Chapter 196 Someone fell off the rooftop

Chapter 196 Someone fell off the rooftop
Rhys's POV

I stared at the message blankly for a few seconds then it slowly made sense to me. The nurse treating my wound suddenly applied much pressure and that made pain tear through my veins.

Mark suddenly snatched the phone from me and his face twisted into a frown when he saw the message.

“Is she trying to strike a deal with us?” He asked, flatly.

I pressed my lips together. “I don't think so.”

I've already watched, listened and interacted with her just enough to know the kind of person she is. She wants us to bring Zane for Clare according to her message but in reality that's not all she wants.

She knows how much Clare means to me and wants to make us of that. She could exploit us as much as she wants as long as it gets her what she wants and Clare is in her custody.

I turned to face Mark. “She wants something bigger than that. A whole lot of things.”

Silence stretched in the air except for the heavy breathing in the van.

Apart from me and Mark there were other people in the van. Two female nurses, three males I couldn't be sure what their roles were, the driver and Reed.

I couldn't even understand why he had tagged along. He just needed to give his instructions to the nurses as usual or did he suddenly decide to care?

“Rhys, can you chat less and keep your body in a steady position more. The nurses need to clean up your wounds and keep you out of danger before we reach the hospital.” Reed snapped.

I gritted my teeth. It was just a mere delusion that Reed cared to that extent.

“Can you go to the station and get Zane to the hospital?” I asked. “The police officers can follow you if they want.”

Mark arched his eyebrows. “I thought you said Mandy wanted more than that.”

I nodded. “Yes, she does. But my concern right now is Clare and not what she wants.”

“She can manipulate you with Clare. Exactly what concerns you, you should know that, right?” Mark's voice was sharper than before.

I spared him a brief glance. “I understand your concerns, Mark but I can't put Clare in danger.”

“Or you want to help you, Mom, fulfill her passion.” Mark spat.

I nodded again and closed my eyes. “Believe whatever you want them.”

Silence thickened in the air for a while and then Mark snickered. It came out thin and empty with no sense of warmth or humour.

“I was just kidding around. I don't like your mother but I wouldn't think that bad of you.”

I didn't bother opening my eyes. He was lying through his teeth but unfortunately he was very bad at it.

Mark turned towards one of the men. “Can I get off at the next intersection?”

“Let me speak with the driver.” The man tapped thrice on the van's wall. “Someone wants to get off.”

“This is an emergency van and not a cab. We're carrying a patient that has lost a lot of blood and you think I'm going to stop?”

The driver's voice was harsh like he had been angry for a while and this was a perfect opportunity to blow off the steam.

“The patient might end up losing more than just blood, maybe his life if you don't stop the car,” I said.

“There's enough medical practitioners by your side. You'll definitely not die.” The driver said in an optimistic voice.

“Please, driver. This is also a matter of life and death. Don't you stand for saving lives no matter what?” I asked. This was the last card I had and I hope it works out.

Silence stretched in the car as it rolled down the road. I opened my eyes slowly and was just about to turn towards the direction of the driver when the car suddenly came to a halt.

The two men sitting adjacent almost crashed into me if not for their fast reflexes.

“Get out already.” The driver demanded.

I exchanged glances with him and he nodded before pushing open the van door.

“Don’t worry, I'll take the blame if anything goes wrong.” I said after him as the van door closed.

Reed slapped my arm lightly. “Take the blame? Have you forgotten you're on probation by the Black City Hockey team? Do you think they don't have eyes everywhere?”

“Don't try to instill that fear right here and into me because I'm afraid it wouldn't work,” I said, avoiding his eyes.

The truth was my heart was beating faster than normal. I was scared, truly scared for the first time. I had thought I could escape this for a long time, a situation whereby I'm asked to choose between my career and the woman I love.

I blinked the thought away and tried to focus on the pain from the wound. It took me away from the thoughts but that was just a very, brief temporary condition.

“That's exactly what you need, fear. Enough fear to remember what's more important.” Reed pointed out.

I bit the inside of my cheeks hard, trying to block out my fears.

A few minutes later, we pulled up in front of the hospital. I was placed on a stretcher and the two nurses began wheeling me into the hospital with Reed trailing behind.

We made it to a ward and a doctor was soon attending to my wounds. Pain barely registered in my preoccupied mind as he cleaned it up and stitched it before he bandaged it.

When he was finally done. He prescribed some drugs and handed it to Reed to get in the pharmacy.

Reed had barely left when the hospital's alarm went off and then a loud thud came from the outside. I didn't have time to process what was happening before the sound of a car's alarm filled the air.

An uneasy feeling settled on me and I forced myself off the bed. I staggered out of the door and stopped the first nurse I came across.

“What's wrong?”

“Someone fell off the rooftop,” the nurse replied.