"Thank you for your time, Mr. King."

"Mmm," Ezra hummed, nodding once as the detective left his office.

He was trying very, very hard not to be irritated. Pinching the bridge of his nose he reminded himself that the officer hadn't created the legal system, so it wasn't exactly like it was his fault.

Still, ever since his suspicion had formed, he'd been anxious to put evidence to the theory. The lack of police support was not making that easy. He supposed he'd just have to get creative then...

The sound of his phone ringing broke the silent tension of his office, and he exhaled slowly before glancing at it.

"Connor."

"You sound like you're in a mood."

"A bit. What's up?"

"Look... it's probably nothing..."

Ezra sat up straight, his brow furrowing as Connor continued.

"I think I saw Ruby in the parking lot. What's weird is that she was sitting in a car all covered up and with sunglasses on... and after I walked inside, she drove off. It didn't sit right."

"How long ago was this?"

"About an hour? Maybe a bit longer? I wasn't going to call, but I just couldn't stop thinking about it."

"Do you have surgeries or appointments today?"

"No. Right now I'm working on Blaise and Blair's cases only, so nothing scheduled. I'm in the hospital working on a few reports and consultations while I keep an eye on Blaise, but that's it."

"Work from Blaise's room. His security is your security. When you leave, do not leave without a detail."

"Alright... and Blair?"

"She's my next phone call."

The breath of relief from Connor made it clear quickly where his priorities were, and Ezra smirked at that. Even after they hung up, Ezra found himself amused at their relationship.

It was the second time that Blair had connections that had left him beyond shocked.

Just how many more surprises did that woman have, he mused as he dialed Blair's number.

As it continued to ring, Ezra's smirk faded. When it went to voicemail, his brow furrowed in concern.

He hung up and dialed his head of security immediately.

"Sir."

"Go to Blair's penthouse immediately and check on her. Right now."

"Yes sir."

No hesitation. No questions. Stanley hung up and bolted to the staircase, his badge granting him the secured access just like it did in the elevator. He had been on the floor just below Blair's when Ezra had called, taking his lunch in his room - he was up the stairs and pausing in front of Blair's penthouse door in less than two minutes.

He noticed the scuff marks around the door handle immediately, and his face darkened.

He pulled out his walkie and tapped the button in the pattern that sent out a silent alert to every security guard on duty.

Emergency situation. No one in, no one out. High alert.

He turned the volume down on the device and tried the door.

It swung open with no resistance.

The two men making their way toward the door froze mid-step, their wide eyes the only thing visible on their face given the black masks they wore.

Blair hung limply over one of the men's shoulders, her wheelchair on its side on the far side of the room. Several papers were scattered along the floor, shards of the lamp that had once sat beside the couch now crunched underfoot.

Stanley lifted his taser, hitting the man who wasn't currently carrying a hostage before he'd had time to react. He crumpled to the ground with a strained sound, seizing and jerking as the electric current removed his capacity to resist.

That second gave the other man the time he needed, shifting Blair slightly as he pulled the gun holstered at his side. Stanley charged forward, the sound of a gun firing blending with the shouts of the masked man, of one body crashing into another, and of an unconscious woman landing on the floor and rolling away with a sickening thud.

The gun was knocked from the man's hand when he landed on his back, the air struggling to make its way back into his lungs after Stanley used him like a tackling dummy. Two punches to the temple later, and the man collapsed unconscious.

Stanley's eyes snapped to where Blair had been thrown, flinching at the position she was laying in and remembering her injuries with terrifying detail a second too late. Her arm was bent under her awkwardly, and Stanley stared without moving as he tried to figure out what to do next.

His brain needed a second to catch up after everything, but it was taking it's time to get there.

His brow furrowed then as something not quite right flashed through his mind, and he looked down. His frown deepened in confusion at the deep red color spreading across his chest. It looked like spilled wine... but from the inside of his shirt.

That didn't make any sense, he thought as he stared at it while the rest of the world seemed to fall away in a strange silence. The tased man, the one he'd punched into dreamland, and Blair all breathed at that steady pace that said they were fully unconscious - and that strange, combined sound of their breaths was the only one he seemed to be able to hear.

He didn't hear the door crashing open behind him as two other security guards rushed in, his S.O.S. having had the building locked down in minutes and the two backup guards having rushed to the elevator to provide support. He didn't hear the way Stella shouted something, rushing to Blair, while Max yelled at the same time and ran to his side.

He did feel Max's hand on his shoulder, and when he looked up the world swam behind Max's pale, worried face - his mouth was moving but no sounds seemed to be making it into Stanley's ears.

Then, without warning, Stanley's world went black.

Max panicked, lifting Stanley off the man he was still straddling - ignoring the way that same man grunted at the weight being removed. Max laid Stanley back on the floor, trying desperately to apply pressure to the wound in the man's sternum.

"Officers have entered the building."

A voice crackled over Stella and Max's radios, and they nodded in sync without even realizing it. Stella had repositioned Blair carefully, inspecting her for rebreaks or signs of serious injury, while Max continued to apply pressure and try and remain calm despite the fact that Stanley's breathing was slowing down.

The police had just entered the room when a groan from the man in the mask echoed through the space. His eyes hadn't even fluttered open before a knee was driven into his chest, earning a sharp exhale. EMTs followed quickly behind, rushing to Stanley first before leaving in a blur of shouts and equipment that left Max behind sitting on the floor without the ability to do more than stare after him.

Blair came next, her state far too fragile for the EMTs to guess she was safe despite no obvious signs of injury. She was loaded up on the next gurney, and Stella followed closely behind the EMTs. EMTs that were insistent she couldn't accompany them, which was met with threats that the officers were now dealing with.

Max had a strong feeling that Stella was going to end up riding with Blair to the hospital no matter what the EMTs thought.

After quickly assessing that both of the masked men were fine and not in need of more medical care, the officers dragged them both out in handcuffs - one completely slack and the other only able to moan incoherently as his feet struggled to find the ground beneath them.

Max remained sitting in the center of the livingroom floor, his eyes locked on the red puddle he hadn't realized he was half-sitting in until after Stanley had been lifted onto the gurney and rushed away.

It didn't look anything like it did in the movies, he found himself thinking - like his brain hadn't caught up to what was happening around him.

His face was blank and his brain a mess as he pulled his phone out, pressing the auto-dial in an instinct he didn't even realize he'd developed.

"Mr. King, there's been... an incident."

--

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