Collateral Blood

41

The morning after their intimate night together, Harry and Sloan awoke to a sense of newfound calm. The tranquility of the early hours was a stark contrast to the chaos that had enveloped them in recent days. As Sloan stretched and gazed at Harry's sleeping form, she felt a flicker of hope that perhaps, despite everything, there might be a semblance of normalcy ahead.

But that fragile sense of peace was shattered when Harry's phone buzzed loudly on the bedside table. Harry, groggy from sleep, reached for it with a grimace. He glanced at the screen and his expression turned serious.

"I need to take this," he said, his voice low and tense.

Sloan watched as Harry answered the call, his face growing more troubled with each passing moment. The call was from Zayn, and Harry's eyes narrowed as he listened. The conversation was brief but laden with urgency. When Harry hung up, he was visibly shaken.

"What's wrong?" Sloan asked, sitting up in bed, her heart racing at the sight of Harry's distress.

"We've got a situation," Harry said, his voice strained. "We need to move."

Minutes later, Harry and Sloan were hastily dressing and preparing to leave the warehouse. As they made their way through the building, Sloan noticed an unusual amount of activity. Crew members were moving with a purpose, their faces etched with concern.

Just as they were about to head out, the doors to the warehouse burst open, and a figure strode in. Sloan's blood ran cold as she recognized the familiar face.

It was Louis.

Louis, with a smug grin plastered across his face, walked purposefully toward Harry and Sloan. He had clearly been tracking their movements and arrived with a level of confidence that suggested he had a significant advantage.

"Thought you could get away that easily, did you?" Louis taunted, his eyes locked on Sloan. "I must say, your little ruse was impressive, but I'm not so easily fooled."

Sloan's heart pounded in her chest. She had hoped her deception would buy her more time, but it seemed that Louis was one step ahead.

"What do you want, Louis?" Harry demanded, his voice low and dangerous. "We have nothing to talk about."

Louis chuckled, unfazed by Harry's threat. "Oh, I think we have quite a bit to discuss. You see, I was rather intrigued by your little plan. But there's something you don't know."

He turned his gaze to Sloan, his expression turning cold. "Sloan, my dear, I must commend you on your acting skills. However, you should have known that nothing gets past me."

Sloan's mind raced. What was he getting at? She tried to maintain her composure, but fear gripped her.

Louis took a step closer to Sloan, his expression darkening. "You see, I've always been aware of your true loyalties, Sloan. And while you've been playing your part very well, it's clear that you underestimated how much I know."

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small device, holding it up for Harry and Sloan to see. "This is a listening device. It was planted on you the moment you were brought back to the Vipers' headquarters."

Sloan's face paled. She had been so focused on deceiving her father and Louis that she hadn't considered the possibility of being monitored.

"You've been giving us valuable information the entire time," Louis continued, his tone triumphant. "Every move you made, every conversation you had, we knew about it. And now, it's time for the final act."

Harry's face hardened as he processed the revelation. "You're playing a dangerous game, Louis. What's your endgame here?"

Louis's grin widened. "My endgame? Simple. I want everything. Your lives, your loyalty, and the control over this entire operation. I've been orchestrating this from the start, making sure that everything falls into place just as I intended."

Before Harry could react, Louis's phone rang. He answered it swiftly, his gaze never leaving Sloan and Harry. The conversation was brief, but the tone was unmistakably serious.

"We're on a tight schedule," Louis said, hanging up. "It's time for the final confrontation. And this time, you won't be walking away."

With that, Louis turned on his heel and began to walk away, leaving Harry and Sloan with a chilling sense of urgency. The implications of Louis's words sank in—everything they had worked for, every plan they had made, was now under threat.

Harry's mind raced as he looked at Sloan, his anger and concern merging into a single, focused resolve. "We need to get out of here. Now."

Sloan nodded, her mind still reeling from the shock. They had to move quickly if they were to stay ahead of Louis and the Vipers. Harry and Sloan made their way to the SUV, their hearts pounding with a mix of fear and determination.

As they sped away from the warehouse, Harry glanced at Sloan, his eyes filled with a mix of frustration and resolve. "We need to find a way to turn this around. We can't let Louis win."

Sloan nodded, her mind already racing through possible plans. "We'll figure it out," she said, her voice steady despite the fear gripping her.

The stakes had never been higher, and the road ahead was fraught with danger. But as Harry and Sloan faced the uncertain future, they knew one thing for sure—they had to outsmart Louis and the Vipers, no matter the cost. The battle was far from over, and the true test of their resolve was only just beginning.