Nolan ends the call. I rush after the guy, hearing Nolan's "Alex, wait!" behind my back. But I'm already out scanning the surroundings.

"There he is!" I point towards an alley, where the guy's back is fading from view, and run after him.

"Alex, wait!" Nolan picks up his pace, catching up with me.

"What?!" I say without stopping.

"We shouldn't chase this guy!"

"Why not? Maybe he knows something!" I say stubbornly and sprint ahead.

The man keeps moving away from the main street, heading toward a cluster of warehouses.

"Hey!" I call him. "Hey, wait!"

But the guy only turns for a second before disappearing through one of the building's doors.

"Alex!" Nolan's voice rings out.

I already reach for the door. "Hey, I just wanted to ask a couple of questions," I say when I step inside. But there's no one here. Nolan walks right after me, breathing heavily and wearing a frown.

"I told you to wait!" he hisses sternly.

"And I just..." My sentence is broken by the clunk. "Hey!" I make a step toward the sound, but this time Nolan grabs my elbow and pulls me back. He moves to the door we got in through, but it's locked. Unbelieving, I push and pull the door, but it won't budge. And only now, I sense fear clutching at me. Maybe I should've listened to Nolan.

In the dim light of the warehouse, Nolan and I exchange a series of nonverbal cues, and Nolan pulls out a gun. The space is filled with stacks of boxes, and faint light filters in through small windows near the ceiling. The air is thick with the scent of dust and dampness. Nolan isn't letting me out from behind his back, gun at the ready. There is a creak on the right, and Nolan turns sharply.

"Come out," Nolan says demandingly, his finger on the trigger. "I said come out."

Hopefully, Nolan knows that shooting indoors is a bad idea...

The guy emerges from behind the boxes. His gaze flickers between the gun, Nolan, and me.

"Hands up!" Nolan's voice remains steady. The guy obediently raises his hands, palms facing us.

"What's your name?" Nolan demands.

Silence hangs for a moment as the guy studies us from beneath furrowed brows.

"I asked for your name!" Nolan's voice edges higher.

"No need to be so nervous," he responds with a peculiar accent. "Little brother," he adds unexpectedly after a beat, a faint smile quirking his lips. It seems to throw Nolan off; his hand, holding the gun, starts to tremble.

More men appear from behind the boxes, some of them are armed, too. Nolan steps back, shielding me.

"No one is going to harm you," says the man, but Nolan resolutely turns to the door.

"Alex, cover your ears," he says to me.

I only have time to press palms to the sides of my head, and the sound of a gunshot reverberates through the air as Nolan aims at the door's lock, shattering it in a single shot. Without hesitation, he forcefully pushes the door open.

We run out of the warehouse with chasers behind our backs. We sprint toward the city street, hoping that passers-by will put a damper on our pursuers' enthusiasm. And they do get a little behind once we're on a busy pavement, but they don't let us out of their sight, so we don't slow down. We continue to run until we're back at the park, where Todd and Mel should be waiting for us.

"Mel! Todd!" I holler as we roll up, and after momentary confusion, they join us.

My lungs are burning, and my side aches terribly, but Nolan shows no intention of slowing down. He leads us to a small pier where an elderly man is mending nets in a lonely boat. Nolan stops so abruptly that I crash into his back.

"What?" Mel asks, breathless.

"We need to get out of here urgently!" Nolan addresses the man in the boat. A flushed Todd catches up with us and waves at the man affably.

"We need your boat!" Nolan presses on, his attention solely on the fisherman. The man gives Nolan a puzzled frown, but upon noticing Todd, his expression softens slightly. Todd leans in closer to the man.

"We're facing some troubles," he calmly explains, catching his breath. "It's possible we're in danger. Could you please lend us your boat so we could find a safe place?"

"Your yacht hasn't returned?" the fisherman inquires.

"No," Todd shakes his head.

"Get in," the fisherman nods. We all step onto the boat. It seems small, and I doubt it can accommodate all of us, but it remains afloat steadily. The man starts the engine, and the boat pulls away from the pier. Nervously, we all glance back to the shore, half-expecting our pursuers to appear, but the coast remains empty.

The fisherman takes us to a small house perched on the edge of a jutting headland. As we step onto the shore, he leads us inside. The interior is cozy but simple. Fishing gear is strewn about, and I nearly trip over a fishing hook, but Nolan swiftly yanks me back just in time.

"Thanks," I mutter as we settle onto the plaid-patterned couch in the room with the big window.

"So, you folks got some trouble?" the man asks, eyeing each of us before landing his gaze on Nolan. What makes him stand out from all of us is that he wears a suit... and it's in a pretty sorry state.

"Yeah," I chime in, glancing at Nolan. "Our yacht sailed off without us. We're stranded here with no cash, no IDs, and it seems we crossed paths with some not-so-friendly folks."

The man shakes his head, sympathizing with our plight. "How can I be of help?"

"There's something you could do," Nolan finally speaks up. "You could receive a bank transfer in your name. We'd, of course, compensate you."

The man furrows his brows, a mix of suspicion and consideration in his eyes, but agrees.

"Alright, but I need to finish up with the nets. Feel free to help yourselves to some coffee. I'll be back soon."

Nolan watches the man with a hint of distrust as he steps outside. Just as he leaves, Mel's voice interrupts Nolan's thoughts. "I'm getting the feeling you're not telling us everything."

As I'm about to open my mouth, Mel raises her finger, her expression resolute. "I have heard enough of your lies! Now, I want to listen to Nolan. So, be kind, brother, let your boyfriend speak." She locks eyes with me and, caught off guard by her candor, I'm left speechless. Nolan's gaze shifts to her.

"What the hell's going on, Nolan? Where are my sister and my mom?" Mel's voice is a mixture of genuine concern and anger. I look at Nolan, waiting for him to respond.

"They're on the yacht," Nolan says evenly.

Mel's composure shatters, and she raises her voice. "Where is this damn yacht?!"

"It should have reached the destination by now," Nolan clarifies quickly, sensing Mel's boiling frustration. "The mansion. The yacht should have reached the mansion by now."

"So why the hell hasn't anyone come back for us? Did they make it?"

Nolan looks at the window, his voice quieter. "I don't know..."

"What do you mean you don't know? My mother is there..."

"My father's there too," Nolan interjects, his tone laced with his own distress. Mel turns her face away, purses her lips as if steadying herself and calming down her emotions.

"Who were you running from?" she asks after a pause. I glance at Nolan again.

"As Alex said before, it was some thugs we met when took a wrong turn," Nolan says. It's clear Mel isn't buying it, but Nolan isn't offering any more information. She rises from her seat, agitatedly pacing the room.

"Now what?" she finally exhales.

"We'll get the money from Felix, rent a boat, and make our way to the mansion," Nolan answers.

"How long is that going to take?"

"Several hours."

Mel paces back and forth again. "Can't your brother contact this... mansion to find out if everything is all right in there?"

"The mansion is well protected," Nolan says. "But..." He seems to struggle with his words. "Felix was never able to get in touch with our father."

Mel wrings his hands, and Todd's expression turns stern and serious.

"We have to go to the police!" Mel exclaims.

"No!" Nolan's tone is firm, catching us all off guard. We look at him, and it's as if he wants to shield himself from our gazes, to hide away.

"Why?" Mel asks, perplexed.

"Why not?" I can't help but second it. Nolan meets my gaze, a peculiar emotion flickering in his eyes, almost as if he was hoping I would stay silent, that I would be on his side.

"Listen," Nolan starts. "I'd really love to clarify everything, but if we want to figure out what went wrong, we need to act fast and rent a boat as soon as possible. We'll have plenty of time then," he adds resignedly.

"Alright," Mel agrees. "Get the money and a boat. I'm coming with you."

"You think I'd leave you here?" Nolan retorts.

"I think you can't be trusted," she responds matter-of-factly, not a trace of hesitation in her tone.

"I'm coming too," I say, rising from the couch, Todd following suit.

"Do we really have to go as a flock?!" Nolan groans.

"Well, it's better than splitting up," I reason. "And it wouldn't hurt to be prepared, just in case."

Nolan lets out a heavy sigh, but he's cornered. Three against one, and he's the one. I mean... I'm kind of on his side, but my worry for mom and Stacey is stronger.

We wait for the fisherman's return, and once he's back, we make our way back to the city. Nolan calls Felix once more, arranging for a substantial money transfer. Nolan tries to give some of the money to the fisherman, unsuccessfully though, and eventually, he leaves us.

With caution, we return to the pier where a handful of boats are anchored. Nolan speaks with the owners in turn before finally signaling us to come over. We embark, and as the boat moves away from the dock, I gaze at Werster gradually fading, blending into the vastness of the sea.