thought you left me." comes the panicked voice.
"I think Galactic Gang set off their bombs!"
"You need to leave then!"
"Not without you!" Misty shouts back. Before Leaf can tell her otherwise, the redhead says, "I don't know how to get in."
"Go back in the room and I'll shoot off a gun. Just stand away in case the bullet goes through the wall."
"Got it!" Misty nods and heads back into the room. She stays clear of where Leaf could be shooting, but with the gunshots, Misty now hears around where she should be searching. She focuses on the area where she can hear the gunshots, and she manages to find a removable panel. Moving it reveals a scanner where she scans Lucas's ID. Quickly springing away from the door, it opens, and Misty is glad she moved because Leaf is still shooting the gun.
Once the door opens, though, the gunshots stop. The brunette walks out to see Misty and she gives her a smile. "Thanks." Nodding, Misty walks over to here where she catches a glimpse inside the room Leaf was just in. She sees a bed with chains and 5 bloody large men. "Let's go." mutters the assassin because she doesn't like the look on Misty's face. In Leaf's world, it's kill or be killed.
"Yeah." the redhead softly responds as she follows Leaf out of the room.
Upstairs
"What is that?" Kenny shouts worriedly.
The guards are speaking into their walkies because everyone felt and heard the explosions just now. With the alarms blaring and the sprinklers, though, it's impossible for the guards to hear anything. Dawn glances at ehr scared friend, and while she is scared herself, she needs to be strong for Kenny. Plus, when the guards ran in half an hour ago, she knew it's because Paul is here. This must be his and their group's doing.
"It'll be okay." She whispers to her friend, but she doubts he can hear her over the alarm.
"What's going on?" One of the guards panics as he readies his gun at the door.
"Where's Mr. Junior?" exclaims another. They hate being left in the dark like this. However, just as this question was asked, the door swings open to reveal the new Hayden Leader.
He glares at the guards for aiming their guns at him, and his own personal guards are standing between them. "Lower your weapons!" he orders.
The guards in the room apologetically look at their leader. Junior then approaches Dawn. "Your friends are causing me a lot of trouble." Hisses the man. Although Junior had prepared for another attack, he didn't expect Galactic Gang to have so many experienced members. Matthew was usually the better planner for these things anyway, so no one is surprised that Junior's plan failed.
Smirking at the angry man, Dawn replies, "Paul's coming for you."
He slaps her, causing Kenny to worriedly shout, "Dee Dee!" One of the guards hits Kenny with the back of his gun, which knocks out the small man.
"Kenny!" Dawn now yells at her friend worriedly. The guard then points his gun against Kenny's temple.
Grinning, Junior stands up. "Listen to me or he dies." Dawn glares at Junior's dark green eyes, but she nods. This is Kenny, her best friend. She can't let him die. Smirking at her, Junior orders his guards, "Let's move!" There's a secret passage out where they have a car waiting. Junior will regroup with the rest of his men and kill Paul later. For now, they need to escape Galactic Gang.
Standing up, Dawn follows the men as one of them carries Kenny over his shoulder. She's eyeing any way to escape safely with Kenny, but with him being unconscious, it's a failing task. Maybe if an opportunity arises, she will be ready? With the intense smoke, Dawn and a few of the men start coughing. Their vision is hazy, and Dawn can't see two feet in front of her due to the thickening smoke. She feels the area getting hotter, which indicates that flames are nearby.
Dawn notices the guard in front of her quickly fall to the ground, confusing her. Is he okay? Did he pass out from the smoke? She's not the only one who sees this because the guards beside her start freaking out at this. The one carrying Kenny sets him down hesitantly, but then he gets knocked to the ground too.
"Boss!" shouts one of the guards before he falls too. What's going on? Dawn is starting to get worried that this is Galactic Gang who will most likely kill her too.
The last guard near Dawn grabs her and puts a gun to her head. "Leave or she dies!" he shouts with a trembling voice. With the thick smoke, no one can see anything, and Dawn is coughing immensely. She feels the hold on her loosen, causing her to fall to the ground coughing more. So this is how Dawn is going to die? From smoke inhalation?
Glancing at Kenny, Dawn mentally apologizes to her best friend for getting him involved in everything. She never meant for anyone to get hurt, but here he is, and he's the one who doesn't deserve to be here. After everything Kenny has done for her, he doesn't deserve to die with her too. Dawn then notices Kenny's body lift off the ground, which scares her because she also gets picked up. It must be more guards!
Soon, she gets carried into a room with less smoke. Laying on the ground, Dawn feels her lungs clear up slightly, so he opens her eyes to see her fate. However, her face breaks out into a grin at the woman hovering over her face. "Paulie would throw a fit if you died, sweetie." winks the brunette.
Finding the strength to sit up, Dawn hugs her. "Thank you, Leaf!" she cries out.
Although surprised by the contact, Leaf warmly hugs the bluenette back. Leaf's wounds are still intense, and she knows she can only run on adrenaline for so long, but she can't leave just yet. She has one more thing to do before the Hayden Family can be considered completely gone. Looking at Misty, Leaf says, "Escort them out."
Misty shakes her head from beside the unconscious man. "I'm not leaving without you, Leaf!"
"You guys only came here to rescue Dawn." Leaf knowingly tells her because she figured everyone thought she died last night. Plus, Misty and Paul were surprised to have found her, and Paul ran off. Thus, Leaf figured they're here for Dawn where they just happened to find Leaf too.
"But now we have you too!" Misty insists as the assassin stands up to head to the door. "Gary needs you!" her shout causes Leaf to pause with her hand on the knob.
Clenching the hand into a fist, Leaf takes a deep breath. Gary Oak is the first person to make her feel this type of way. Even though Ash was a great friend, Gary Oak is different. He talks to her about her feelings and he seems to know what she's thinking without her saying much. It's different with him. He's been giving ehr hope since they were on the run together. Although Leaf would like to run away with him, she knows they can't do that until Junior is also dead.
Unclenching her fist, Leaf sets her hand on the doorknob. "Tell him I'll 'Smell ya later, Oak.'" With that, Leaf leaves without even turning to face Misty. The assassin isn't sure she can say these words to Gary without showing Misty her glossy eyes. As much as Leaf likes to be a stone-cold assassin, Gary has been destroying that demeanor of hers this past month. He means so much to her already that it pains her to think they're never going to see each other again. However, Leaf knows that in order for Gary Oak to be safe, this family needs to be abolished.
"Leaf!" Misty shouts worriedly, but her hold is still on the unconscious man.
Looking between the open door and Misty, Dawn takes in a deep breath since she's stopped coughing. "Bring Kenny out, Misty!" Dawn yells before she now also sprints out of the door. She can't let Leaf die like this. She won't let Leaf be alone. Junior has messed with too many people for Leaf to bear the burden of taking him down. Plus, Dawn has a score to settle with that snake.
"Dawn!" Misty panics. Mentally cursing the situation, she picks up the man again. Gosh, this is annoying! They just rescued Dawn, and here the bluenette goes running off into danger again. But Misty knows she can't chase after them while lugging around this man, so she'll have to leave. Hopefully, Leaf can take care of Dawn.
Outside
"Where is everyone?" May exclaims to her friend who drops Gary's unconscious body beside her.
Groaning from the weight of lugging Gary around, Drew stretches his limbs. From the outside, he sees the building up in flames and firetrucks are arriving. "Paul's still looking for her."
"Why'd you let them set off the bombs?" Ash asks worriedly because the woman he loves is still inside.
Glaring at him, Drew says, "This all started because you decided to fuck with the Family!"
"You're the one who got another gang involved!"
"Stop!" May shouts between the two. Whatever happened has happened, so they need to move on. Right now is not the time to argue amongst themselves. "We need to figure out how to get them out!" She starts typing furiously on her laptop, but the sprinklers and fire had already killed most of the cameras.
Standing up, Ash hobbles out, but Drew stops him. This irks the raven haired man who now throws a punch at Drew. With Ash being injured, Drew stands a good chance against him. "Stop being stupid, Ketchum!"
"I need her!"
"She wants you to live, dumbass!"
"Stop fighting!" May manages to stand and crutch her way over to the brawling men.
"What would you do if May was in there?" Ash's question causes Drew to stop as he gets hit in the gut by one of Ash's hard punches.
Clenching his fists, Drew backs away from the man. Ash is right. Drew would be doing the same thing if May was in there. "Fine."
"Drew!" May exclaims to her friend, but Ash is already starting to hobble off. May tries to chase after him, however, Drew holds onto her. With her injured leg, she can't move much. Plus, May can't fight at all, so she struggles against Drew's strong hold. In tears, she cries out "Let me go, Drew!" They just spent yesterday rescuing Ash, and now they're going to lose him as well as everyone else? Why did they even rescue Ash then? Why did they even get all of these people killed? Even people they formed relationships with?
"I can't lose you too, May." The soft voice of the man she loves just makes her melt in his arms. This isn't fair. Everyone is supposed to live happily ever after. Not die like this!
"Stop being a dumbass!" the angry shout gets the couple's attention as they look up to see Ash stopped across the street and a woman carrying someone is ahead of him.
Letting go of May, Drew runs over to help carry the unconscious man. "Misty!" he happily shouts.
Soon, everyone is back by May where Misty notices they're missing Paul. "Where's Paul?" Frowning, Drew tells her about the events that led him to separate from Paul. Misty sighs and admits, "We found Leaf and Dawn."
"I knew she was alive!" Ash enthusiastically shouts and he hugs Misty tightly. The fear of almost losing her makes him never want to let her go.
Blushing, Misty tells them, "Leaf ran off. I think she wants to kill Junior."
"Where's Dawn?" May inquires because that's the reason they're here in the first place.
"She went with Leaf and left me to bring out Kenny." Misty points to the unconscious man she had lugged out of the building. Being Matthew's top assassin, Leaf knows all of the secret rooms in the Hayden Co. building, so they eventually found Dawn. They got lucky that Junior was transporting Dawn, allowing them to plant a sneak attack through the smoke, but Junior and some of his men got away. The priority was to rescue Dawn, which is what they did. They didn't account for the bluenette to run off into danger too though.
With worried gazes at the burning building, the group hopes for the rest of their comrades to exit safely.
I finished this story, but I just need to type the next chapter. I typed all the rest of the ones after chapter 30, but I hate typing action. If you read my other stories, you know that. I only care about relationships. Anyway, I'm trying to finish this last chapter, so that I'm done with this story. There are 34 chapters in total including the epilogue.