Chapter 20

"Thea." It took a second for the shock to wear off before Oliver wrapped his arms around her. "I thought you weren't coming home until Wednesday."

"I was going to, but I missed you too much. Figured we could use a couple of extra days to spend some time together. Plus, everyone knows that even the professors slack off days before Thanksgiving break. It's not like I'd miss much."

Oliver pulled back to look his sister over. She was still short and skinny with a young, pretty face. Her grayish-blue eyes held that innocent and loving spark whenever she looked at him. The only real difference was that her long, curly brown hair was cut just above her shoulders. It made her seem slightly more mature. "I missed you, too. I'm glad you're home."

Felicity had stepped to the side to give Oliver and Thea a moment. The way Thea's entire face lit up, it was obvious that she adored her brother. Oliver had a similar reaction. The way his shoulders relaxed, she could tell that having his sister home was a welcomed relief.

Thea's eyes slid in Felicity's direction. Her expression turned curious as the brunette took her in. She folded her arms and sent her brother a mischievous smirk. "You must be Ollie's mystery guest."

Oliver felt a bit nervous, which was a rarity for him. The two most important women in his life were finally meeting. He'd been telling himself that they would get along but now that this moment was here, he felt the acute need for this to go well all the more. "Thea, this is my friend Felicity Smoak. Felicity, this is my sister Thea."

Felicity smiled warmly and held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Thea."

"Likewise." Thea looked down and smiled. "Cute shoes."

"Oh, thanks."

"I can see why my brother likes you. You're even prettier in person than in the tabloids." Thea laughed at Oliver and Felicity's wide stares. "I was away at school, Ollie. I wasn't living under a rock."

"Speedy," Oliver said, using his sister's childhood nickname, "you know the tabloids aren't always true. Felicity and I are just friends."

"Right. Of course," she replied but didn't look all that convinced. "So, where were you guys? I was expecting you to be home on a Monday night now that you're a big time CEO."

"We were at the office. Lots to do before the holiday."

"You work at QC?" Thea asked Felicity.

"Sort of. I'm a consultant. I actually live in Boston," Felicity explained while removing her coat. "Oliver was nice enough to let me stay here while I work out the remainder of my contract."

"Interesting." The teapot on the stove began to whistle. Walking into the kitchen, Thea called over her shoulder, "So, how did the two of you meet?" She held up the pot. "Tea?"

Felicity was really looking forward to having that glass of wine with Oliver and cast aside her disappointment at their change in plans. They could do that another night. For now, Felicity was curious to learn more about Thea. Based on Thea's endless questions, the brunette was just as inquisitive about Felicity.

"I'll have a cup," the blonde replied.

Oliver joined them at the counter and relayed the same story they'd told everyone else about how they met. Thea listened attentively and asked another question or two in between. When the topic of Brother Eye came up and what had happened at QC, Oliver felt Felicity shift beside him. No doubt the day's events were continuing to weigh heavily on her mind. He discretely slid his hand to her knee underneath the counter.

"That's pretty much it," Oliver finished. Eager to change the topic, he asked, "What's been going on with you? How's school?"

"It's been good," Thea began before launching into her descriptions of her classes and the mysterious prankster in her dorm who keeps nailing random dirty socks to people's doors. Thea had just started talking about her philosophy professor and his spitting problem when Felicity let out a yawn.

"Oh, sorry," Felicity apologized. "I swear you're not boring me. It's just been a long day, and whatever small amount of caffeine was in that tea has definitely worn off."

"No, it's okay. It's really late, and you guys probably have to get up early." Thea looked at the clock on the oven. "I'm guessing in three hours if you want to make it to QC on time."

"Yes, and it's probably going to take the world's strongest cup of coffee to get me functioning tomorrow," Felicity joked and stood up. "Night, guys."

Oliver, suppressing his worry, watched Felicity make her way up the stairs before turning to his sister. "We'll hang out and catch up tomorrow," he promised.

"I'm holding you to that." Thea gestured to the TV. "I'm going to stay up a bit longer. I'm kind of wired."

Oliver hugged his sister once more and kissed her on the cheek. "Night, Speedy."

"Night, Ollie."

Oliver hung up the phone and rubbed his hands over his face. He'd been talking to Ray about the investigation into the performance enhancers. They hadn't learned much. Like Felicity, Ray's team had tracked down the test subjects to see if they had any connection to the theft. The majority of them sought treatment after the failed experiment and were doing much better now. The few that were unable to be reached Felicity would track down. The Arrow intended to pay them a little visit.

Carrie buzzed in seconds later. "Mr. Merlyn is here to see you."

Oliver hadn't been expecting Tommy to visit today but was glad for it nonetheless. He'd been meaning to call him. "Send him in."

"Look at you working hard. There's a first time for everything," Tommy joked as he entered the office.

Oliver stood up from his desk to greet his best friend. "And you playing hooky. Some things never change."

"We're both CEOs. Technically, this is a business meeting."

"What business are we discussing?" They settled into the small seating area by the windows.

"I don't know. I just wanted to get out of the office."

Oliver smirked. "Clearly. It's good you stopped by. I've been meaning to call you."

"Oh, I'll be there Thanksgiving. Thanks for the invitation, by the way." At Oliver's curious stare, Tommy elaborated, "Felicity already called me."

"Of course she did." Oliver smiled and shook his head.

"Honestly, I'm not sure how you functioned before she came along."

"That makes two of us," he agreed. "I'm glad you'll be joining us."

"You're the only family I've got. It's been that way since we were kids." Malcolm had often been cold and distant to Tommy when he was growing up. It's why Oliver didn't mind that they spent the majority of their time at the Queen Mansion. His parents always made Tommy feel welcomed, and Oliver knew his friend needed that more than anything.

"At least that hasn't changed," Oliver quietly said.

"It never gets easier, does it?"

"No." Oliver noticed movement outside his office from the corner of his eye. He looked over to see Felicity and Thea talking and smiling. Diggle was standing off to the side. "But sometimes it does get better." When he caught their attention, he waved them in.

"Tommy," Thea happily greeted.

Tommy got up to hug her. "Thea, welcome home. You look more grown up every time I see you."

"What are you doing here? You and my brother planning another crazy event at Verdant?"

"Not yet, unfortunately."

Thea mock pouted. "You guys really are no fun anymore."

"You'll have to fill the fun quota for the two of us. But not too much fun. Keep it clean, Speedy," he jokingly warned, "or else your brother will have to break someone's neck."

Oliver exchanged a knowing look with Dig and Felicity, who both appeared to be trying not to laugh. He kept a straight face. Tommy, after all, had no way of knowing how accurate that statement actually was.

"I'd like to see him try," Thea laughed. "You ready for lunch, Ollie? Tommy, Felicity, you guys should join us."

"I don't want to intrude," Tommy replied and glanced at Felicity. The blonde also seemed hesitant.

"It's no intrusion. Gotta make the most of my time while I'm here."

"I am starving." Tommy rubbed his hands together. "Where are we going?"

"I've been dying for some Big Belly Burger. They don't have any near my school. Felicity, you coming?"

"I'd love to, but I've got a lot of work to do. In fact, I need to borrow Oliver for a second."

"We'll wait outside." Tommy put his arm around Thea's shoulder and guided her out the door. "Now tell me about all the hot sorority girls that you know and feel free to show pictures..."

Oliver shook his head in amusement at his best friend before addressing Felicity. "What's up?"

"I got the addresses of the guys who didn't respond to Ray's team. One lives in Adam Heights. The other two are roommates in South Boulevard. They moved there fairly recently."

"St. Walker's Hospital isn't too far from there," Diggle added. "Those performance enhancers probably had lasting effects that they are getting treated for."

With a nod, Oliver declared, "I'll start with them tonight. If they're continuing to have health problems without the drugs, then they could have a motive for stealing them."

"You mean like an addiction?" Diggle guessed.

"Possibly."

Felicity said, "I'll head over to the Foundry and see what else I can dig up on them."

"You sure you don't want to come to lunch?" Oliver questioned.

"I can't. I have too much to do."

Oliver almost insisted that Felicity come anyway. His excuse to sway her being that it would, at most, take an hour. She'd been spending more time than usual in the Foundry since Cooper's reappearance, and it had him worried. He wasn't worried so much about her workload as he was her throwing herself so completely into it. The Count's menacing warning had brought Felicity to tears last night, increasing her anxiety. Oliver had managed to sooth her slightly, but Thea's arrival made it more difficult to find time alone to talk.

Felicity must've sensed his concern, because she managed a smile. It didn't quite reach her eyes, though. "I'll be fine. Go spend time with your sister, Oliver. She's important to you. I'll see you later." She left the office and said a quick goodbye to Thea and Tommy on the way out.

As if reading his mind, Diggle said, "I'll go with Felicity and have Brad stay with you and Thea."

Oliver nodded his head in thanks before mustering a grin of his own. He spent the afternoon reminiscing with his sister and best friend and laughing at their jokes. Although it almost felt like old times, Tommy's words from earlier rang true. Nothing was ever easy.

Something wasn't right. Felicity could feel it. The more she worked on the cases they were trying to solve, the more she got that uneasy twist in the pit of her stomach. Too many things were piling up at once.

First, there was The Count's warning about Cooper. It made absolutely no sense that Cooper would be seeking out drug pushers, especially when he was continuing to terrorize Starling as Brother Eye. Second was the missing performance enhancers. It was like they'd upped and disappeared without a trace. If Oliver couldn't get anything out of the remaining test subjects tonight, the trail would once again be cold.

Third, there were the random murders in The Glades. Two more bodies had been found with the same wounds inflicted as the first three. It was almost like they'd been ripped apart. They were also criminals. People no one would mourn or miss, but their discoveries were disturbing all the same. Felicity didn't know if they were dealing with a serial killer or misguided vigilante, but they had to put a stop to him/her before the situation escalated any further. Finally, there was Malcolm Merlyn. He was totally off the grid again, which made it impossible to track him down. There was no activity at his private airstrip in Starling or contact with his former pilot buddy. It was like trying to capture a ghost.

Lots of questions with very few answers. Were these instances coincidences? Could be. Isn't that how life worked? Moments of calm disrupted by innate chaos. Felicity, shaking her head, wasn't quite convinced. She had to be missing something. She'd always been a problem solver growing up. If there was a loose end, Felicity would find it and unravel it until she found the answer. There was a loose end somewhere in all of this, and she wouldn't stop until she discovered it.

"Something smells good."

Deep in thought, Felicity jumped at the unexpected sound of Thea's voice. After spending so many hours down in the Foundry this afternoon, she figured it would be good to take a break. Felicity had returned to the loft not too long ago to start dinner. "Oh, Thea, hi. I didn't know you were home."

"Sorry if I scared you."

"No, it's okay. Oliver doesn't get back until later, so I'm used to being here alone." It was odd having someone else staying in the loft. The change had been palpable this morning. Aside from the Foundry, the loft was the only place she and Oliver didn't have to pretend. Thea seemed as sweet as Oliver had described her, but Felicity was very aware once again that she was the guest in their home. Everything Felicity said and did was done with care. It had only been a day, and she already felt exhausted. Felicity could only imagine how Oliver, when he first returned from the island and became The Arrow, had managed to live with his family and keep his secret.

Thea leaned against the counter. "Do you cook dinner every night?"

Felicity continued chopping the vegetables. "A few nights a week. I'm a big fan of leftovers. It's less work."

"That's really nice," Thea commented. "I'm sure my brother appreciates it."

"He forgets to eat sometimes. Getting one good meal a day in him is an accomplishment in and of itself," she joked while moving the vegetables into the frying pan.

"I'm glad my brother has someone looking out for him."

Felicity shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. "That's what friends are for."

Thea walked over to the fridge to grab a soda. "Yeah, that's what's interesting. My brother isn't exactly known for having many female friends. Not to mention, I saw the daggers Carrie was shooting at you with her eyes today. She's clearly threatened by you."

"There's a first time for everything, I suppose," Felicity replied. "And Carrie...she's just..."

"She's a bitch," Thea stated outright. "You don't need to sugarcoat it."

Felicity laughed out loud. "That sounds about right. Glad I'm not the only one who noticed."

"Please, I couldn't stand her even when she was my mother's assistant. She was such a suck-up, especially when Oliver was around. The only reason she went out of her way to be nice to me was to impress him. So fake."

"Thankfully, I don't have too much contact with her anymore. It was touch and go for awhile when Oliver was injured. I had to get documents from her to bring home to him. Not the most thrilling month of my life."

"I wanted to thank you for that, by the way. As good as it's been to get away from Starling, I've missed my brother. When I heard about Ollie's accident, I totally panicked," Thea revealed, her voice filled with underlying grief. "I already lost him once and now with my mom gone...I don't know what I'd do if something happened to him."

"Oliver told me what happened to your mom." Felicity turned away from the stove to face her. She wanted Thea to see how much she genuinely meant her next words. "I'm so sorry, Thea."

"I didn't know about you and my brother all these years. But what I do know is that Ollie needs people in his life he can trust. It's hard for him to open up."

The corner of Felicity's mouth rose in a half-grin. "I've noticed."

"He wouldn't let just anyone live here. When I said I was coming home to take care of him, Ollie was adamant that he was in good hands. I could tell how much he meant it, so I went along with it," Thea stated. "I don't know you, Felicity, but I can see that you really care about my brother."

"I do," Felicity confirmed, wrestling with how much she should actually reveal to Thea. She settled on, "I would do anything for him."

"That makes two of us." Thea offered her a warm, accepting smile before motioning to the food. "Do you need some help? It'll be good practice before Thanksgiving. I apologize now for my lack of culinary skill."

"I would love some help," Felicity replied. "And don't worry. I know exactly where Oliver keeps the fire extinguisher." She waved for Thea to join her by the stove and explained how to sauté the vegetables. When Thea affirmed that she could handle stirring, Felicity got started on the rest of the meal.

Their conversation was light and fun after that as they attempted to get to know each other better. Felicity and Thea had a lot more in common than they'd realized. Both were suckers for Disney movies growing up and loved to belt out the soundtracks. They tried to sing their own version of "Under the Sea," which turned out horrendous. Felicity was a pretty good singer, but Thea's voice would crack every ten seconds as she tried to match pitch. By the time Oliver returned home, dinner was just about ready and Felicity and Thea were laughing hysterically.

"You did not!"

Felicity, giggling, admitted, "I totally did. It was a Sci-Fi convention, so it's not like I was the weirdest one there. The guys dared me to wear actual cinnamon buns on my ears and I did it. Princess Leia never looked so sweet. Plus, I totally had a snack handy when I got hungry later."

"You are such a nerd. An adorable nerd, but a nerd nonetheless," Thea teased.

"That is very true."

Thea, curious, asked, "Who was the weirdest one dressed at that convention?"

Felicity snorted at the memory. "Oh man, some big guy came dressed as Jabba the Hutt. And I mean 'dressed' in the loosest possible sense. He basically painted himself green, wore a matching Speedo and drew a face on his chest. He pretended to talk out of his belly button and fat rolls the entire time."

Thea nearly spit out her drink she was laughing so hard. Even Felicity was clutching her sides as she attempted to catch her breath.

Oliver couldn't help grinning himself at the sight of them. "I clearly walked in at the wrong part of this conversation." He placed his briefcase on the side table and took off his coat before approaching them.

"Oh, hey," Felicity greeted. "You're actually right on time. Dinner is ready."

Thea grabbed the plates while Felicity got the utensils. "Felicity was just telling me about her nerdy college years. Did you go to any Sci-Fi conventions with her, Ollie?"

"Hanging out with people in costumes isn't really my thing."

Oliver heard Felicity cough next to him as she tried to cover a laugh. He mock glared at her before tugging affectionately on her ponytail. Thea handed him a full plate, to which he replied, "If you actually cooked, I'm not sure I can eat this."

"Haha," Thea deadpanned. "Relax. Felicity cooked."

"Well, you did help," Felicity amended and bumped her hip. "She stirred those vegetables around like a pro."

"See," Thea retorted and playfully stuck her tongue out at her brother.

"I apologize, Speedy. I stand corrected."

Felicity smiled at Oliver and his sister teasing each other. It was a lighter side that she hadn't gotten to see of him. They took their seats at the table. Thea asked about the rest of Oliver's day. He told her a bit about how the family company was doing, which then led to stories about their visits to QC as kids. Felicity simply listened, not wanting to intrude on their reminiscing.

Thea checked her watch, "Oh, crap. I gotta get ready."

"You have plans for tonight?" Oliver asked.

"I'm meeting up with a couple of old friends. We're going to Verdant. You going to be there?"

Oliver snuck a glance a Felicity. She was in the kitchen cleaning up. "Uh, not tonight. It's been a long day. I think I'll stay in."

She watched him for a moment with a hint of a knowing smile on her face. "I'd ask who are you and what you've done with my brother, but it's really not necessary."

Oliver frowned in confusion. "What?"

"Nothing," Thea said with a shake of her head. "I'll see you later. Don't go to bed too early, old man."

"That's not even funny," Oliver called after her.

Thea laughed and waved him off as she made her way upstairs.

Felicity walked over to the table and started stacking their plates. "She has a point. Not about the old part but the going to bed part. If you're going to be hunting down emotionally-damaged, genetically-enhanced test subjects, sleeping might be a good idea before we head over to the Foundry. Not that I'm implying that we sleep together." The blonde babbled on, "And by 'sleep' I mean strictly rest. Not me and you but just you. Not that I couldn't use a nap, but I should clean up and then I have to-"

Checking to make sure that Thea's door was shut, Oliver said, "I actually had something else in mind." He reached out for Felicity and caught her by the waist before she had a chance to move away. She let out a soft squeal in surprise when she landed in his lap.

"Oliver, what are you-" she began when his lips silenced her. His mouth moved tenderly yet hungrily over hers, demanding a response. Felicity instantly melted into him and wound her arms around his neck. The tension that had been plaguing her all day lessened as she took comfort in the warmth and strength of his embrace.

"I've been wanting to do that all day." His voice was low and thick, causing goosebumps to form on Felicity's skin.

"Oliver, Thea could come out and catch us any minute," Felicity pointed out. Despite her objection, she couldn't exactly bring herself to pull away from him.

"It'll take her at least an hour to get ready. Besides, we never did get to have that glass of wine last night."

"You sure having a drink before fighting criminals is a good idea?"

"One glass isn't enough to even get me buzzed."

Felicity smiled and leaned her forehead against his. "Lucky you. I'm such a lightweight. One glass will most definitely get me drunk." She kissed his upper lip. "I'll probably be squinting at my computer screen and trying to type in the right commands." Then his lower lip. "Not to mention slurring my words in between belting out Spice Girls songs while you're demanding the location of the bad guy." Felicity kissed his lips full on before murmuring, "Then I'll send you the wrong way and most likely run you into a bus, for which I will feel extremely guilty once I sober up."

Oliver chuckled and shook his head. "I doubt it will be as dramatic as all that."

"I'll have half a glass, just to be on the safe side," she said, kissing him once more. Oliver was right. They had to take advantage of what free time they had. There was no telling when another crisis would pop up.

He patted her legs. "Unfortunately, you're going to need to get up so I can get the bottle."

Felicity pouted playfully and was about to stand when she felt something vibrate against her leg. "Either that's your phone or you really don't want me to get up."

"Cute," Oliver muttered as he reached for his phone. It was a text from Laurel. The grin quickly disappeared when he read the message.

"Oh no, you've got angry face," Felicity observed. Already she could feel their few minutes of bliss slipping away. "I'm assuming the wine will have to wait once more. What is it?"

"The police were supposed to move The Count out of the hospital tonight. Instead they found him hanging in his cell."

"Oh, God," she breathed and stood up. Felicity began pacing as she processed this new development. The Count was a horrible, dangerous person from what she heard. It wasn't so much his death affecting her as it was the meaning behind it. "I knew it." At Oliver's questioning stare, she elaborated, "I obviously didn't know that that was going to happen, but I'm not surprised. I had this weird feeling all day like something bad was going to happen. You don't think it was actually suicide, do you?"

"Honestly, no." It didn't make any sense to Oliver for The Count to kill himself. Laurel had gotten him a better deal than he deserved, and The Count definitely wasn't the self-sacrificing type. There was only one logical explanation. "Cooper must've found out he talked and needed to tie up a loose end. Whoever else he's been working with, it would serve as a warning."

"Cooper's never killed anyone before." Felicity crossed her arms in an attempt to hold herself together. The anxious knot in her stomach was growing by the second. She knew Cooper had gone over the edge, but it was still hard to fathom that he would take it this far. "He's becoming more dangerous."

"Felicity, we don't know if he actually did it," Oliver attempted to calm her. "The Count had a lot of enemies."

"Maybe so, but it's too much of a coincidence that he ends up dead not long after we question him about Cooper. And so what if Cooper hired someone to do it? Doesn't mean he's not responsible."

"Felicity," Oliver said when she started putting on her coat. "Where are you going?"

"The Foundry. Where else?" Felicity grabbed her purse and turned to face him. First it was big corporations. Now it was criminals. How long would it be before Cooper did something to harm people that were completely innocent? "I'm going to take him down once and for all. You coming?"

The men who lived in South Boulevard definitely weren't involved in stealing the performance enhancers. Oliver and Diggle investigated the empty apartment but didn't find anything. While Oliver waited for one of them to return, Diggle went to talk to a few neighbors. They filled in the details. The reason those men hadn't gotten back in touch with Ray's team was because one of the men had died while the other was in a coma in the hospital. Both were adverse reactions to having been exposed to such a lethal drug for so long.

The only lead they had left was Samuel Ronsen, who lived in Adam Heights. Felicity had done a background check on him and learned that he wasn't exactly the perfect soldier. He had a few complaints filed against him for misconduct and unnecessary violence during his army days. Ronsen certainly seemed like someone with the skills and motive to break into Applied Sciences and steal the performance enhancers.

For the second time that night, Oliver found himself breaking and entering while Diggle kept watch out front. Ronsen's apartment was a mess. There were pieces of broken furniture and old takeout containers all over the floor. Clothes were strewn about. Upon closer look, Oliver noticed that the shirts in one pile were all covered in dried blood.

"Diggle," Oliver said into his comm, "This might be our guy. Felicity, can you use his phone to get a location?"

It took a moment for Felicity to respond. When Oliver had left, she'd been meticulously working on learning the details of The Count's death in an attempt to get a clue on finding Cooper. "He doesn't have it on him. It's in the apartment."

"Where?"

"Somewhere in the living room is my best guess."

Sighing, Oliver began to sort through the mess. "Found it."

"Oliver," Diggle spoke up. "There's a suspicious figure entering the building. Doesn't look too steady on his feet. It might be Ronsen."

Oliver put the phone in his pocket. Maybe Felicity would be able to get something off of it later.

He loaded his bow and aimed it at the door. Diggle was right, because it opened. The man entered and flipped on the light switch, turning on only a small lamp by the couch. "Don't move," Oliver ordered in his Arrow voice.

The Samuel Ronsen Oliver had seen in photographs in the research files did not match the man standing before him. He looked dirty and disheveled, like he hadn't taken a shower in days. His hair was longer and his previously shaved face now had a beard.

Ronsen's bloodshot eyes narrowed at the sight of The Arrow. His upper lip curled in derision as his hands fisted at his sides. "You."

"I'm not here to hurt you. I only want to talk," Oliver said to him.

"About what?" Ronsen demanded through gritted teeth.

"You were part of a government experiment involved in developing performance enhancers. Those drugs are now missing."

A muscle in Ronsen's neck twitched. "Not my problem."

"Did you take them?"

"No."

"Do you know who did?"

The slight pause before his answer told Oliver he was lying. "No."

"You get one more chance to tell me the truth before I stop asking nicely," Oliver threatened.

Ronsen took a menacing step forward. The small amount of light now reflecting off of him revealed a streak of red across the front of his shirt. The sleeves of his arms were also covered in blood. Oliver looked him over carefully. Ronsen didn't appear to be injured, which meant that the blood wasn't his own. "Where were you tonight? Did someone get hurt?"

The man's head twitched to the side. The longer he stared at Oliver, the more vicious his expression became. "You shouldn't have come here. Now I have to kill you. I don't want to, but I have to."

"You don't have to do anything," Oliver replied.

"I lost control of my life a long time ago. Either I kill you or you kill me. It's the only way this can end."

Oliver didn't get a chance to question him further before Ronsen lunged. He shot an arrow into his shoulder. Ronsen grunted but kept moving forward. Oliver quickly released another arrow. It hit him in the leg, and Ronsen faltered. He reached for both arrows and yanked them out like they were nothing more than a mere splinter.

"Diggle, we've found our guy," Oliver murmured. No way would a normal man be able to withstand that type of pain so easily. Ronsen must still be taking the drugs. It would explain his erratic and enraged behavior.

"I'm coming," Diggle answered back.

Oliver punched Ronsen in the face with the base of his bow. His head whipped back for a second before his own fists were flying. He clipped Oliver in the jaw, sending him into the coffee table. It broke beneath Oliver's weight. Ronsen leaned over him, ready to deliver another blow, when Diggle came barreling into the apartment. He fired his gun and hit Ronsen in the back. It only seemed to anger him further because Ronsen turned on Diggle. Diggle got in a few punches of his own before Ronsen tackled him to the ground.

"Oliver," Felicity said in his ear.

"I'm a little busy."

"Your friendly chat must've disturbed the neighbors, because someone just contacted the police. SCPD is on their way over now."

Oliver cursed under his breath and stood. Ronsen was still on top of Diggle. His partner was doing his best to fend him off, but it wasn't without a few bruises and a busted lip. Oliver pulled out one of his specialty arrows and fired. It landed right next to the bullet wound Diggle had inflicted. The Arrow beeped and exploded, sending Ronsen flying to the side and off of Diggle. The Arrow did the trick, because Ronsen didn't get back up.

Oliver held out his hand to help Diggle up. "You okay?"

Diggle coughed a few times, hunching over. "Nothing a large ice pack and some aspirin can't cure."

"The cops are on their way. We have to go."

"Did you find the performance enhancers?"

"I didn't get a chance to look. It's up to the police now." Before leaving, Oliver found an inconspicuous spot on the wall to stick one of his small transmitter arrows. They'd be able to hear everything the police said when they arrived.

Felicity already had the first aid kit handy by the time they returned to the Foundry. While she tended to Diggle's injuries, Oliver listened to the conversation between Detective Lance and his partner. Two more random bodies had been found tonight. They suspected that Ronsen might've been behind the murders. An eye witness saw a man fitting his description in the area. Combined with the fresh blood on Ronsen's clothes and in his apartment, there was enough evidence to take him into custody. They would have to run a few tests to be absolutely sure. Afterward, Oliver relayed the information to Diggle and Felicity.

"Well, that's good. They found the killer, and now he's off the streets," Felicity stated. "The performance enhancers will probably turn up once they finish their search."

Oliver was silent as he put his gear away.

Diggle, sensing that there was more to all of this, questioned, "What are you thinking, Oliver?"

"Ronsen said he didn't take the drugs. I could tell he was lying, but there was something else. It was like he was expecting me to find him."

"What's so odd about that? All the bad guys at this point know there's a possibility of being taken down by you. If he was murdering people, it makes sense that you would find him eventually," Felicity reasoned.

"I didn't get the sense that it was about that. He said that he didn't want to kill me, but he had to. He also said that he didn't have control over his life anymore. That either I would die or him."

"So he was working for someone else," Diggle surmised. "Which also means he might not be in possession of the drugs. Someone else could be using them as leverage."

"I don't know. Possibly." Oliver handed the phone to Felicity. "This is Ronsen's. See if you can find anything. I want to know who he's been in contact with and if there's been any strange communications."

"I'm on it." Felicity took the phone and muttered to herself, "Probably good I didn't have that wine after all."