As Joe lifted a shaky Frank to his feet, Paul said as he continued to stare down Adler, "I'm not sure I trust to move him anywhere."
"That's fair, but we shouldn't stay here while the bomb is activated."
Joe thought for a moment. "I'm going to see if there's a phone upstairs. "Paul, Frank, neither of you take your eyes off him for a second."
Joe dashed towards the stairs, stumbling slightly as the adrenaline was wearing off and he began to feel the pain in his wrist and nose.
There was indeed a phone in the office, and Joe wasted no time in calling his father.
"Joe?!" His father cried, "where have you been!?"
Joe winced at the noise. "Dad, calm down. Frank, Paul, and I are at a warehouse by Pier 7. It's green with a corrugated roof and should be one of the only ones with the lights on. Sam's car and my bike are outside."
His fathers voice regained its usual steady tombre. "Is Frank okay?"
"The bullet hit his shoulder; Adler didn't seem to want to cause him lasting damage. He has lost some blood, so bring an ambulance. We should get him to a hospital as soon as possible. Everyone else is a little banged up, but we'll be-"
A gunshot echoed through the night. Joe's heart dropped and he sprinted out of the room, mentally kicking himself for leaving Frank and Paul alone with Adler, even for a second.
He heard the shattering of a window before he was able to assess the scene. Paul was on the ground, and an unsteady Frank was leaning over him.
"Frank!" Joe barked.
"He's fine, get Adler!" Frank shouted in quick reply.
Joe vaulted out the broken window that Adler had apparently just jumped out of. He saw a flash of movement out of the corner of eye- a sprinting Adler Haas- and dashed off to follow him.
The mist off the sea was heavy in the night, and there was only the occasional light to show Joe where to go. He panted and almost tumbled to the ground, but not for nothing was Joe the football and track hero of Bayport High School. Joe got closer and closer to Adler and was about to lunge to tackle him, but Adler spun around and gave Joe a brutal hit to his lower abdomen.
"I'm such an idiot," Joe thought as his knees hit the ground. "This was probably his plan- to separate us and take us on individually."
Joe tried to recover quickly, to take in his options, but a heavily aimed boot hit him in the chest. All the air in his chest was stamped out. He coughed and felt a spurt of blood hit his half-raised hands. Joe hit the floor, but barely caught a rasping breath before another kick hit his side. He cried out in agony.
Another voice cut through the darkness, a voice Joe knew better than any other in the world.
"Stop!"
Joe let himself relax a bit, for Frank was here, and would surely not let Adler touch him again. He coughed and sputtered, but was aware of Frank rushing to Adler, punching him soundly in the nose, and pushing him to the brick wall of the ally.
Frank hissed demandingly, "Don't you ever touch my brother again, you filthy son of a-"
"Frank!" Joe had finally noticed a wicked gleam of metal in Frank's good hand. Frank had the gun pressed up against Adler's temple, and the look on his face was so fierce Joe rushed forwards to push him away from Adler.
Joe snatched the gun away from Frank. "You idiot, tonight is not the night to become a murderer." Joe clicked the latch that released the revolving barrel from the body of the gun, and knocked all the bullets out.
Frank was still breathing hard, but he pushed himself away from Adler. He kept his eyes on Adler for a few moments as if thinking. Then, fast as a whip, he punched Adler in the temple. Adler dropped to the ground, unconscious.
Frank growled at Joe, "Sorry. Are you okay?"
Joe took some shallow breaths and wiped the blood from his mouth, careful not to touch his nose, "I'll live. Paul?"
Frank gave a wry smile. "He didn't even get shot. He just fainted from the stress. He'll be okay."
Sirens sounded in the distance. Both boys sat hard on the ground, in exhausted sentry around Adler's limp body.
The sirens got closer. Joe closed his eyes hard, feeling every stab of pain from his chest, his side, his wrist, his face…
Suddenly Frank chuckled. "Today sucked."
Joe smiled painfully. "Agreed."