CHAPTER 51

The blaring wail of the ambulance siren cut through the night, a frantic scream against the silence of the empty road. Inside, the fluorescent lights cast a sterile, harsh glow over the two stretchers lined side by side—one carrying Damian, battered and weak, the other cradling Xavier, his body trembling from blood loss.

Mr. Laurent sat wedged between them, his face drawn tight with fear, grief, and helplessness. His hands, usually so steady, now shook as he hovered over them both, his gaze darting frantically between Xavier’s paling face and Damian’s bloodied frame.

Damian groaned weakly, his body jolting slightly with every bump the ambulance hit. He struggled to lift his head, the pain a roaring wave in his body, but he forced himself to turn toward Xavier. One look and his heart twisted violently in his chest.

Xavier was slipping.