Chapter 1

On a deserted highway, a car was traveling at high speed.

"Maybe he won't make it," Andy screamed from the backseat as he helped Michel lean against him, seeing Michel press the bloody cloth to his wound, Andy let out another deep groan.

"Don't say bad luck, Andy. We drove as fast as we could." Carlos growled in response, urging Charlie to hit the accelerator.

"Why is he bleeding so much? Carlos, he's also bleeding in his leg. What should we do?" Andy groaned, his voice sounding panicky.

"They must have been aiming for his chest, they missed," Charles spoke soberly, speeding through the roads, trying to find a faster route.

"What do we do? We haven't recruited another doctor since the boss died and we can't go to the hospital either."

"We'll have to do it ourselves, Andy. Now be quiet, don't say anything."

But, Andy still didn't stay silent.

"He's bleeding some more, Carlos." He looked at Michel, who was now collapsing, his face beginning to turn pale from the loss of so much blood.

Usually, Michel is the strongest of them all. But he's also the one who gets injured frequently, all the while, and he never complains. He will get on with his day and what he needs to do.

So Andy knew that when Michel couldn't keep a calm face anymore, it turned serious.

"Oh, my god. Michel. Michel, can you hear me?" Andy shook his mafia brother, urging him to say something, anything to Andy.

But Michel had stopped reacting, the bloody hand that was pressuring his wound slowly sagged and fell beside him.

"Oh damn it. Carlos. Looks like he's dying. Damn, he'll..."

Carlos saw what had just happened, and gulped, fear suddenly attacked his intestines.

He himself is turning white, more shocked than anything else, but he can't give in and panic right now.

He was supposed to be their second in command when Michel passed out. He needs to calm down.

"No. I won't let that happen."

"So we have to do?"

Carlos felt lost as he returned to his seat, frantically looking around the passing streets, desperately trying to find any signs or clues as to what to do.

Michel will die at their hands. How did they even get here? Everything was planned when they left for their mission. This was not allowed to happen.

What should he do now? Call Vengo?

"What do you suggest?" Charles calmly asked the same question that was going on in his head. He is the calmest head of their group, nothing can bring him down.

Even now, Carlos couldn't see the slight panic he and Andy felt, but somehow he could sense it.

Licking his dry lips, Carlos closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath.

"Drive to the hospital."

"What?" Andy shouted as soon as the words left Carlos' lips.

"Are you crazy? This will make you kill him with your own hands. If you take him to the hospital, our identity will be exposed and the federations will be all around us in an instant. "

"Andy, I say one last time - SILENT," Carlos shouted. Seeing his angry eyes, Charles was speechless, quietly driving them to the hospital's emergency room gate.

Carlos was about to get out of the car and instruct Charles and Andy to help him get Michel out when something caught his eye.

---

She was just sitting there on the only bench just outside the entrance, she seemed to be eating apples.

Carlos guessed that she must have been a nurse during the break because she was dressed in a nurse's uniform, her hair pulled back and pinned, and the tired look on her face as she chewed on the fruit.

"Give me the mask," Carlos said, the voice suddenly deciding, once he had decided what he wanted to do.

"What?"

"Stop asking questions, and give me my mask!" Carlos glared at Andy, who immediately pushed the black mask at him.

He didn't dare to ask anything else because he knew that if Carlos spoke in this tone, it meant that Carlos was planning something.

Carlos put the mask on his face and quickly looked around, making sure that no one was around to witness anything that was about to happen.

"Chars."

"Yes."

"Get ready to drive as soon as I get back. Got it?"

Charis nodded.

---

Fanny was exhausted.

She was working a 12-hour shift in the ICU at the hospital and was about to go home to sleep when the head nurse found her and told her that one of the nurses was sick and they were short on staff.

She couldn't believe she was strapped into another long night of people being brought in and out of the hospital as she sat outside under the artificial light of a street lamp and took another bite of an apple.

She was only allowed to rest for 10 minutes before having to return to work.

Sighing, she closed her eyes to enjoy the quiet night until the car horn wailed. The silence was rudely interrupted.

Opening her eyes again, she saw that it was a black BMW that had suddenly stopped just a few feet away from her.

Fanny wondered if they had some kind of emergency and needed help, but no one was out of the car yet.

Frowning, she tried to squint to see who was in that car, but the windows were closed, with the curtains drawn, so she couldn't see anything.

However, after a few seconds, the passenger seat door opened and a tall, hooded, masked man stepped out and ran towards her.

Everything happened so fast.

One moment she was grabbed and thrown over the shoulder of a man of a strong, masculine build, the next, she was shoved into the back of the car, the door slamming behind her.

Fanny didn't even have much of a chance to defend herself.

She tried to scream but her mouth was covered by a leather-gloved hand. Anytime she fidgets, tries to move, and kicks around her, the man just gets angrier, keeping her hard against him.

However, as soon as she was in the car, the guy released her and sat in the passenger seat.

Looking around, panting, Fanny saw two more men in the back seat with her and one behind the wheel, all dressed in black, similar to the one who dragged her into the car.

However, the most shocking thing was the sight right next to her.