Chapter 31

Chapter 31

SK’s scream was deafening. Blood spilled everywhere. The pain was unbearable, and Nat stood a distance away, watching as he suffered.

No hands to soothe the agony—his entire body was drenched in red. In the midst of his screaming, SK staggered toward the edge of the container. He coiled his body in pain, lost his balance, and tumbled down—falling from four stacked containers.

His body hit the ground with a loud thud. Some of his parts detached on impact. Nat remained on the container, silently watching the lifeless body below. Blood streamed from every opening in SK’s corpse.

\~~~~~~

Nat had gone to meet the sailor. After a few hard punches to reset the sailor’s head, he forced him to turn the ship around.

Mrs. Jones and her crew caught up with them as they headed back.

Nat held Ariel tightly in his arms, refusing to let anyone take her.

“You should give her to the nurse,” James said behind him as they reached the surface.

Nat ignored him and carried her himself into the ambulance. During the ride to the hospital, the nurse glanced at his blood-soaked shirt.

“Sir, you need to treat your wounds. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.”

The ambulance stopped at the hospital entrance, and Ariel was rolled inside. Nat sat outside the operating room the whole time, refusing to leave.

Doctors rushed in and out, each carrying bowls of blood. The atmosphere was tense. They kept repeating the same thing: she had lost too much blood. The bullet had narrowly missed a vital spot in her chest, making removal difficult. Her chances of survival were dangerously low.

Nathaniel sat with his elbows resting on his thighs, his hands supporting his chin.

Mrs. Jones joined him, sitting beside him.

“We found SK’s body,” she said quietly. “He was barely recognizable, but the tests confirmed it.”

Nat didn’t move, his gaze locked ahead, mind drowning in thought.

“You need to get your wounds treated, Detective Nathaniel,” Mrs. Jones pressed gently. “They could worsen if neglected.”

Finally, he spoke, his voice low. “I will, ma’am. I just need to be sure Ariel is fine.”

“The nurses said you refused treatment. Go now and have those wounds cared for. I won’t have an injured officer walking around with fresh wounds. Now go!” she ordered firmly.

Reluctantly, Nat stood and walked toward the clinic to be treated.

“Make sure you take a proper bath before you return,” Mrs. Jones called after him, her tone stern though her eyes betrayed her worry. She stared at the surgery room, hope clinging tightly in her gaze.

Nathaniel returned to the hospital only once afterward. He stood silently, outside her ward, watching her fragile body through the glass, connected to machines.

The steady, weak beeping of the monitor filled the room. The doctors had successfully removed the bullet, but they couldn’t promise she would wake.

Frustration boiling inside him, Nat stormed out of the hospital. Yet every night he returned in secret to check on her—always finding the same sight. Ariel remained unconscious.

A month passed.

During that time, Nathaniel hunted for the three brothers. He frequented the club, but they never appeared. He began to wonder if SK had lied to him.

Groaning in frustration one evening, Nat sat in his room, rubbing his face before grabbing his phone. He decided to head back to the club.

Once there, he lingered, observing. His only accomplishment during the first month had been earning the gang’s trust after passing a brutal initiation test. He had beaten a strong man—not with full strength, but with enough cunning to make it believable. From then on, they called him newbie.

That night, Nat sat at the bar, quietly sipping his drink while scanning the room.

Suddenly, the entire club fell silent.

A group of men walked in. Nathaniel, not understanding the sudden hush, kept drinking. He assumed they were just another bunch of troublemakers hungry for a fight.

The group passed by and entered the inner chamber of the club. Leading them was a rugged man with heavy chains on his neck and a golden wristwatch. His eyes met Nathaniel’s briefly as he walked past.

Nat held his gaze.

The inner chambers were forbidden territory for regular members. Something dangerous undoubtedly went on inside.

Moments later, a broad-chested man with a thick beard emerged from the room and strode straight toward Nat.

“The boss is calling you,” the man said.

The boss? Nat thought. That man with the chains must be one of the brothers—the one obsessed with money. The second brother.

So SK hadn’t lied after all. But this wasn’t the start, middle, or end of the month. They must have changed their routine.

At that moment, Nathaniel’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and froze, his eyes widening. Without hesitation, he slid off the stool and walked quickly toward the exit.

“Hey, newbie! It’s this way,” the bearded man called after him.

“Tell him I’ll come see him,” Nat replied curtly before kicking his bike to life and speeding away.

The bearded man returned to the inner chamber to report. He stood before his boss, who lounged with women draped around him, their hands on his chest.

“He left, boss.”

The man’s face hardened. “You told him I was calling for him?” His voice was deep and dangerous.

“I did, boss. He said he’ll come see you.”

The boss hurled his wine glass to the ground. The women flinched.

“Let me know when he comes,” the boss growled.