The map on his phone displayed their last known location, a remote stretch of land far from the city, where no one would come looking.
Rowan could feel the air thickening as he drove, the oppressive silence of the night pressing in on him.
The only sound he heard was the hum of the engine, the screech of tires against the asphalt as he navigated the winding roads.
He kept his eyes on the road, but his mind was racing, replaying the worst-case scenarios.
What had just happened?
Had they been ambushed?
Were they alive?
His phone buzzed again, a text message from one of guard’s number, its contents simple but chilling: “We’ve located them. They’re alive. Just barely.”
Rowan’s heart hammered in his chest as he read the words.
Alive..
That was all he needed to hear.
The relief was short-lived, though, replaced by a surge of anger and dread. They were alive, but for how long?
And what kind of state were they in?
The night air outside had grown thick and musty, the scent of earth and decay mingling in his nostrils as Rowan’s car finally reached the coordinates.
The dirt road was barely visible in the dark, and as he rounded a sharp bend, the glow of distant lights caught his eye.
He slammed the brakes, his heart leaping into his throat as he saw them.
A small group of men were standing by a cluster of parked vehicles, their expressions tense, their eyes scanning the area.
Rowan recognized one of them immediately..
It was Finn, one of his trusted men, standing near the back of a black SUV. Finn looked up when he saw Rowan’s car approaching, his eyes wide with urgency.
“Boss..!” Finn called out, his voice strained.
Rowan’s instincts flared, and he sped towards the group, throwing the car into park before he was even fully stopped. He jumped out of the car without a second thought, his boots crunching against the gravel as he sprinted towards Finn.
“Where are they?” Rowan barked, his voice raw with barely-contained panic.
Finn stepped aside, his face grim. “Inside the SUV, but… it’s bad. They’ve been through hell, Boss. We need to move fast.”
Rowan didn’t need to hear more. His heart thudded in his chest as he reached the back of the SUV and threw open the doors.
The scene that greeted him was enough to freeze his blood.
Kyle was slumped in the back seat, his face pale and covered in dirt and blood. His eyes were closed, his breathing shallow but steady, though it was clear from the bruises on his body and the signs of multiple wounds that he had barely survived whatever had happened.
Beside him, Harvey lay half-conscious, his clothes torn, his arms covered in cuts, and a deep gash running along his forehead, dripping blood onto the leather seat.
The sight of his younger brother and assistant felt like this ignited a fiery rage in Rowan’s chest.
He leaned over both Harvey and Kyle, shaking them gently, his voice low but firm. “Harvey.. Kyle.. Wake up. Come on, stay with me.”
It took a moment, but slowly, Kyle’s eyelids fluttered open. His pupils were dilated, his face a mask of pain, but his gaze locked onto Rowan’s with some recognition.
A weak, strained smile crossed his lips, though it was more of a grimace than anything else.
“Boss… didn’t think… we’d make it out of that…” Kyle rasped, his voice barely above a whisper.
Rowan’s throat tightened, and for a split second, he could feel the weight of everything crashing down on him.. the fear, the responsibility, the guilt.
He had failed them, and they were paying the price for it. But there was no time for guilt now. He had to focus, had to get them out of here.
“Don’t talk,” Rowan said, his voice tight with controlled fury. “We’re getting you out. Just hang on.”
He turned to Harvey, his breath catching in his throat as he saw the blood pooling beneath the other man’s head.
Harvey’s eyes were half-lidded, his breaths labored, but there was still a faint pulse of life in him. Rowan wasn’t going to let that slip away.
He motioned to Finn, who immediately moved to help him lift Harvey out of the SUV. “Get him onto a stretcher, now. We’re going to the hospital,” Rowan commanded, his voice low and lethal.
Finn nodded quickly, his hands shaking but steady as he carefully adjusted Harvey’s body, making sure to avoid any further damage.
As the men worked together to get them onto the stretchers, Rowan’s gaze flicked to the surrounding area.
The air felt charged, tense, as if the shadows were holding their breath, waiting for something else to happen.
His instincts screamed that there was danger still lurking in the distance, but he shoved the thought aside.
His focus was on Kyle and Harvey.. on getting them to safety..
With both men secured in the vehicles, Rowan gave orders to his remaining men, who scrambled to get into position. “Get the convoy moving. No delays. We get them to the hospital, and we do it now.”
He slammed his fist against the side of the SUV as Finn climbed into the driver’s seat.
The convoy began to move, Rowan’s black car leading the way, cutting through the darkness like a predator stalking its prey.
The drive to the hospital was a blur, the hours stretching into an agonizing eternity as Rowan watched over his men, his thoughts fraying at the edges.
The weight of everything that had happened was bearing down on him, but there was no time for weakness, no room for failure.
He could feel the heat of anger building inside him.. whoever had hurt his people they would all pay.
The screeching of tires, the flashing of red and blue lights.. the hospital was in sight.
Rowan’s heart was in his throat as Finn screeched to a halt in front of the emergency entrance.
The doors were thrown open, and medical staff rushed forward, ready for the chaos that was about to unfold.
Rowan barely registered the flashing lights and the sounds of the hospital coming to life around him. He moved hurriedly, his focus on Kyle and Harvey, on getting them the help they desperately needed.
They were lifted out of the vehicles, their bodies limp and battered, but still alive. Rowan moved close to Kyle and Harvey, his voice low and firm as he leaned in. “Both of you hang on. Don’t you dare die on me.”
Kyle’s lips twitched into a barely-there smile, his eyes glazed with pain. “Not planning on it, boss,” he murmured, his voice thick with exhaustion.
Harvey was already being rushed inside. He watched as the team of doctors and nurses swarmed over his men, working to stabilize them, to stop the bleeding.
But inside, Rowan was anything but calm.
He stood there in the hallway, his fists clenched, the sound of the machines beeping around him drowned by the pounding of his own heart.
This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
The hospital felt cold, clinical.
The bright lights above seemed almost unforgiving, as if they were exposing every flaw, every wound, every broken piece of his world. .