Collateral Blood

25

The harbour was alive with chaos, the kind that made the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Gunfire echoed through the night, blending with the screeching of tyres and the distant crash of waves. The dock's tall, rusted containers cast long, dark shadows, and in every one of them, danger lurked. Harry's crew moved like shadows themselves, slipping through the chaos, dealing with the Black Vipers with ruthless precision.

They had come for one thing: the stolen product. And Harry wasn't leaving until it was secured.

But now... Sloan was gone.

Panic seized Harry, his breath catching in his throat as he spun around, eyes scanning the disarray for any sign of her. She had been right there—right behind him. He could still feel the warmth of her presence, the weight of her trust when she had said she was ready to fight. But now, she was nowhere to be seen.

"Where the hell is she?" he growled, grabbing Tom by the collar and pulling him out of a firefight.

"She was with you, mate!" Tom shouted over the noise, knocking a Viper to the ground with a brutal punch. He shoved Harry off him, but there was concern in his eyes. "You need to get your head in the game! We've got the product—focus!"

But Harry wasn't listening. The product could rot for all he cared. The sound of his pulse roared in his ears, his vision narrowing to a tunnel as he searched desperately through the chaos. He couldn't lose her—not now. Not after everything. She had to be here. She had to be.

"SLOAN!" he bellowed, his voice cutting through the din of gunfire and shouting. He turned in every direction, but all he saw were the faceless bodies of men locked in battle, the dark shapes of containers looming above them. Nothing. No trace of her.

A flash of movement caught his eye—someone running between the containers. His heart lurched, a surge of hope flaring up before he realised it wasn't Sloan. Another Viper, gun raised. Harry didn't think; he acted. Two quick shots, and the man crumpled to the ground.

"Where the hell is she?" Harry's voice was frantic, desperation creeping in around the edges of his carefully maintained control. He shoved past Zayn, ignoring the other man's warnings to stay focused, to stick to the plan. The plan didn't matter anymore. Not if she was gone.

And then, he heard it—a scream. Faint, but unmistakable. It cut through the noise like a blade, and Harry's blood ran cold.

Sloan.

Without a second thought, he bolted towards the sound, his boots pounding against the concrete as he dodged gunfire and debris. His breath was ragged, panic surging with every step. He had to find her. He had to.

He rounded a corner, skidding to a stop when he saw her. Sloan was pinned against a stack of containers, her back pressed against the cold metal, eyes wide with terror. A group of Vipers surrounded her, closing in like predators. Her gun lay discarded on the ground, too far for her to reach.

"NO!" Harry roared, sprinting forward.

He fired off shots in rapid succession, each one finding its mark. One Viper dropped, then another. But they were quick, too quick. One of them grabbed Sloan by the arm, yanking her forward, using her as a shield.

Harry's heart pounded in his chest, his vision narrowing to the man holding her. The Viper sneered, pressing the barrel of his gun against Sloan's temple. "One more move, Styles, and she's dead."

Time seemed to slow, the world around him shrinking to that single moment. The rage inside Harry burned hot and fierce, but he forced himself to stay calm, to think. One wrong move, and he could lose her forever.

"You don't want to do that," Harry said, his voice low, dangerous. His eyes never left Sloan's. "Let her go, and you might live to see tomorrow."

The Viper laughed, a cruel sound that grated against Harry's nerves. "Nice try, mate. But we both know how this ends."

Harry's grip tightened on his gun, his mind racing. He needed to get Sloan away from them, but every second that passed felt like an eternity, the tension stretching thin. The Viper began to pull Sloan backward, disappearing into the shadows with her.

No.

Not again.

"STOP!" Harry shouted, taking a step forward.

The Viper smirked, but in that moment, Sloan moved. With a swift, desperate twist, she stomped hard on the man's foot, causing him to grunt in pain and loosen his grip. It was enough.

Harry didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, closing the distance in seconds. He fired, the bullet hitting the Viper square in the chest, and the man dropped, releasing Sloan.

She stumbled forward, her eyes wide with shock, but Harry was there, catching her before she could fall. He pulled her close, his arms wrapping around her protectively. His breath was ragged, his heart pounding against his ribs, but she was safe. She was alive.

"Sloan..." he breathed, his voice hoarse. "You're okay."

She nodded against his chest, her hands clutching at his shirt as if she couldn't quite believe it either. The chaos around them faded into the background as they stood there, holding onto each other. For a moment, nothing else existed. Just them.

But then the world came rushing back.

"Harry!" Zayn's voice cut through the haze, and Harry looked up, his grip on Sloan tightening. "We've got the product! We need to move—now!"

Harry nodded, his mind clearing. They had to go. The job wasn't done yet. He gently pushed Sloan back, his hands lingering on her shoulders for just a moment longer than necessary.

"Stay with me," he said, his voice firm. "We're not done yet."

She nodded, her eyes steady now, the fear replaced by something else. Determination. She was in this with him, for better or worse.

Together, they turned and ran, the chaos of the harbour fading behind them as they made their escape. But as they disappeared into the night, Harry couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed between them. Something he couldn't afford to ignore any longer.