Page 104 of The Chemist

The area they were headed to was private land owned by a private corporation Marc was still trying to understand. From what he had been able to gather, the company traded in new, cutting-edge drugs that were only now being approved for use in Europe and Asia. The company was small and relatively unknown, which only meant one thing… they wanted to keep the nature of their experiments a secret and avoid unnecessary attention.

The land that was owned by the mystery company had a large facility built in the center of a deeply wooded area. Land registries noted that the facility was built back in the seventies and used as a research facility, according to records.

Why had the doctor brought Diesel to a facility that was located well off the beaten path? Was he conducting illegal experiments? Ones he didn’t want his regular employers finding out about?

“I hear you’ve been boning our brother,” Levi noted as he and Isaac joined Zero, where he sat on a large rock, loading his gun.

Zero’s eyes shifted between the two boys. He’d met them once before when they’d stopped by to surprise their boyfriends. They were nice enough to him. And Diesel seemed to really trust them. So what could it hurt to confirm their suspicions?

“Well, we have fucked around a few times, if you must know.”

They both looked at each other before the one with the blue hair turned back to ask, “And what’s your intention with D?”

“My intention? What are we, in the 1950s?” Zero asked with a smirk on his face.Were these boys for real?

They both exchanged glances once again, except this time, the one with the violet eyes decided to take the lead.

“Diesel might come off all tough and badass, but deep down, he’s an emotional mess. He needs to be surrounded by people who will love him, support him, and always remind him that he is not alone. That he has people who love him and people who rely on him.”

Zero knew exactly what they were talking about. He’d seen it a few times where Diesel pulled back and retreated into himself when he felt that he was not being heard or was made to feel uncomfortable. Zero never wanted him to feel that way again.

“These last few weeks have shown me how special Diesel really is. Just look at how many people have come along on this rescue mission. There wouldn’t be this many people if the man weren’t special. And as long as he is with me, he will always feel safe and protected,” Zero said, eyes shifting between each of Diesel’s so-called younger brothers.

“You should have seen the hell this guy rained down at that club the other night. Never seen so much carnage,” Chase added, joining the group with Jared as well. “Any guy would be so lucky to have someone lose his shit like that when they’re worried about them.”

Zero’s face heated. He hadn’t really thought about it. He just ran into the club and began shooting any asshole holding a gun. He was seeing red and needed to find his guy.

Jared and the other boys smiled. He’d won the battle of the brothers.

“Now you just have to survive the meeting of the dads,” Isaac joked, taking another sip of his whiskey.

Apparently, that was what Isaac did. Drink. Whiskey. And have video sex with his boyfriend.

Levi’s eyes went wide while Chase suddenly found his shoes so interesting.

Meeting of the dads. How bad could that be?

40

ZERO

They cut the lights once they reached the beginning of the woods so that they could continue to drive undetected. It was dangerous. The night was dark, and the road ahead was barely visible. The only thing guiding them was the faint moonlight that cut through the trees and illuminated parts of their path. As long as they drove slowly and proceeded with caution, they might actually have a chance at making it through the woods unscathed.

“This is as far as we go,” the burly man driving growled, setting the van in park and killing the engine.

Everyone jumped out of their vehicles, adjusted their tactical gear—or tight leather pants and crop top in Levi’s case—then set along the dark path heading toward the mad doctor’s facility.

This part of the operation was led by the league of super-secret assassin commandos. This was a team of eight highly trained ex-armed forces who moved in unison and smelled of protein. One choke hold by any of these guys, and your neck would be flatter than a French crepe at Sunday morning breakfast.

“Over there.” Ares pointed to a large sewer grate hidden behind some overgrown bushes. It was well concealed and barely noticeable to the untrained eye.

During their extremely long car ride, Zero learned that in addition to being wanted by several governments worldwide, Ares was also a criminal mastermind, skilled in evasive tactics and traveling under the radar. The man made a great deal of his living smuggling guns and other contraband around the world.

Using hand signals, thesuper commando SEAL teamdisappeared into the sewer grate to do whatever it was that the testosterone-fueled steroid heads were tasked with doing.

The other, more sane group of people, as Zero liked to think of himself, continued making their way through the dark woods. According to Marc’s intel, there was a building located about a kilometer from their current location.

Their current plan was simple. One team was going to locate Diesel and, hopefully, any other victims the mad doctor might be holding. Another team was going to locate the doctor and any other guilty parties. While a third team was going to locate any intel or useful information that could be used to further their cause.

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