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‘A simple in and out.’ Asa had said. Mordecai frowned at the memory. How he wished it was. Double-dealing suppliers were problem causing leeches.
The large warehouse had seemed empty enough. Serafine went up to the door, and it opened without issue, making a creaking noise. He had stood close to the entrance, eyes scanning the place. The location was filled with boxes of varying sizes. Meanwhile, the siblings had worked on locating the crates they needed to get.
“Where ‘da hell did they put ‘em?” Nico inquired with some exasperation. “I don’t know, brother o’ mine. Should be somewhere easy t’see.”
Mordecai, standing there, the place’s keys safely inside his pocket, wondered for a moment if the two brutes just lacked the proper brain functions to look for something or if the crates were just expertly hidden.
The place’s keys. Unused.
…Wasn’t the warehouse supposed to be locked?
The triggerman barely dodged the barrage of bullets that came his way. The trio grasped their guns, hiding behind some boxes, now alert.
Serafine laughed. “Seems we got company.” Nico said with a grin. Mordecai stayed perpetually frowning.
The black and white cat peeked, seeing if he could find the targets. He just needed to localize where the manic laughter he heard had came from. Mordecai found a certain orange tabby was doing the same as him, an almost crazed look on his face.
He almost sighed. Of course, the Lackadaisy was involved. Mordecai shot at him, but the boy dodged, ducking into cover again. Mordecai mirrored the action.
“I reckon we might be against the two buffoons we saw during that lunch.” He said, sighing irritably. The siblings erupted into laughter. “Those two? Oh! This’ll be fun, mon’ ami!” Serafine exclaimed.
“If bothersome fits your definition of fun, then yes, it will be. Quite so.” He said through gritted teeth.
“It’s three ‘gainst two! Piece o’ cake!” Nico ignored his comment.
“….The orange one is behind that crate.” Mordecai said dryly, pointing, and the siblings shot indiscriminately at the thing. The kid ran, bouncing and falling behind another box. The rambunctious pair chortled, then hid behind the barricade again, dodging the young man’s bullets.
Mordecai’s frown deepened. The orange one was localized. Now, where was the other component of the duo? Perhaps outside, loading their car with the merchandise? If so, where was it? They hadn’t seen it when entering.
He shook his head. There was no time for this. Even if he was, he wouldn’t leave without that’s speakeasy’s only muscle.
Their only muscle.
Mordecai quickly ran across the place, and shot at the boy, who dodged, getting up in fighting position.
Serafine raised an amused brow. “Wow peekon? Bein’ direct now?”
An exasperated Mordecai and the kid circled around, pointing their guns at each other. “This would end much quicker if you two attacked as well!”
The woman would have given him a cheeky retort if she hadn’t been knocked out by a crowbar the next instant.
“Serafine!” Nico yelled, and angrily pointed and shot at the grinning attacker, who dodged and ran haphazardly.
Both Mordecai and the boy looked at the scene, particularly the attacker. It was like the world had stopped for just one moment.
‘Waffling on waffles, hm? Waffles apologists are liars, eh? Waffles is lies?’
The cat whisked away the memory, and shot at his distracted opponent, who dodged, but had his forehead grazed, and fell back against a crate, quite strongly against the back of his head, probably unconscious now. Mordecai stared with boredom at him, and prepared to shoot.
A bullet passed right next to him. A warning shot. “Stop right there! Don’t…don’t shoot him!” The voice made him freeze. He slowly turned his head back, seeing a frowning, but visibly scared Ivy Pepper.
‘What do you need a gun for if you’re just adding numbers?’
His shoulders lowered, as did his gun. A moment of silence passed. “I suppose he is out of commission at the moment anyway. I will not.”
The girl bit her lip nervously, looking at him intensely. “Drop it.”
Mordecai returned her gaze, with much less fervor. The pistol made a clink after its fall.
Ivy let out a huff of air, not knowing what to say.
The black cat put his hands together. “I suppose that is all?” She could only look at him with puzzlement. “I…”
Ivy was interrupted by a loud shot followed by a thud and a laughter. Her ears pinned back. “Damn it!” She ran towards the danger, gun in hand.
Mordecai sighed, crouching and grasping his own pistol. He shot one final look at the boy before going where Ivy went.
After peeking through boxes, the sight wasn’t pleasing.
Nico had been roughly pushed against a wall, had his eyes closed and was clutching his head in pain. Ivy had made her way to a bleeding Rocky, whose laugh was slowly dying. The man had been shot and kicked Nico, most likely.
Mordecai scrutinized the scene.
A loud bang made Ivy’s heart rate quicken, and she held Rocky closer to herself. She looked back, seeing Mordecai.
The man sighed. Well, he’d made the decision when he shot his own coworker. “Do you, perhaps, need any assistance with that mess, Miss Pepper?
The girl momentarily gazed behind him, and saw that large man bleeding from a bullet wound, definitely…out. She looked at Mordecai, then nodded. He did as well.
The man crouched beside her, adjusting his glasses, and analyzed Rocky’s injury.
“He was hit on the torso. We have to stop the bleeding, and quick. He’ll also need medical care.” He felt Rocky’s eyes on him, the musicians conscience slipping away, but still there.
“Mr…Serious? Golly…changin’…sides?” The smiling man articulated an inquiry, which Mordecai swiftly ignored.
The triggerman ripped part of the man’s sleeve, and pressed at the wound’s location.
“Will he be okay?” Ivy asked with trepidation.
“The closest hospital is approximately thirty minutes from here. He has a fair shot. Well, if the bullet didn’t hit any vital organs, that is.” He retorted, still pressing the fabric against Rocky’s injury.
She nodded. “And…your coworker?” Ivy asked curiously, after some hesitation.
“…Unlikely.” The answer was slightly quieter than the others.
After a beat of silence, Ivy perked. “I need to get Freckle! Stay here!” She quickly ran. Mordecai looked puzzled, until he reasoned Freckle must be the orange cat he knocked out. He stayed focused on his task.
After some time, Ivy came back, panting. “I put him in the car!” Mordecai nodded “We should get this one to your car now. I’ll support his upper body. You hold the legs.” Ivy nodded.
Mordecai slowly raised Rocky’s body into a sort of standing position, threw Rocky’s arm over his shoulders and and arm around his waist. One of his hands quickly discarded the now red fabric and pressed his hands kerchief against the wound. Ivy did as he instructed.
“Wowie…thanks…for…helpin’ me…fellas!” Rocky thanked with a brig grin, eyes droopy.
Mordecai frowned. “You shouldn’t be speaking, you moron.”
Rocky tilted his head back with humor. “I suppose that’s what the M stands for…?” Mordecai’s brows raised.
‘Ridiculous. Is that what the R stands for?’
“Rocky, don’t be a douche. Shut up.” Ivy scolded a little. Rocky conceded. Mordecai shook his head in annoyance. That wasn’t even clever!
The task of walking Rocky to the outside was a drawling, grueling experience. The car was parked behind the warehouse. A very sound precaution, Mordecai had to admit.
Ivy was the one to open the car’s door. The boy, Freckle, was placed unconscious on the passenger’s seat. Mordecai heard rummaging from the inside, and his eyebrow raised. “Come in!”
Mordecai dragged Rocky inside on his own, and placed him on the backseat. He tried to position himself in a sitting position, rather awkwardly with the lack of space, closing the door behind him. Then, he took in the car’s state.
Dreadful. Crowded with things. Mordecai couldn’t even put his feet on the floor. Ivy must have put all those things there to free the seats. “Welcome…t’my…humble…abode!” Those were the violinists last words before his eyes fluttered shut.
Mordecai sighed with relief. Finally, peace and quiet. Ivy entered the drivers seat and closed the door and turned on the engine. “Now, Mordecai! We’ve got lots to talk about.” She said, perhaps a little…no, very aggressively.
Oh, great.
Talking and asymmetrical sitting arrangements.
Truly saddening.
The car started moving. “First off…uh, where the hell is that hospital?”
Oh. Mordecai succinctly explained where and how get there, and Ivy nodded.
“Okay. Now the real question. Why…are you helping me?”
Mordecai’s frown deepened. “My reasonings are irrelevant. What is relevant is that you need me, Miss Pepper.”
She hummed, frowning, and ignored that answer. “Are you…somehow, still attached to me? Even after shooting Viktor of all people?!”
“I reasoned with him to retire.”
Ivy breathed in, then out. “Right, right. Say whatever excuses you want. But you have absolutely no…logical reason to help me right now.”
Mordecai didn’t reply, looking down.
After the silence, Ivy spoke again. “Well, that’s…interesting to know, I guess.”
The cat sharply looked up again. Ivy could see through the mirror. “If you think you’ve found a weak point to exploit, you’re very wrong. My good will is very limited, Miss Pepper. You should know.”
“…And that good will extends to you shooting your own coworker in the face and helping me get this idiot alive to the hospital?” She squinted.
Mordecai tightly crossed his arms. Still no reply.
Ivy sighed. “…If that’s why you’re helping me right now…then why…why did you leave in the first place? Why shoot Viktor?”
“Is it not obvious? I saw business was going to fail after Atlas passed, just like every sensible person who left that place.” His tone had a sort of finality to it.
Ivy’s face scrunched. “And Viktor?”
“Well. He tried to stop me.” He paused. “…I also did wish he retired.”
Her ears perked, and her shoulders tensed. “You…wanted him to be incapacitated.”
“You sound like you just solved a charade.”
Ivy gripped the wheel more firmly, and sighed heavily. “Maybe we should change topics, then. There’s nothing else on my mind. Any questions you’d want to ask me?”
Mordecai raised a brow in puzzlement. Did he? He mused for a moment, before asking.
“This man…the one I’m currently pressing my now…” He scowled a little. “Very red hands kerchief to save from death…is his name…Rocky?”
Ivy hummed affirmatively. “I’m surprised you remember.
Mordecai shrugged. “We interacted here and there. He was…ugh, too much, admittedly. And after a certain coffee incident, I refrained from ever talking to him again.”
Ivy almost chuckled. “And that’s why I always pay attention to my drink when I’m around Rocky.
“Well, I wish somebody had warned me of the proper course of action beforehand.” he said, tilting his head, finally taking a moment to analyze the tabby’s features.
He was surprised at the symmetry he found. The only thing jeopardizing it was a bullet whole on one of his ears. He couldn’t help but be almost…pleased.
“How in the world is he a rumrunner now?”
Ivy laughed dryly, frowning. “Well. Someone had to stand up after you left and Viktor…was put out of commission.”
Mordecai suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. “I knowthat. I’m just surprised he’s still alive, I mean. He hit Serafine with a crowbar, of all things. So it seems he can’t even wield a gun.”
“That he can’t. From what I know, that thing on his ear was caused by him.”
Mordecai’s brows raised, then he squinted. “…how?”
Ivy shrugged. She was smiling, even though Mordecai couldn’t see. Rocky was an unsolvable mess. It was funny to see Mordecai even try. “You think I know?”
The rest of the drive was mostly quiet. Ivy felt quite bored. All she did was ask if Rocky was still kicking or not, and then receive an affirmative answer. She also asked over and over again which directions she was supposed to go, but that was irrelevant.
When they did get to the hospital, Mordecai spoke up first, neutral. “You can drive back now. I’ll take him there and invent a sufficiently good excuse. And tomorrow another one for my employer, I suppose.” Then, he looked at her intensely. “And don’t you dare make anyone aware of what happened tonight.” Ivy nodded after a few seconds.
After he left the car and took a few steps towards the hospital, carrying Rocky along, she stopped him. “Mordecai!” He looked back, and she continued. “…Thanks. Really.” He nodded. “…You are…welcome, Ivy.”
After she nodded, she drove away.
Mordecai heard faint clinking from the trunk of the car.
It seems the Lackadaisy had done the miraculous accomplishment of acquiring the needed alcohol supply.