Love Me Like You Do

“In memory of the not so departed Herr Spielmann, who undercutted and robbed you on the supply route to Graz, I’ll double what he was spending and handle the packaging and transit myself.” I told the men sitting at the table with me. Currently in Munich, Germany I was fixing a deal that had been spoiled. The men cheered and gulped down their alcohol. Glancing over my face contorted in annoyance. The blonde agent Ressler was walking towards me with what seemed a permanent scowl on his face.

“Donald! There you are! I told you I’d pick you up at the airport!” I laughed wrapping my arms around him in a hug. He tensed but quickly caught on and began laughing himself. He knew better than to sour a deal for me. “The cab ride must have costed you a fortune.”

“Who is this?” My lead guy asked is obvious concern to our deal. The FBI will never stop giving me headaches, I believe.

“Donald is my man at the state department. He’s been extremely helpful in all our endeavours here, but the poor fellow has to walk a terrible tightrope every single day. I feel obliged to get him drunk every once in a while so I invited him down to celebrate!” I explained throwing my arm around Agent Ressler and patting his chest for affect.

“Celebrate what, Red?” Ressler asked. I grinned at him and took a swig of alcohol.

“free trade, Donald. Free trade.”

We took another drink with the men before slipping away. I tugged at my shirt collar in annoyance. “This damn chip! What the hell do you want?” My temper showing slightly.

“Keen needs you-” Ressler began but I interrupted him.

“Then why isn’t she here?” I asked. Something was going on and I didn’t like it.

“She’s been detained.” Ressler said in a large breath. I stopped abruptly and turned to stare at him.

“By whom?” I asked. Ressler began giving me goverment excuses to not knowing. Having enough I interrupted him again. “No, you said she had been detained. Is she in danger?”

Ressler sighed and looked around. “There’s a jet on the tarmac in Munich International.” He began. I sighed, when was I going to be done saving Ms. Keen? It seemed every time I turned around she was in danger.

“No, my plane’s faster.” I replied before walking away from him.

Soon enough we were at the Post Office and Agent Ressler called in men to surround us. My annoyance had peaked as they grabbed mine and Dembe’s arms roughly pulling us into the building. I gave Dembe the nod to relax and he immediately calmed his fighting.

“What’s going on Donald?” I asked.

“I lied to you, Red.” He answered. My gaze leveled and I walked away from him. My hands were in handcuffs and I was not happy.

“Why am I in handcuffs, Harold?” I asked. As I stopped to talk to Harold Cooper I noticed a woman standing in the background watching us. Agent Carter Martinez, we had met once or twice. She is an exquisite creature, oozing class and sophistication. Just the kind of woman to be at my side.

My attention was drawn back when the lights went out signaling power failure. “They’re here.” I said. Glancing back at Carter, I noticed she had taken cover. Ressler began ushering us back towards The Box.

“Argh!” Ressler shouted as loud bang rang through the air. Ressler had been shot in the leg. Crouching down I tried to asses the damage but couldn’t in these damn handcuffs. Carter appeared from the hallway and helped Ressler up. She was impressively strong for such a tiny creature.

While Carter dragged Ressler into the Box I began shooting people. They wouldn’t be able to reach us in the Box, but we needed to close it first. I aimed a few more people attempting to keep them a distance away.

“Reddington?” A soft voice drew in my attention. I looked over at Carter. She looked as if she were in her element. This is what she had trained for; helping people while potentially getting shot at. What a brave girl.

“put your blazer under Donald’s head.” She said with confidence. I did as I was told as she pulled her hair into a ponytail and snapped on a pair of latex gloves. She must be in her doctor mode now. I began pressing Gauze into Ressler’s leg.

“What are you feeling in your extremities?” I asked Ressler turning my focus from the enchanting woman to the bleeding man.

“Not much, fingers are numb and my face is getting cold.” Ressler answered.

“Shock is setting in.” Carter informed me. I nodded in agreement. Ressler was loosing a lot of blood.

“How much blood have I lost?” Ressler asked. I turned to look at Carter for the answer. She glanced at the floor noticing the bloody mess.

“More than a cup.” She answered him. For the first time, I felt the control was not in my hands. Instead it was in the hands of this young agent who was trying to save Ressler’s life.

“Red, Tie now.” She demanded holding out her hand. I began taking the tie off thinking of how I had just bought it. I quickly handed it over and to her. “Hold Ressler down, he’s going to be in a lot of pain. Ressler get a mouthful of your tie, this is going to hurt.”

I quickly restrained Ressler the best I could without hurting him. Carter began tying the tie around his leg. Ressler groaned in pain. Carter grabbed the pistol clip that was laying next to her under the table and wound the tie around it. With a breath from her she began twisting the clip creating pressure on Ressler’s wound. At this point Ressler’s groans turned into screams as the pain amplified.

When Carter was finally finished she glanced at Ressler’s pale face. “You alright?” she asked Ressler.

“Yeah.” He answered. He was playing the brave card seeing as his hands were still shaking.

Carter and I decided it would be best if I gave Ressler a blood transfusion. Once it was finished, I stood feeling a little weak. I masked it for Carter and Ressler’s sake. I rose an eyebrow when I noticed that Ressler was only getting paler.

“His heart is pumping a lot harder so that means?” I began but found myself trailing off with a loss of words.

“An artery might have been hit or torn slightly?” Carter suggested. I nodded seeing the logic in her words. I sighed and looked down at the pale agent on the table.

“Yes, So Donald either I can cauterize the wound or open the door and it be the death of all three of us.” I told Ressler. He glanced at us then the door.

“Do it.” He nodded. I began gathering what we would need when the Box began to shake. This threw Carter off her balance and she fell to the ground hitting her head on the table on the way down. I rushed to her seeing a small trickle of blood travel down her forehead. She was unconscious.

“Take care of her, I’ll survive.” Ressler breathed out. I nodded at him and gently picked Carter up. I laid her down on the floor away from the blood and used the military vest to lay under her head. I gently wiped away the blood and put a bandage over the wound. It didn’t look deep enough for stitches. Once I knew she would be okay I returned to Ressler’s side.

“You ready for this?” I asked him. He looked at me with foggy eyes.

“Why are you doing this? it’s pretty obvious I hate your guts.” Ressler asked slowly, the blood loss affecting him.

“Because that’s what you do when someone’s dying in front of you.” I told him pouring alcohol onto a knife.
“Now, put your hands on the bench and don’t let go, I can’t have you trying to fight me as soon as I start.”

Ressler listened to instructions and tried to breathe deeply. I glanced out the door of the Box and noticed Garrick had gathered up some agents. I quickly wiped my brow before slowly pouring the alcohol over his leg.

“This is going to hurt.” I told him before I stuck the knife in. Ressler began screaming as I did my work. A few moments later his body went limp and he went unconscious. I quickly put the gunpowder on the wound and ignited it. I stood back to marvel that it had actually worked.

My marveling was short lived as Garrick had pulled Luli to the glass forcing her to kneel. “Ten seconds, Red” Garrick said as he pushed her face into the glass.

“Wait!” I said. He raised his gun to her temple.

“Nine…”

“Harold! open the Box now!” I shouted desperately. Luli was one of my closest friends, next to Dembe.

“Eight…” He shouted and begun pulling her back by her hair.

“Give him the code! Now!” I shouted.

“No!” Harold said. He stood tall as if he was proud of his resistance.

“seven, Six, Five” Garrick continued.

“My people can’t help you! Cooper can get you in here! put that gun to his head!” I pleaded.

“Four, three, two, one” Garrick said looking me in the eye, he pulled the trigger. Luli fell limp to the floor as her blood splattered The Box in front of me. I stared at her body as I heard a rustling. I glanced over to see Carter staring wide eyed at Luli’s blood. I turned away from them all.

We needed to get out of here.