"I just need to see him."
The words came out before Marcus could stop them.
He sat behind the wheel of his car. The engine was still off. The faint hum of the office building's AC unit was the only sound. The parking lot was mostly empty now. Everyone else had gone home hours ago.
He didn't care that it was late. He didn't care that Ryan hadn't replied all day.
He just needed to see him.
Marcus turned the key. The engine started. The dashboard lights came on, washing his face in a pale glow. His phone sat on the passenger seat. The message thread with Ryan was still open.
He hadn't written anything new since this morning. Every attempt had ended the same way. Typed, stared at, deleted. But tonight, the silence between them felt too heavy.
So he was going to drive to the restaurant.
He was going to see Ryan.
The streets were half empty. The city was caught between day and night. Neon lights from storefronts bled across the windshield as he passed. The air coming through the vents was cool. Sharp enough to keep him awake.
He tried not to think about the voice message. About how drunk he'd sounded. About how quiet Ryan had been all day.
He told himself it didn't matter.
He knew it did.
Every red light seemed to last forever. Every reflection in the rearview mirror looked like something he didn't want to face.
He gripped the wheel tighter. The leather was warm under his palms.
Ryan had a shift tonight. Marcus knew that much. He'd go to the restaurant. Maybe sit in the corner booth. Order something small. Make it look like coincidence. Maybe Ryan's face would soften when he saw him there.
That was the plan. Simple. Easy.
Until he noticed the car behind him.
A gray SUV.
It had been there for a few minutes now. Same lane. Same speed.
Marcus glanced at the rearview mirror. The headlights were bright. Too bright to see much detail.
Maybe it was nothing.
He slowed down a little. The SUV slowed too.
He changed lanes. It changed lanes.
Marcus frowned. His chest tightened slightly. He told himself he was being paranoid. That it was just someone heading the same direction.
But when he changed lanes again, the SUV followed.
His pulse quickened.
It didn't make sense. No one should be following him. His life wasn't public. Only a few people knew who he really was. His father. Sam. Maybe a handful of executives at Apex Holdings.
But that was the thing about secrets.
Sometimes other people already knew them.
He pressed the gas pedal. The car sped up. Streetlights blurred past faster now.
The SUV kept up.
Marcus's throat went dry. His hands were sweating. He tried to think through it logically. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe he was imagining things.
But the car stayed right behind him. No matter what he did.
He turned left at the next intersection. Sharp. Quick.
The SUV turned too.
Marcus's heart pounded harder. He took another route. One that didn't lead toward the restaurant. He couldn't bring whoever this was anywhere near Ryan.
The SUV followed every move.
He gritted his teeth and pressed harder on the gas. The engine roared. The city blurred past.
The lights grew fewer. The streets emptier.
He was running out of road.
His hands were tight on the wheel. His knuckles had gone white.
He looked in the rearview mirror again. Still there.
Who were they? What did they want?
The thought hit him suddenly. Does this have to do with Apex?
No. That didn't make sense. No one was supposed to know yet. His father had made sure of that.
But the SUV stayed close. Steady. Like it knew exactly where he was going.
Up ahead, the road split into a crossroads. The light was yellow.
Marcus hesitated for half a second.
The SUV sped up behind him.
He pressed the pedal. Just a little harder. Enough to make it through before the light turned red.
The moment he entered the intersection, headlights flashed from the right.
A car shot out.
He saw it too late.
Metal crunched. Glass shattered. A horn blared.
The impact threw him forward. His head slammed into the steering wheel. Pain exploded through his skull. Hot and sharp and dizzying.
The car spun. Or maybe he was spinning. He couldn't tell. Everything was noise and motion and pain.
Then it stopped.
The car hit the curb and jerked to a halt. Smoke rose from the hood. The windshield was cracked. Spiderweb patterns spread across the glass.
Everything went quiet.
The silence felt wrong.
Marcus couldn't move. His head throbbed. Something warm trickled down his temple. Blood. He could taste copper on his tongue.
His hands had fallen from the wheel. They lay limp in his lap. His vision pulsed in and out. Blurry. Clear. Blurry again.
The air smelled like metal and burnt rubber.
He tried to focus. Tried to understand what just happened.
Then he heard another engine.
The gray SUV rolled into view. Slowly. It passed the wreck without stopping.
Marcus lifted his head weakly. Pain shot through his neck.
Through the cracked windshield, he saw the driver. A man with short hair. A cigarette between his fingers. Smoke curled from the open window. Another figure sat in the passenger seat. Face turned away.
The driver looked at him. Just looked. No surprise, no concern, no reaction at all.
Then the SUV rolled forward. It turned the corner and disappeared.
Marcus's breath came in shallow, ragged gasps. His chest hurt with every attempt.
They hadn't stopped.
They'd been waiting for this.
He knew, even through the fog in his head. This wasn't an accident.
He tried to move. His arms felt heavy. His fingers were numb. His phone was somewhere near the floor. The screen glowed faintly.
He reached for it. His hand shook. His vision wavered.
Everything was fading.
The blood on his fingers looked darker than it should.
And through the haze, one thought stayed clear.
Ryan.
Ryan's voice. His smile. The way he'd looked the other night in the car when they'd kissed.
Marcus wanted to tell him he was sorry. That he hadn't meant to send that
message. That he hadn't meant to make things awkward...
But the darkness was pulling at him.
His head fell back against the seat. His eyes closed.
The world went silent.