Patient B-2

Chapter Forty-Five: Avalyn

 "Wow, we did that," I giggle, my words slurring as I stumble into Sophie, wrapping my arms around her in a clumsy hug. "Someone say good job, Avalyn," I add with a grin.

 Wrath materializes seemingly out of thin air, followed closely by a very handsome Cierien. He shakes his head in disbelief, peering down at the two lifeless bodies of the doctors. "We did so well. Everybody say good job," Sophie exclaims, bouncing against me and tightening her arms around me in celebration.

 "Say good job," I repeat.

 "Say it," she mimics, jumping up and down. "Say it, say it, say it, say it."

 "Dear God, shut the fuck up!" Idalia bites out, her tone sharp as she crouches down to rummage through the pockets of the deceased men.

 "Boooo!" I draw out with mock indignation. "Boo her, Sophie."

 "Booooo!" Sophie complies, joining in with a thumbs-down gesture.

 "Now everybody!" I exclaim, throwing my hands out theatrically as I turn to look at the two handsome men to our right, inviting them to join in.

 Cierien's lip quirks up, but his eyes betray a heaviness that I can't quite decipher. Meanwhile, Wrath appears visibly agitated, though that's nothing new— he always seems to be angry about something, and more often than not, he actually is. "How much shit did you put up your nose, Avalyn?" he practically bites out, his words tinged with frustration and concern.

 "Uh... coke?"

 "No, how—" he begins, but then trails off, rubbing his face in frustration. "How much?" he asks again.

 "Ten," I respond simply with a small shrug.

 "Ten lines?" he questions, his eyes widening in disbelief, concern evident in his expression.

 "No?" I say, slightly puzzled, raising my hand to count my fingers.

 One. Two. Three? I can't remember.

 "Forty-five," Sophie murmurs, her voice filled with mischief. "Forty-five... pounds."

 "What? Oh my fu—" his words end in a groan.

 "Forty-six," I chime in with a mischievous grin, and Cierien lets out a chuckle as I hold up all ten of my fingers. "Oh, wait, that's not right."

 "We need to get out of here... you two took longer than we anticipated. We've already turned off all cameras, we should be good to go," Idalia declares, her tone brisk and businesslike as she focuses on the task at hand.

 "Boo, you... you always find an issue with something," I stammer out, rolling my eyes in exasperation.

 "Every single one of their men saw you tonight, you should be thankful no one recognized you or followed you here," she fires back.

 "Hey, we did...we got it done. We were like...really good tonight," Sophie interjects, stepping up to defend our actions.

 "You were slow," Idalia retorts, her criticism unwavering.

 Sophie doesn't reply verbally; instead, she responds with another thumbs down, shaking it aggressively in Idalia's face, a silent but emphatic gesture of disagreement.

 "You're wrong. Everyone, tell her she's wrong, then somebody pat me on the back!" I laugh, playfully patting my own shoulder. "Someone... someone do it," I urge, giggling as I await the pat.

 Sophie's hand comes up, giving me a little pat before she turns away. "Give me one," she says giddily, clearly eager for her own pat.

 "Okay, we need to leave," Wrath's monotone voice halts me mid-motion.