The sounds of sirens wailed in the distance, a slow crescendo building as they neared. The night had unraveled into chaos, but for the first time since it all began, I felt a sliver of hope. Jace was in custody. William was alive. And, at least for the moment, the immediate danger seemed to have passed.
But the fear still clung to me, its grip cold and tight. I knew better than to believe this was over. Jace's chilling final words echoed in my mind: *"You haven't won."* He wasn't the type to give up easily, and whatever his next move was, it would be calculated, deliberate—and likely devastating.
Ethan, ever vigilant, knelt beside William, his hands moving quickly as he assessed the damage. His calm, professional demeanor was a stark contrast to the chaotic storm that had torn through my life in the last few hours.
"William," I whispered, still feeling the weight of him pressed against me as I cradled his head. He was pale, his breaths shallow, but he was conscious, his eyes fluttering open as Ethan worked.
"I'm... okay," William croaked, his voice strained, though I knew from the look in his eyes that he was anything but. The sight of him, battered and bleeding, sent a wave of emotion surging through me—fear, anger, and something deeper, something more complicated.
"Don't move," Ethan instructed, not taking his eyes off his friend. "I'm going to stop the bleeding. You took a pretty hard hit."
I blinked back the tears threatening to spill over, refusing to give in to the panic gnawing at the edges of my mind. Instead, I focused on the sound of Ethan's voice—strong, steady, and reassuring.
"You're lucky I got here when I did," Ethan continued, his tone sharp, though his hands were gentle as he applied pressure to William's wound. "If I hadn't—"
"You did," William cut him off, his voice low but filled with gratitude. "That's all that matters."
Ethan nodded, his jaw clenched as he worked. "You need medical attention, but this will hold for now."
I released a shaky breath, watching as Ethan expertly handled the situation. He was like a rock, unshakable in moments of crisis. And while I was beyond grateful for his timely intervention, my mind was already racing toward the next looming threat: Jace.
"He's not going to stop," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "Even now... he's going to come after us again."
Ethan's expression darkened as he finished bandaging William. "Not if I have anything to say about it." He straightened, his gaze locking onto mine. "Jace won't be able to pull a stunt like this again. He's crossed too many lines."
"But you heard him," I protested, the memory of Jace's defiance still fresh in my mind. "He's not working alone. He's tied into something bigger—something to do with my father's enemies."
William stirred, his voice weak but firm. "She's right. Jace isn't the only problem. He has powerful allies, people who want control of Michael's empire. People who have already shown they'll do whatever it takes to get it."
Ethan's eyes narrowed. "We'll deal with them, too. But first, we need to get both of you to safety."
A sharp knock on the door interrupted the conversation, followed by the sound of several uniformed officers entering the building. Their presence brought a sense of grim reality crashing down on me. This wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
Two officers approached, one of them a tall, stern-looking woman with dark eyes that seemed to take in every detail of the room in an instant. "Ms. Monroe?" she asked, her voice professional but not unkind.
I nodded, still cradling William's head, my limbs aching from the tension of the past few hours. "Yes," I managed, my throat tight.
"I'm Detective Harris," she introduced herself, gesturing for the other officer to help secure the scene. "We need to take your statement about what happened here tonight. And we'll need to talk to Mr. Rodriguez as well."
Ethan rose, gesturing toward William. "He needs medical attention first. He's in no condition to answer questions right now."
Detective Harris nodded, her eyes flicking over to William, assessing his condition with a practiced glance. "Understood. EMTs are on the way, but we'll need to follow up as soon as he's stable."
"Of course," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'll cooperate. But Jace... where is he? He needs to be—"
"He's already been transported to a secure facility," the detective assured me. "He won't be going anywhere for a while. But we'll need to investigate the full scope of his involvement, including any accomplices."
Accomplices. The word sent a chill down my spine. I knew Jace wasn't alone in this. There were others lurking in the shadows—people who had ties to my father, people who wanted to dismantle everything he'd built. And now, they wanted to destroy me.
I took a deep breath, glancing down at William. His face was pale, his eyes half-lidded with exhaustion, but he was alive. And for now, that was enough.
The sirens grew louder as the EMTs arrived, their hurried footsteps echoing through the room. They swarmed William, gently lifting him onto a stretcher as Ethan rattled off the details of his injuries.
I followed closely behind, my heart pounding as they moved him toward the ambulance. Everything felt like a blur—my mind still racing with the events of the night, the fear of what Jace might do next, and the overwhelming exhaustion that threatened to pull me under.
But as I stood outside in the cold night air, watching as William was loaded into the ambulance, something else gnawed at the back of my mind.
Jace wasn't the only threat. There were others. And they were still out there, waiting for their chance to strike.
I glanced over at Ethan, who had been speaking quietly with Detective Harris. He caught my eye, his expression unreadable, but there was something in his gaze that sent a shiver down my spine.
"What is it?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Ethan hesitated, his jaw tightening as he approached me. "There's something you need to know," he said, his voice low. "Something about your father's past."
I blinked, my heart skipping a beat. "What do you mean?"
Ethan's gaze flicked toward the ambulance, where William was being treated. "Jace wasn't lying when he said your father had enemies. But it's more than that. There's something... something buried deep in Michael's past that's connected to all of this."
I swallowed hard, the weight of his words pressing down on me. "What are you talking about?"
Ethan's eyes darkened, his voice grim. "Your father wasn't just involved in shady business dealings. There are people out there who would kill to keep the secrets he took to his grave."
I felt the blood drain from my face. "Secrets?"
Ethan nodded. "I've been looking into it, and I found something. Something big. But I need more time to put the pieces together."
My mind reeled. What had my father been involved in? What kind of secrets could be so dangerous that people were still hunting me down, even after his death?
Before I could respond, the ambulance doors slammed shut, and one of the EMTs turned to me.
"We're taking him to the hospital," he said. "You can ride with us if you'd like."
I glanced at Ethan, who gave me a reassuring nod. "Go. I'll meet you there after I speak with the detective."
I nodded, too overwhelmed to argue. As I climbed into the back of the ambulance, sitting beside William's unconscious form, the reality of the situation began to sink in.
This wasn't just about Jace anymore. It was bigger than him, bigger than any of us.
And whatever secrets my father had buried, they were about to come crashing into my life—whether I was ready for them or not.