Nathan felt his strength slipping away. Blood soaked his shirt. Lauren clung to him.
“Don’t you dare pass out,” she begged. “Not after everything.”
He gave a tired, crooked smile.
“Promise me… you’ll live,” he whispered. “No more running.”
“I promise,” she said, voice shaking. “But you’re coming with me.”
By the time the sun started to rise, the sirens had quieted. The river looked calmer. The air smelled of damp earth, gunpowder, and something else—something new.
A beginning.
Nathan sat in an ambulance, shoulder bandaged, face pale but awake. Lauren sat beside him, fingers laced tightly with his. Aiden, covered in mud up to his knees, stood just outside with Ranger, watching as they shoved Victor—now handcuffed and defeated—into a patrol car.
A detective walked over and flashed his badge.
“Mr. Cole,” he said, “we found a USB drive in your lawyer’s car. Documents, cash, fake contracts. Looks like your partner’s been bleeding your company dry for years.”
Nathan closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath.
“Lauren tried to warn me,” he said quietly. “I just didn’t want to hear it.”
The detective’s expression softened.