45. Liam
Chapter 45
Liam
I t had been three days since Margo had gone missing.
The group had met up every day since she had gone missing, Grayson and Neil had staked out the front of Margo’s house and there was no sign of her.
We haven’t seen her in school, and Ben hadn’t returned to Hawthorne at all.
Grayson and I had hired some of the most professional police force to find her and, like I suspected they were shit at their jobs.
Everyone had fallen asleep on my bedroom floor as I stayed up on my desktop, unable to fall asleep.
I could not shake the feeling that Margo was in serious danger. Every lead I pursued seemed to dissolve into nothingness, leaving me in a fog of frustration.
My thoughts were constantly plagued by the haunting image of Margo's face, her eyes pleading for help.
As I sat in the dimly lit room, I stared at the wall adorned with a chaotic array of notes and paperwork, my phone buzzed. The screen displayed an unknown number, and my heart skipped a beat. With a deep breath, I answered the call, hoping for a breakthrough.
“Liam?” The voice on the other end was cautious and unfamiliar.
“Yes, this is Liam. Who is this?” I replied, trying to mask my impatience.
“You and Chris are coming to the fight tonight, aren’t you?” The voice continued, hesitant and wavering. My heart pounded in my chest as I gripped the phone tighter.
“It’s Angelo, you remember from that night?” He mentioned as my heart stopped pounding.
“This week isn’t really a good week for us to go out there Angelo, can’t you find someone else to fight?” I asked as he pleaded to stay on the phone.
“Sure, I got a good prize for you.” He disregarded my words, I couldn’t help but sit up from my chair.
“I’m not interested, Angelo.” I said firmly as he coughed out, and put his phone on speaker.
I heard a lady scream from a far. A familiar sounding scream.
“HELP! HELP! HELP!”
My breath caught in my throat as I recognized the voice. It was Margo. My worst fears were confirmed, and adrenaline surged through my veins.
“Tell me everything you know,” I demanded, my voice edged with a mix of hope and urgency.
I then heard gunshots, that were being shot throughout the rest of the phone call.
“Come alone.”
Angelo’s voice was strained and provided an address and abruptly hung up, leaving me with a glimmer of hope. I sprang to my feet, grabbing my jacket and keys, and dashed out of the room.
As I raced out of the room, my heart pounded.
My mind raced as I got into the car and started the engine. The address Angelo had given me was etched into my memory, and I couldn't waste a single second.
The streets blurred past as I sped through the city, my thoughts solely focused on Margo and the danger she was in. The engine roared as I pushed the car to its limits, weaving through traffic with a singular purpose.
I realized that the address given to me as far too familiar. I never knew the actual address of the warehouse in Brownsville, because we just went.
I took a deep breath before entering the abandoned building.
I pushed open the creaky door and stepped into the dimly lit warehouse. The air was thick with dust, and the only sound was the echo of my footsteps on the concrete floor.
My eyes scanned the darkness, searching for any sign of movement.
“Margo!” I called out, my voice echoing through the empty space. There was no response, only the hollow sound of silence. As I moved deeper into the warehouse, the sense of urgency grew stronger.
Suddenly, I heard a faint noise coming from one of the far corners. I hurried towards it, my heart pounding in my chest. As I approached, I could make out a figure huddled on the floor. It was Angelo on the floor, dead.
I further looked and caught Margo, her hands bound and her face pale.
“Margo, I'm here,” I whispered, dropping to my knees beside her. “Are you okay?”
Her eyes opened slowly, and she managed a weak smile. “I knew you'd come,” she said, her voice barely audible.
I quickly untied her hands and helped her to her feet. “We need to get out of here,” I said, glancing around nervously. “It's not safe.”
“No Liam, you need to leave me now. ” She warned me as I tilted my head looking confused.
“Oh no, he can’t leave just yet! We haven’t celebrated his return.” I turned my heard and saw Ben, who walked over slowly with a gun in his hand.
My eyes narrowed at his weapon and shielded Margo away from it.
“No Liam, go please!” I heard Margo cry out as I stood my ground.
“I’m not leaving you.” I said sternly as Ben laughed.
A cynical laugh that drew my attention to his tattoo.
“You are the sex traffickers’ boss aren’t you, the guys that would take women from the fights. They would bring them to you.” I remembered as he winked at me.
“Now you know what my day job is, William.” He grinned.
“You’re fucking crazy.” I exclaimed as Ben brought the gun up and shot my shoulder.
Pain seared through my shoulder as I staggered back, clutching the wound.
Margo screamed; her eyes wide with terror as she reached out to steady me. Ben’s laughter echoed in the dimly lit room, a chilling sound that sent shivers down my spine.
“You're not going anywhere,” Ben sneered, raising his gun again.
Summoning every ounce of strength, I lunged forward, knocking the weapon from Ben’s hand. “Run, Margo!” I shouted, grappling with Ben as she hesitated, torn between staying and fleeing.
“Go, now!” I urged, as I struggled to overpower Ben and his other men.
With a final, desperate glance, Margo turned and bolted towards the door. I fought fiercely, but the pain in my shoulder made it hard to keep up. Just as I felt myself weakening, I heard footsteps approaching from behind. A wave of relief washed over me as I saw Grayson storming in, his eyes blazing with determination.
Grayson’s arrival was just the beginning of our rescue. As he punched Ben, I noticed more figures entering the room.
Neil and Chris, with fierce purpose etched on their faces, sprang into action, they tackled the other men who were about to overwhelm me.
Neil moved with precision and strength, quickly disarming one of Ben’s henchmen and turned Ben’s gun to face himself.
Chris, was a skilled fighter that I knew fought many of these other guys before and won, took on two men at once, his swift movements making it hard for them to keep up.
“Grayson!” I called out, struggling to stay on my feet, the blood from my shoulder grew more apparent as I heard sirens from a far.
But I didn’t care about the pain that seared through me. I pulled Ben towards me and swung around, my fists connecting with Ben’s jaw in a brutal uppercut, which sent him sprawling to the ground.
Ben didn’t say anything but only fell on the ground, I couldn’t tell if he was down for good or if I had just knocked him out.
I felt the immense amount of pain that rushed through me once more.
The room spun around me, the adrenaline masking the full extent of my injuries. But as the immediate danger subsided, the pain in my shoulder grew unbearable.
It was as if a searing hot knife had been driven into my flesh, and every movement sent a fresh wave of agony coursing through my body.
I felt my head pound as well as my heart weaken.
Next thing I knew, I was hitting the floor, blood splattered everywhere as I heard Grayson’s screams and the police infiltrating the whole perimeter.
“Stay with me Brookshire.”
Then I saw black.