Page 99 of The Chemist

Holding the gun at arm level, he pulled on the handle and was surprised when the damn thing moved!

After double-checking his surroundings to make sure no one was lurking in the shadows, he pulled open the door and gasped when he saw a set of stairs leading to the basement.

Now this was the part where he stupidly charged down the stairs, only to be met by a man in a ski mask holding a chainsaw.

What if Diesel is down there?that voice in the back of his mind asked, reminding him that he was supposed to be Diesel’s knight in shining armor.

Fuck it. He pulled out his phone and used the flashlight to guide his way.

Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, he was met by a long hallway that disappeared into the darkness at the other end. There didn’t appear to be any doors, so at least he didn’t have to worry about any killer clowns jumping out at him.

Taking a deep breath, he began charging down the long hallway. Three minutes later, he pushed open the door at the end of the hallway and stepped out into a large, empty parking lot.

What the fuck?

He turned around and took in his surroundings. The lot was empty, save for two lamp posts that barely cast enough light for Zero to see across the street.

And there it was. About a block away, he could see the back entrance that they used to enter the club.

Zero let out a defeated breath.

Parked across the street from the club was the van that they had used to surveil the club.

Was this the lot that the doc had used to kidnap Diesel? Had the doc been aware that Chase and they were watching them from across the street? Jesus. Christ.

Zero’s stomach dropped.

He started jogging back toward the van, anger building as he spotted Marc and Chase standing in front of the van discussing something.

“Where is he?” Zero growled at Marc, slamming his fist down on the hood of the van.

Had they gone in when Zero first wanted to, perhaps they could have saved Diesel. If anything happened to him, Marc and the guys were going to pay.

Glancing up at Zero from the corner of his eye, Marc barely acknowledged his presence.

“I asked you a question,” Zero barked, not caring if the fucker fired him. This was Diesel’s life. He needed to find him and protect him.

Fuck! Why did he waste so much time acting all coy and like he didn’t give a shit about Diesel? So much wasted time. Now he might never get a chance to tell the cocky bastard how much he cared for him.

Another side-eye glance.

“Are you done being an asshole?” Marc asked, his hands resting on both sides of the tablet sitting on the van.

Zero glanced down at the lit-up screen.

“What’s that?” Zero asked, sucking in a breath of air as he tried to regain control over his emotions. He needed a clear head. He needed to think.

“That’s our guy,” Marc said, pointing at the screen. A flashing red dot slowly made its way across a map of downtown London.

“What? What do you mean?” Zero gasped, turning the tablet toward himself to try and get a fix on Diesel’s location. “I don’t get it. How do you know that’s him?”

Marc turned to face Chase. “Do you remember that watch Matteo gave Diesel before you guys left the mansion?”

Chase let out a sigh of relief.

“What? What watch?” Zero asked, confused and frustrated.

Marc turned back to Zero.

---