The line went dead.
I stared at the phone. My pulse thudded in my ears, and for a moment, I couldn't make myself move. Couldn't think past the fact that Marcus had him and I had no idea what condition Rowan was in. Or how much time I had to fix this.
It would take me at least twenty minutes to get to the park. Maybe a little less if I walked fast and didn't stop. I finally started to move, my feet hitting the pavement as I shoved the phone back into my pocket.
Every logical part of me screamed that I should phone the police. They had training and tools I didn't have. But Marcus wasn't bluffing. I heard it in his voice. He would do something if I didn't show up the way he wanted.
I walked faster, cutting through side streets and lawns I had no business being on just to try to shave off a minute or two and get there faster. What was I even walking into? Obviously, this was a trap, but how was I supposed to handle it? I had no plan. No backup. Nothing but fury in my chest and Rowan's phone in my pocket.
Maybe I'd lost the plot completely to go into this with no clue what I was doing. But if Marcus had him, if he'd laid a hand on him again, then I didn't care how reckless this was. I was getting Rowan back. Or I was going down swinging.
I was out of breath by the time the road into the parkcame into view. My legs burned and my lungs stung from the exertion, but I couldn't stop until I reached the treeline. I stumbled off the pavement and leaned against the nearest trunk, trying to get enough air in my chest to think straight.
I was close. Too close to waste time. But the second I paused, the reality of it all finally sank in.
Every decision up to now had been instinct. Just move, just get there, just find him. But the walk gave my brain time to catch up, and now all I could think about was everything that could go wrong. If Marcus was spiralling, he had nothing left to lose.
I might not get out of this. Rowan might not, either.
And if I went in alone and something happened, no one would know where we were. There'd be no one to send help. No one to stop him.
Marcus said no police. He said not to be stupid. Butnotcalling them had been a stupid move. He'd gotten under my skin just enough to mess with my judgment.
Once I could breathe without doubling over, I fumbled for my phone with shaking fingers and dialled 999. The cold bit into my skin as I held it to my ear and forced myself to stay steady.
Someone picked up after the first ring. "999. What service do you need?"
"Police. Grosvenor and Hilbert Park. The entrance near the bowls club."
"And what's the nature of the emergency?"
"My friend's been abducted. His name's Rowan Hale. The one who took him is Marcus Carter. He's – he's dangerous. I just got a call from him. He told me to meet him at the graffiti wall or he'd hurt Rowan."
There was a short pause on the other end. I could hear the operator typing at a furious pace.
"Alright, I'm patching you through to the police. I needyou to stay where you are."
"I can't. If they show up first, Marcus will do something."
"Sir – "
"Just tell them to hurry up."
I hung up and shoved the phone back into my pocket, pushed off the tree, and forced my legs to move. The park entrance loomed ahead, darker than I remembered it being in the middle of the day. But I had to keep moving. Rowan was in there somewhere, and I didn't want to think about what Marcus might be doing to him.
Rowan
32
The cold was starting to seep through my clothes.
I sat with my back against the graffiti wall, wrists bound tight in front of me with plastic cable ties that bit into my skin every time I moved. My hands had gone from stiff to numb a while ago. I couldn't tell if it was from the circulation being cut off or the winter air. Probably both. Every movement sent a stab of pain up my arms, but I didn't stop trying.
Not because I thought I could get loose. Just to stay alert. Just to stay angry.
Because the fear was already trying to take over every part of me.
My chest felt too tight, my breath shallow and uneven despite how hard I fought to keep it steady. Anxiety clawed at me, but I wasn't about to give Marcus the satisfaction of seeing it. Not again. I tried like hell to hide it. Cold, aching, pissed off, fighting the urge to shiver, and doing everything I could to conceal how close I was to falling apart.
