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“Aren’t you a little young to be in this business?”
“What business is that?”
“Death?”
“I’m just here to save Ashley,” Leon bit out, unamused, and then because he was tired and in pain and fucking cold and pissed, he added: “And I thought death was your profession, not mine.”
No response from Luis but a brief pause in his footsteps, before they resumed, pace unchanged. Leon didn’t look back.
“What is your business, then? Heroism? It does not usually pay the bills.”
Fucking bastard never shut up.
“No, but fighting bioterrorism does,” Leon snapped back.
“So countering bioterrorism for the US government, then? That is your profession. You are very knowledgeable for such a new field,” and then, with gusto that made Leon want to shoot him right then and there: “A real pioneer.”
Leon didn’t shoot him, but he did turn on his heel and glared.
“Just ask the fucking question, Luis.”
“Who was it that you lost? In Raccoon City,” the man’s expression was blank, mouth a thin line. The mockery was gone from his face, as if the taunts had just been to get Leon to look at him. They probably were. Man, fuck this guy.
“No one. I didn’t lose anyone.”
“Ah. My apologies,” Luis clearly didn’t believe him, even though it wasn’t technically a lie — “I just assumed you were a little ahead of the curve, given your talent for this sort of thing.”
“Talent?” The bitterness of the laugh that wrenched out of Leon surprised even himself, and Luis looked wrong-footed. Leon laughed again at the other man’s expression, and it felt like he was hollowing his own insides: “Sure, let’s call it talent.”
“I did not mean offense,” Luis said carefully, and clearly something was showing on Leon’s face, because the words felt sincere for once.
“Only that the girl is very fortunate that you are the one that was sent to retrieve her.”
“Do you call it fortunate when you succeed in creating a bioweapon?”
“Is that how you see yourself then, as a weapon?”
“Look, asshole, I don’t know who the fuck you think are that—“
“You are good with the girl.”
“What?”
Then Luis smiled.
“Weapons are not good for little girls, Leon. I’ve made enough to know.”