Collateral Blood

26

The SUV sped down the winding road away from the harbour, headlights cutting through the dark as the chaos of the ambush faded into the distance. Inside, the tension was thick, though the sense of urgency had dulled now that they had the product safely stashed in the back. Zayn drove with practiced precision, his eyes scanning the road for any sign of trouble. Beside him, Harry sat in the passenger seat, his mind still reeling from the night's events.

Sloan was in the backseat, silent, her eyes locked on the passing scenery. Harry could see her in the rearview mirror, her face pale and drawn, her hands still trembling slightly. He couldn't shake the image of her being held at gunpoint, the terror in her eyes. That sight had ignited something primal in him, something that refused to let go.

He turned in his seat, angling to look at her directly. "Sloan, are you hurt?" he asked, his voice rough with concern.

She blinked, as if pulled from a trance, and looked at him. "I... I don't think so," she mumbled, her voice distant.

"Let me check," Harry insisted, unbuckling his seatbelt and reaching back toward her. She instinctively recoiled at his touch, but he wasn't having any of it. He needed to know she was okay.

"I'm fine, really," she said, but her voice was weak, betraying her. She still had that stubbornness, but Harry could see through it. She wasn't fine. Not even close.

"Just let me see," he said more softly this time, his eyes locking with hers. She hesitated, then nodded slightly, allowing him to move closer.

Harry's hands were careful, methodical, as he gently examined her for any cuts or bruises. His touch was firm yet tender, a strange contrast that she found oddly comforting, despite everything. She winced as he brushed over a bruise forming on her arm where the Viper had grabbed her.

"Here," he muttered, reaching for a first aid kit stashed under the seat. He pulled out some antiseptic wipes and began carefully cleaning the area. She watched him, her heart pounding for reasons she couldn't quite explain.

His brow was furrowed in concentration as he worked, the streetlights flickering over his features as they passed under them. His jaw was tight, his green eyes focused on her injuries with an intensity that made her feel... protected. For the first time since this nightmare had begun, she felt like she could breathe again.

"You're going to need proper training," Harry said, breaking the silence as he finished dressing her wounds. "Tonight was too close. You need to know how to defend yourself better."

Sloan bit her lip, not entirely sure how to respond. She knew he was right, but the idea of becoming part of this violent world—learning how to fight, how to kill if necessary—it was overwhelming. Still, after everything her father had hidden from her, everything she had learned, she wasn't sure she had a choice anymore.

She nodded slowly, her eyes meeting his. "Okay. Whatever it takes."

Harry seemed satisfied with that, nodding back before turning to Zayn. "We can't risk something like this happening again. She needs intensive training. You, me, and Tom—we need to put her through the works. No shortcuts."

Zayn glanced at Harry in the rearview mirror, then back at Sloan. "I agree. She did well tonight, but there's a long way to go. If she's going to survive this, she needs to be ready for anything."

Sloan swallowed hard at the thought. Surviving. That's what this was now, wasn't it? Not just for her, but for all of them. She had been dragged into this world, but there was no going back now. Her old life, her old dreams, they felt so far away.

Harry shifted back in his seat, but his gaze lingered on Sloan for a moment longer. He had to admit, she had surprised him tonight. Despite the fear and the chaos, she hadn't completely crumbled. There was strength in her, a fire that hadn't been extinguished by everything that had happened. That was good. She was going to need it.

But as much as he admired her resilience, he couldn't ignore the other feelings that had started to creep in. He couldn't deny that in the midst of the chaos, he had been drawn to her—more than he should be. It wasn't just about protecting her anymore. There was something else, something he couldn't quite place, and it was making things... complicated.

He shook his head, trying to push those thoughts aside. He had to stay focused. This wasn't the time to get distracted. They still had a long road ahead of them, and it was only going to get more dangerous from here on out.

But then his mind drifted to the man who had appeared at the harbour—the one Sloan had recognised from her past. Her old boss, she had said. That couldn't be a coincidence. If the Black Vipers had somehow roped in people from her old life, that meant they were digging deep, pulling every string they could find to get to her. That worried Harry more than he was willing to admit.

"About Sloan's old boss..." Harry started, glancing at Zayn. "If the Vipers have people in her past working for them, that means they're more embedded in this than we thought. It's not just about the product anymore."

Zayn's face darkened at the revelation. "Shit. That complicates things. They must know more about her than we realised. If they're using people from her old life, that means they're trying to break her down mentally as well as physically."

"Exactly," Harry said. "We need to be careful. This isn't just about retrieving the product—it's about control. They want to rattle us, make us doubt everything."

Zayn nodded, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. "We'll deal with it. But first, we need to get back to base and regroup. Once we're settled, we can start figuring out our next move. But Sloan... she's part of this now, whether we like it or not."

Harry glanced back at her again, his gaze softening slightly. "Yeah... she is."

Sloan met his eyes, a strange understanding passing between them. She wasn't the same woman who had been kidnapped from her home. She wasn't the same woman who had lived a sheltered life under her father's roof. Now, she was part of this world—a world she had never wanted, but one she was willing to face head-on.

And with Harry by her side, she knew she would do whatever it took to survive it.