Just as they rounded another bend, the white car jerked unexpectedly, veering off to the side before correcting itself back onto the road.
The sudden move startled them, and Kyle quickly turned the wheel to avoid a tree.
The car skidded, tires squealing as he regained control.. his heart pounded in his chest.
“What the hell?” Kyle spat, gripping the wheel with renewed intensity.
Harvey’s eyes narrowed. “He’s playing with us it seems. Testing if we’ll follow him through the more dangerous paths.”
But even as Harvey spoke, the road seemed to narrow further, twisting dangerously with each turn.
The masked man was leading them down an unpredictable path, his car weaving in and out of the shadows like a ghost…
Kyle felt a pang of dread, his intuition was screaming at him that something was wrong.
He pressed on, his attention split between the road and the taillights flashing ahead.
They went down a particularly sharp bend, Kyle’s grip on the wheel tightening as he forced the car around the curve, the edges of the road blurring in the corner of his vision.
Then, it happened..
Just as they came out of the turn, the road opened up into a narrow, straight stretch…
And then, without warning, the masked man’s car slammed on the brakes, stopping dead in its tracks.
Kyle reacted instinctively, but it was too late.
The grey sedan’s tires screeched as he hit the brakes, the car spinning out of control as it tried to halt its momentum..
“Watch yourself!” Harvey yelled, but the warning was swallowed by the sickening crunch of metal as their car veered wildly off the road.
The impact was brutal, the sound of glass shattering and metal bending under pressure filling the air as their car slammed into a tree with a bone-jarring force.
Everything became a haze of pain and noise.
Kyle’s head hit the steering wheel, a blinding pain shooting through his skull.
His vision blurred as he tried to regain his senses, the world spinning around him.
He could feel Harvey stirring beside him, a low groan escaping harvey’s lips as he clutched his side.
The white car was still untouched on the road ahead, he felt as if the masked man was watching the wreckage in his rearview mirror.
And then, with a final, dismissive glance, the masked man’s car began to move, disappearing down the road without a trace, leaving them stranded, wounded, and surrounded by darkness.
Kyle’s breathing was ragged, his voice a hoarse whisper as he managed to choke out, “Harvey… are you… okay?”
Harvey coughed, his voice strained with pain. “Barely. But… we lost him.”
Kyle slumped back, frustration and despair flooding through him as the reality of their failure sank in.
The masked man had led them into a trap, manipulated them every step of the way, and now, they were left alone in the middle of nowhere, broken and defeated.
Kyle’s hands trembled on the wheel, a mix of fury and dread racing through him. He hadn’t seen the trap coming until it was too late.
The masked man had vanished into the night, leaving them stranded and broken.
Their car, which had taken the brunt of a sudden hit, was crumpled, its once-sleek form now mangled and battered.
Smoke curled from the hood, the bitter scent of burned metal filling the air. The silence was thick, yet it thrummed with a sense of defeat that wrapped around..
Pain throbbed in Kyle’s shoulder, sharp and relentless, but he forced himself to ignore it, to keep his focus.
With a trembling hand, he tapped the emergency button on the car’s touchscreen, his finger hovering for a moment before he pressed down, sending a silent alert back to Rowan and the others.
Harvey lay slumped against the passenger seat, breathing heavily, his face twisted with pain.
Blood dripped down his forehead, pooling in the creases of his shirt.
They had both put everything on the line to track down the man who had dared to kidnap Vaughn..
And now, all their efforts had led them here, to this desolate place with nothing but pain and the realization of their own vulnerability.
Kyle’s vision started to blur, the edges of his sight tinged with darkness.
He tried to stay awake, to hold on just a little longer, but the pain was relentless, sinking its claws into his body with each beat of his heart.
He glanced over at Harvey, and felt a surge of guilt.
The night around them grew colder, each breath turning into mist.
The headlights of the car cast an eerie glow over the twisted wreckage, illuminating their failure.
Kyle’s hand slipped from the screen, his strength waning. He could only hope that the signal had gone through, that Rowan would find them, pull them from this nightmare.
Meanwhile..
Rowan had just dropped Amara and Vaughn off near the Moretti mansion, watching as Lucas drove away with them, their figures disappearing into the distance.
The weight in his chest didn’t lessen, and he remained in the driver’s seat of his own car, his hands gripping the wheel as his eyes remained fixed on the road ahead.
The world around him felt muffled, like he was trapped in a cocoon of his own thoughts.
There was too much happening.. too much to process all at once.
Vaughn’s situation, Amara’s pain, and the constant feeling of something terrible looming just beyond his reach.
But he had to stay focused. For them.
As he was lost in the swirl of his thoughts, his phone buzzed in his pocket, snapping him out of his reverie.
He glanced at it, not expecting much.
But when he saw the emergency notification, his stomach dropped.
His hand shook as he unlocked it with a swift movement.
The screen flashed with an alert:
It was from Kyle.
Rowan’s breath hitched.
Kyle wouldn’t send an emergency notification unless things were dire.
It wasn’t something Kyle ever did lightly, especially not when they were in the middle of something so dangerous.
His mind raced, calculating the possible scenarios.
None of them were good.
He quickly tapped the screen, and his eyes were fixed on the live location pinned on the map.. half an hour ago.
His heart pounded in his chest as he recognized the area.
It was remote but dangerous.
Without thinking twice, he slammed his foot down on the gas, the engine roaring to life as he sped off, every muscle in his body tensed, ready for whatever was coming.
He just knew it.. Kyle and Harvey were in trouble, and Rowan would be damned if he let anything happen to them.
The city blurred around him as he drove, his only focus now the road ahead..