C o l e

Hearing the gunshots, we all grabbed our guns from the box and ran into the forest. Picking up my pace when I heard more gun shots, I could hardly see the scenery passing by me as I focused on making it to the others.

As soon as I managed to make out Harvey fending off two guys, I leapt in to action and roughly pushed one of the guys off him before knocking his lights out with a sharp right hook. Jamie was right behind me and he slammed his fist as hard as he could in to the other guy before kicking him away.

"Are you alright?" Jamie panted and Harvey nodded but he was clearly worse for wear as I noticed him grab his shoulder. There was a lot of blood dampening his sleeve and I could only assume it's a shot wound.

I looked around and saw a full on battle going on as some of our guys who were out in other parts of the area had now gathered here to help fight off Adler's men.

"What in the fuck is going on?" Harvey grumbled.

"I don't know but we need to clean this up fast"  Jamie said, pulling his gun out and readying it.

Pulling out my own gun, I clicked off the safety before firing rounds into heads that were exposed. It seems Adler had brought additional men of his own as I saw three cars recklessly parked near some trees.

Something landing next to my foot made me look down and my eyes widened as I noticed the round device. Smoke began to come out of it and being in the direct line of fire from it made me cough and my gun dropped from my hand as I fell to my knees.

"Cole, don't breathe it in!"

"Cole?!"

"Cole!!"

Different people shouting my name had filled my ears but it sounded as if they were drowned out as a drowsy sensation washed over me. Another shout of my name was the last thing I had heard before succumbing to the darkness.

~ with the others, third p.o.v. ~

Eros covered his mouth as tightly as he could while trying to fire at Adler's men but he was hesitant because he couldn't see anything. He didn't want to risk accidentally shooting any of his men or Cole who had been the first to fall unconscious.

This was the absolute worst outcome.

Eros was prepared for a brawl in the warehouse, not for them to take the fight to the forest. He cursed his arrogance when thinking about how he let Francis go, they likely planned that and guessed that Eros would allow him to run away simply because they figured he would have back up.

They had faked him out and it worked.

Eros didn't think that Adler would be bold enough to lie to him and now he couldn't stop thinking about how Mikhail was so very right. They're a bunch of shady bastards.

Several of his men had fallen pray to the gas that had quickly filled the air but that wasn't what grabbed Eros' attention. It was the sound of car engines starting.

Panic arose in Eros as he realized why they used sleeping gas and his eyes darted between the three sets of blurry taillights, wondering which one was holding Cole.

It was then that the smoke started to clear up and Eros tried to aim a good shot at one of the car's tires but it was useless as they had already began to drive off.

"Fuck!" Eros cursed as he dropped his weapon. Mikhail hurried over to Eros when finally being able to make the man out.

"No one's dead, they just wanted hostages" Mikhail said once he reached Eros. He could finally breathe thanks to the smoke being mostly cleared up.

"Not multiple...just one. They only took Cole" Jamie said, a worried expression contorting his features.

'I know' Eros thought bitterly.

"What the fuck are we standing around here for? We have to go after them!" Harvey exclaimed.

"You're injured and so are several of the others. Besides, by the time we make it back to the warehouse, those bastards will be long gone" Mikhail stated.

"God damn it" Harvey said, frustration filling his veins at how they couldn't do anything.

"So what do we do?" Jamie asked and they turned to Eros whose face was stone like.

Eros was having trouble processing the fact that for the first time in a long time, his intuition had failed him. He hadn't seen any of this coming and if he wasn't so focused on killing Francis than maybe his judgement wouldn't have been clouded nor would they have been able to take Cole.

This was all his fault.

"Boss?" Harvey called softly, he could tell the man was out if it as this was his first time seeing Eros so speechless.

"For now, we should focus on getting the others back to the manor. You all need medical attention" Mikhail said, deciding to be the voice of reason for the moment.

"No" Eros said and they all looked at him in surprise.

"We can't use the manor anymore. Who knows what other information was fed to them, it's even possible that the manor's location has been compromised. We'll have to spread out until I can figure out a new base house for us" Eros explained and then he turned to Mikhail.

"Mikhail, send a message to the group and let them know the manor is no longer safe and that the emergency plan is going to go in to effect" he said and Mikhail nodded before whipping out his phone.

"Wait, we have an emergency plan?" Harvey asked and Jamie sighed.

"If you showed up to meetings, you would know. We've set up multiple safe house locations that can be used as temporary hide outs until things have calmed down" Jamie explained.

"Oh yeah, I remember you saying something about that" Harvey said.

"For now, let's retreat to the cabin and get these guys some medical attention" Jamie said and the four started helping the others back to the cars.

After helping them, the others returned to their original vehicles.

"Eros, let me drive" Mikhail said, knowing that he wouldn't be able to properly focus on the road after what just happened. Eros didn't say anything and just walked to the passenger seat.

It was quiet as the two drove, Eros doing nothing but staring at his hands. He wasn't spacing out, no he couldn't at a time like this. He was retracing everything that had gone down until now, trying to pinpoint when and where everything had started going wrong.

This couldn't be a coincidence, this was a plan, a plan that has been brewing for quite some time now for it to be going off without a hitch. Was what that kid said even true? He was a pretty damn good actor if it wasn't and Eros couldn't help but start to feel angry again.

"Eros, I know you're not in the best mind state right now but I need you to focus. You're the one everyone looks to, to get us out of this shit, we can't have you losing it right now" Mikhail said and glanced over to Eros who then turned to look at him.

"You haven't seen me lose shit" Eros grumbled.

"The way you're clenching your fists so tight your knuckles are white is telling me otherwise" Mikhail said and Eros sighed.

"I still don't get why they only grabbed Cole" Mikhail said after a moment had passed.

"It has to have something to do with his family, his parents must have some kind of play in to this. I'm not sure exactly when they got involved, but it had to have been after the ambush at the restaurant, it wouldn't make sense for them to have taken Cole now otherwise when they could have taken him them" Eros explained and this time, it was Mikhail's turn to sigh.

"That's worrisome" Mikhail said.

"Cole says he can handle himself, so you should have some trust in him" Eros said, glancing towards Mikhail who scoffed at his words.

"You say that but you're the most worried out of all of us. That show you're putting on isn't fooling anyone" Mikhail said.

Eros said nothing.

He didn't think he was worried...that much.

But deep down, Eros knew Mikhail was right, or else the feeling of being on edge because of the raven haired male's presence being absent wouldn't be coursing through him.

"Cole is smart, he'll find a way out and when he does we have to be ready to get him. He'll likely go to the manor if he escapes so I'll leave something for him so he can find us" Eros said.

"I have no doubt that he's capable of getting out on his own but who knows where they're taking him..." Mikhail said, concern for the ravenette filling his being.

"Wherever it is, I'm sure he'll figure it out"