After a night of peaceful rest, Marc kept me in check for most of the day. My nerves wanted to jump and run, but his presence by my side calmed me down enough to push ahead the thoughts of Jace and the mission. 

When Drew came to pick me up, however, my worries returned ten-fold. 

I turned to Marc. "I wish you would come with us." 

"I know, but I don't want Tilia close. I'll be waiting here, and you behave, okay?" He tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. "Stay in the car. Do as they tell you." 

"I will." I wanted to add Sir at the end, but I wasn't comfortable enough in front of Drew. Marc seemed to hear the word I never said and gave me a brief kiss before I sat down in the car.

During the drive, everything was happening so fast that I lost focus and spiralled down the rabbit hole until Drew broke the silence. "We'll meet with the others close to the hotel. You're here to comfort Jace when we get him out, so I don't want to see you inside the hotel. Is that clear?" 

"Yes."

Drew nodded and switched gears. "I know you're worried, but we know what we're doing and we're prepared. We'll get him out of there." 

I watched his calloused hands on the gearshift, hoping that they were as sure and strong as they looked. Drew had an air of confidence around him, much like Marc, and I found myself willing to trust him even if I hardly knew him. 

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, hoping to understand his motives. 

"Because I can." 

I didn't know how to answer. Wasn't he afraid to get hurt? The men surrounding Sam looked like seasoned fighters, having that scary glint in their eyes that revealed those who liked violence for violence's sake. 

We spent the rest of the drive in silence except the calls Drew made on his phone and those he received. It sounded like the rest of the team were ready and waiting for a signal to go in. Drew told them to hold until he arrived. 

My heart began to pound as I recognized the houses lining the street. We turned a corner, and Drew stopped the car. "Don't call us, we call you." He gave me a phone. "Don't stray from the car. We need to get out of here as soon as we can once we get him."

"Okay." I clutched the phone in my hand, wondering how the hell I was supposed to sit here and wait. It would have been different if Marc came with us, but with him at home, I had no one to keep me grounded. 

Drew was on his way out of the car. I almost stopped him, ready to reveal that I couldn't deal. But, what would I say to him, and how could he possibly help me? I held my tongue and watched him give me a last nod before closing the door and walking off to the black sedan waiting by the curb. 

I glanced at the time. I should be at home, asleep, but I guessed it was a good time for a mission such as this. The streets were calm, the cars few and far between even if this was a busy street during day time. 

Four men got out of the vehicle in front, moving with certainty and efficiency. It calmed me down that they knew what they were doing, a feeling that held until they got close to the hotel and entered through what must have been a partly hidden entrance. 

I waited for the alarm to go off until I recalled that hotels usually didn't want to keep people out. If one of them had an room key, they could likely get in at any time during the night. The relief was short-lived, however. My mind ran wild, conjuring different possibilities of what went on inside the building. Had they reached the room? Had they been apprehended by the staff, or by Sam's men? Was someone already calling the police? 

Checking the time again, I winced when I realized that no more than ten minutes had passed since they went inside. Ten minutes that felt like half an hour. It dawned on me how difficult it would be to stay calm if this took too long.  

The chill from outside crept into the car, slowly descending around me until I shivered beneath Marc's thick coat. It smelled of him, and for a short moment, I breathed in and felt his imagined presence sooth my nerves. Feeling the phone in my hand, I thought about calling him until I remembered that I couldn't recite his number. Frustrated, I crossed my arms and started to count my breaths. In out. In out. 

Twenty. 

Two hundred. 

Windows on the tenth floor flooded with yellow light only to go out again. Was that the suite? I couldn't remember. I was fairly certain it was the tenth floor at least. 

Five hundred. 

What was taking so long? 

I fingered the phone again, waiting for them to call. Why weren't they calling? They must have entered the room long ago. What if something had happened? What if they were captured? 

Panic clenched around my chest, but it wasn't the kind of panic that froze me up; instead, I sprang out of the car, slamming the door behind me. I couldn't stay and do nothing. Orders be damned. When had I ever listened to orders, anyway? 

I sprinted toward the entrance, looking inside and catching sight of a receptionist behind the counter. He eyed me carefully as I knocked, cocking his head to the side as if to consider whether to let me in or not. I held my bare hands in the air, hoping that would help sway him. 

The receptionist rolled his eyes and pushed the button to open the doors. 

"Thank you," I said, running toward the elevator before he had time to stop me. I heard him call out, but at least he wasn't yelling for security. 

I pressed the button for the tenth floor and watched the doors slid close, giving a brief wave to the receptionist who shook his head in displeasure. 

Trapped in the elevator, I had time to reconsider my actions and change my mind several times over. Not only had I alerted the hotel about my presence, I also went against explicit orders to stay in the car. Marc wouldn't be happy, and Drew might want to tear me a new one. I feared their reaction, but checking to see if they were okay was more important in my opinion. Something might be terribly wrong, and I couldn't just sit back and do nothing about it. 

A voice announced the tenth floor and I stepped out into the dimly lit corridor. The door to Sam's suite was closed, but as I stood outside, I could hear plenty of sounds from inside that made me worried. I breathed in, holding my hand on the handle but not pressing down. A muffled scream pushed me into action, however. I turned the handle and was surprised to find the door unlocked. 

The scene before me was a small step away from chaos. Two men appeared unconscious on the floor while others glared at the masked man wielding a gun. They looked like regular civilians, and I concluded that they were customers rather than members of Sam's crew--their lack of clothes was a tell-tale sign. The room was a mess, tables upturned, chairs scattered, and it smelled of alcohol and insence. 

I didn't dare step into the room until Drew entered the main room with Jace by his side. I ran to him, disregarding Drew's cursing. 

"Jace. Fuck." He landed in my arms, eyes blown wide by drugs that hadn't worn off. "What are you on, man."

He blinked slowly. "Dunno." 

"Get out of here. Now!" Drew called out and steered us both toward the door. "Told you to stay in the fucking car." The words landed as a slap across my face, but I didn't mind, not when I had Jace alive beside me. 

"Clear out this shit hole," Drew said to someone. "I'm taking them." 

I wasn't sure what he meant until he slammed the door behind him and literally shoved us toward the elevators. He pushed us to the side as he entered, mask pulled down to spray something inside. He waved us inside and I saw a black fleck of spray paint where the camera was. I should have thought of that earlier, I thought, but it didn't matter now. 

He didn't say a word on the ride down, but the anger was coming off in heavy waves. Jace leaned into me, cuddling close as if he needed the warmth. He looked up at me with those wide eyes and smiled. "You came." 

"Of course." 

"Stay quiet!" Drew snapped. 

The elevator stopped on the first floor, opening up to a corridor instead of the reception hall. "We're going down the stairs. You keep him walking," he said to me. I nodded and then we were off, one step at a time. The stairs were almost impossible to descend with Jace less than helpful by my side. Drew sighed and picked him up in his arms, throwing Jace over his shoulder. I thought Jace would struggle, but he merely smiled and blinked slowly--totally out of it. 

Drew kicked open an emergency door and got us out on the street. They must have disabled the alarm, I thought, because nothing happened even if we were obviously breaking out. Drew continued to carry Jace and headed for the car. It blinked as he opened it from afar. Thinking of a way to make myself useful and maybe get me back into his good graces, I opened the back door and helped him get Jace inside. I scooted in beside my friend and fumbled with the seat belt while Drew sat down in the driver's seat. 

"What happened with Sam?" I asked. 

"He wasn't there," Drew replied. 

"What happens now?"

"I'm driving you back, and I'll let Matthews deal with your punishment. Idiot." 

"I'm sorry." 

"Well, it's too late now. Just make sure that guy doesn't choke on his own vomit on the way." 

"His name is Jace," I said, annoyed at his callous attitude. 

"Keep Jace alive, then. I don't want you to ruin the car when my mood is already down the drain." 

"I'm sorry," I said again. 

"Just shut it and keep out of my face." 

I slumped back into the seat, feeling bad but also relieved that Jace seemed to be mostly alright. He was high as a kite, but at least he wasn't struggling. 

"Jace. Are you okay?" It was a stupid question, but I was concerned and wanted him to know that he wasn't alone. 

"I'm disgusting," he replied, wiping his hands on his poor excuse of a sweater. 

"You're not." 

"I am. I need to shower." His voice was calmer, and I wondered if the high was wearing off. 

"We'll get you a shower when we arrive. Just sleep." 

"Where are we going?"

"Home." 

Jace laughed. "We've not had a home in years, bro." 

"I have one now, and I'm taking you there. But you have to stay calm and quiet because there's a young girl sleeping on the upper floor." 

"Hell, man. A fucking kid. How did that happen?" 

I rolled my eyes. "It's not mine, dumbass." 

"You hooked up with some chick then? Fuck, man. I'm wired." 

And still high, obviously. "Just get some rest, it's a long ride from here." 

It looked as if he was about to say something else, but instead, he let his head fall on my shoulder. "I've missed you, Ethan." 

My heart clenched. "I've missed you, too." 

I took hold of his hand and held it tightly. I had missed him, and I hoped that I would never have to fear for his life ever again. He better set himself straight, or else I might not be able to stay clean. We were in this together, I realized. They had made a serious mistake to separate us at the clinic. A mistake I would never let anyone make again. 

A/N remind me never to write action again. haha