Rook's Code

Rook's Code
Selena's POV
Rook was bleeding all over her car seat.
"Stay awake," Selena said, pressing her foot harder on the gas. "We're almost there."
She had gone back for him. Found him barely breathing in her apartment. Now they were racing through the city toward the old hospital where Detective Vance used to take injured criminals.
No questions asked. No police reports.
"Selena," Rook's voice was weak. "Why did you come back?"
"Because you're hurt."
"That's not why."
She looked at him in the mirror. His face was pale but his eyes were alert.
"Because I need answers," she said.
"About what?"
"About why you never killed me."
Rook tried to sit up straighter. "What do you mean?"
"I've been thinking. All those years you worked for Marco. All those jobs. But you never hurt women or children, did you?"
"How do you know that?"
"Because I hacked police files. Every hit connected to you was a man. Usually a bad man."
They pulled into the hospital parking lot. It was almost empty except for a few old cars.
"Dr. Martinez," Selena called as they stumbled through the back door. "I need help."
A short woman with gray hair came running. "What happened?"
"Gunshot wound. He's lost a lot of blood."
Dr. Martinez helped them get Rook onto a table. "I'll need you to wait outside."
"No," Rook grabbed Selena's hand. "She stays."
The doctor looked between them. "Fine. But don't get in my way."
As Dr. Martinez worked on Rook's wound, Selena kept talking. She needed to keep him awake.
"Tell me about your code," she said.
"What code?"
"The one that kept you from killing innocent people."
Rook closed his eyes. "It's not a code. It's a promise."
"To who?"
"To myself. After my sister died."
Dr. Martinez pulled a bullet out of Rook's shoulder. He didn't even flinch.
"What kind of promise?" Selena asked.
"That I would never become the kind of person who hurt kids."
"But you became a killer."
"I became a weapon. There's a difference."
"Is there?"
Rook opened his eyes and looked at her. "I only killed people who deserved it. People who hurt others. People who would keep hurting others if they stayed alive."
"Who decides who deserves to die?"
"I do."
Dr. Martinez finished cleaning the wound and started stitching. "This is going to hurt."
"I've had worse," Rook said.
Selena believed him. She had seen the scars on his back.
"Tell me about the first person you killed," she said.
"You don't want to know."
"Yes, I do."
Rook was quiet for a long time. Then he said, "His name was Tommy Brennan. He ran a gang that sold drugs to kids outside schools."
"How old were you?"
"Fifteen."
"Fifteen? But you said you started working for Marco when you were fifteen."
"I did. Tommy was my first assignment."
Dr. Martinez looked up. "This conversation is getting very illegal."
"Ignore us," Selena said. "Keep stitching."
She turned back to Rook. "Why did Marco want Tommy dead?"
"Because Tommy had kidnapped three kids who couldn't pay for drugs. He was going to sell them."
"Sell them where?"
"To people who hurt children for money."
Selena felt sick. "And Marco sent you to stop it?"
"Marco gave me a choice. Kill Tommy or let the kids die."
"What did you do?"
"I found where Tommy was keeping the kids. Rescued them first. Then I went back for Tommy."
"And killed him?"
"He was beating a ten-year-old girl when I found him. She reminded me of my sister."
Rook's voice got very quiet. "I didn't even think about it. I just pulled the trigger."
"What happened to the girl?"
"Dr. Martinez took care of her. Got her back to her family."
The doctor looked up again. "That was twelve years ago. She's in college now. Studies medicine."
Selena stared at both of them. "You've been doing this together? Saving kids?"
"Someone has to," Dr. Martinez said. "The police don't care about street kids. But Rook does."
"How many?" Selena asked.
"How many what?"
"How many kids have you saved?"
Rook closed his eyes. "I stopped counting at fifty."
"And how many people have you killed?"
"Same number."
Dr. Martinez finished the stitches and started bandaging Rook's shoulder. "There. You'll live. But you need rest."
"I don't have time to rest."
"Why not?"
Selena's phone buzzed. Text message from an unknown number.
"Because they found us," she said, reading the message.
"Who found us?"
Selena showed them the text: "We know you're at the hospital. Come out with your hands up or we start shooting patients."
Through the window, they could see black cars surrounding the building.
"FBI," Dr. Martinez whispered. "They've been watching this place for months."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Selena asked.
"Because I knew you would stop coming. And these kids need you."
Rook tried to stand up. "We have to get out of here."
"You can barely walk."
"I can walk fine."
He took three steps and almost fell over.
"Okay," he said. "Maybe I need help."
Dr. Martinez opened a cabinet and pulled out two guns. "I don't just patch up criminals. Sometimes I have to fight them off too."
She handed one gun to Selena. "Do you know how to use this?"
"Rook taught me."
"Good. Because we're about to need all the help we can get."
That's when the lights went out.
"They cut the power," Dr. Martinez said.
Red laser dots started dancing on the walls. Sniper sights.
"Get down," Rook yelled.
The windows exploded inward as bullets started flying.
Selena grabbed Rook and helped him crawl behind a metal desk.
"There's too many of them," she said.
"I know."
"What do we do?"
"We fight."
"With what? You can barely hold a gun."
Rook smiled. Even bleeding and hurt, he still looked dangerous.
"I don't need to hold a gun. I just need you to be my eyes and hands."
"What do you mean?"
"I tell you where to shoot. You pull the trigger."
More bullets hit the desk they were hiding behind.
"This is crazy," Selena said.
"Crazy works."
Dr. Martinez crawled over to them. "There's a tunnel in the basement. It leads to the subway."
"Can we get there?"
"If we can get past the agents in the lobby."
"How many agents?"
"At least ten."
Rook checked his gun. "I can take ten agents."
"Not with one arm, you can't."
"Then we'll have to be smart about it."
"Smart how?"
Rook looked at Dr. Martinez. "Do you still have those medical samples in the freezer?"
"What kind of samples?"
"The kind that make a lot of smoke when they burn."
Dr. Martinez smiled. "You're thinking of a distraction."
"I'm thinking of an explosion."
Selena stared at them. "Are you serious?"
"Very serious. We're going to blow up part of the hospital to escape."
"What about the other patients?"
"Already evacuated," Dr. Martinez said. "I hit the fire alarm as soon as I saw the FBI cars."
"So it's just us?"
"Just us."
Another wave of bullets hit their hiding spot.
"Okay," Selena said. "What do you need me to do?"
"Go to the basement and find the tunnel entrance. Dr. Martinez and I will create the distraction."
"I'm not leaving you."
"You have to. Someone needs to make sure our escape route works."
Selena looked at Rook's bandaged shoulder. At Dr. Martinez holding a gun like she knew how to use it.
"Promise me you'll be careful."
"I promise."
She started crawling toward the basement stairs.
That's when she heard Rook call her name.
"Selena!"
She turned around.
"About your mother," he said. "I need you to know something."
"What?"
"The night she died. She called me."
Selena's heart stopped. "What?"
"She figured out Marco's plan. She knew someone was going to try to kill her."
"What did she say?"
"She said if anything happened to her, I should protect you. No matter what."
"But you worked for Marco."
"Not anymore. From that moment on, I only worked for her memory."
Bullets started flying again. Selena had to keep moving.
But as she crawled toward the basement, she heard Rook say one more thing:
"She also said to tell you the ghost bullet wasn't the only thing she hid. There's something else. Something that will end this war forever."
"What is it?"
"A name. The real person who's been pulling the strings."
"Who?"
An explosion shook the building. Rook's distraction had started.
In the chaos and smoke, Selena heard him yell:
"Agent Morrison isn't FBI! He's Russian! And he's been planning this for fifteen years!"
Then the ceiling collapsed between them.
Selena was alone in the basement, clutching the ghost bullet chip.
And somewhere above her, Rook was fighting for his life against enemies who had been playing a much longer game than any of them realized.