Bringing a knife to a gun fight was never the intelligent thing to do but in Adrian’s defence, this wasn’t supposed to end like this. It was a meeting that had been set weeks ago, Adrian going over the docks for a special shipment. He wasn’t the one who usually oversaw these things, at least not in recent years, but this one was special. And apparently, it was a set up, which suddenly explained the insistence from the other party at having Adrian there. He was rising through the ranks, started at the lowest rank and making his way to one of the most trusted in the organization. No one said it out loud, but he had replaced, if only in an unofficial way, the second-in-command who had been there for years. The other had been lacking for some time, enjoying more the tittle than the actions. It was surprising, really, how Adrian hadn’t seen this coming. There was no doubts that he wasn’t supposed to get out of here alive, the only way he did had been by killing the first man he saw and taking his gun. Being an excellent shot, it wasn’t too long before the others were injured, or worse, dead, and this would be a cleanup that would cause a hell of a headache. But it was not something he could do on his own, a quick text sent directly to the head of the organization as he clenched his side, blood quickly oozing from it. With the mess that he was leaving behind, there was no way he could go to an hospital. Adrian needed fixing and fast and the only person he could think about was Karim, his only regret in life. If the man was to die tonight, he would do it by the man he loved and it was without thinking that he ended at his doorstep. “Karim, it’s me, Adrian,” he said as he knocked on the door, holding himself on the frame. “I need your help.” His voice was pleading, the other’s words still echoing in his mind, the way he had told Adrian to never come back here again.