Chapter 97 Ty
TY
The scent of blood permeated my nostrils when I stepped into Liza’s parents’ house. Isaiah was right behind me, his concern and anger etched on his face.
“Where is she?” My voice shook with barely contained fury.
The once warm and inviting kitchen looked like a war zone.
Glass crunched under our feet with every step we took.
The table, where I’d shared so many meals with Liza’s family, lay on its side, the chairs tossed across the room, and there were splatters of blood everywhere.
The bitter taste of fear and helplessness coated my mouth, making it difficult to swallow.
“Stay calm,” Isaiah said, placing a hand on my shoulder.
His touch was meant to be reassuring, but all I wanted to do was to find and tear apart whoever had taken Liza and hurt her loved ones.
“We’ll find her,” he added quietly as he began inspecting the wreckage, his sharp gaze scanning for any clues that might lead us to Liza.
I took a shaky breath to regain some semblance of control, but my wolf was agitated, pacing restlessly within me. The need to protect Liza, to have her safe in my arms, gnawed at my very being.
Isaiah gestured to something on the floor. I moved closer, clenching my jaw at the torn piece of Liza’s shirt, the delicate material stained with blood. The metallic tang of blood rose in the back of my throat when I picked up the fabric.
“Who did this?” I growled, my vision blurring.
Liza’s laughter, her smile, the way her face lit up when she was happy… those images haunted me now, taunting me with the possibility I might never see her again.
I looked up at a security camera mounted in the corner of the room. “Maybe we can find something on the footage.”
We huddled around the screen in the tiny security room. We needed to find Liza, and we needed to find her now.
“Got it.” Isaiah’s fingers flew over the keyboard as he pulled up the video feed from earlier that day. I scanned the screen for any clue that might lead us to Liza’s captors.
“Wait, pause it right there.” I pointed to one of the figures on the screen. Isaiah complied, and I leaned in closer, squinting at the image. “Can you enhance that? I think I recognize him.”
“Yeah, just give me a minute,” Isaiah clicked a few more buttons, then the enlarged image filled the screen. As the face came into focus, my blood turned to ice. It was Liam, Liza’s brother. The bastard had taken her right from under our noses.
“Son of a bitch.” I growled, clenching my fists so tightly, my knuckles turned white. “Liam.”
“Who?” Isaiah asked, confused.
“Liza’s brother. He must have planned all of this. If that son of a bitch is involved, God knows what else he has planned for her. Fuck!” I slammed my fist onto the table. “We need to find her.”
Liam stared at the camera with an alarming intensity. He’d taken her. It ignited a rage within me I couldn’t tamp down. If he hurt Liza, I’d tear him apart limb by limb.
“Let’s get this to the estate,” Isaiah said, his voice tight. “We’ll put together a team to track them down.”
As we left Liza’s parents’ house, my heart clenched with the need to find my mate. I was supposed to protect her and keep her safe from harm. Now she was gone, and her family was suffering. I couldn’t—wouldn’t—let the guilt consume me. I had to do whatever I could to find Liza and bring her home.
“Isaiah, gather all the security footage,” I said before I climbed into my car. “I have to go to check on Dad.”
“Understood.” Isaiah nodded, his face set as I shut my door and drove off.
I hurried through the estate to my parents' home. Five minutes later, I watched my father struggle to sit up in his bed. As much as I wanted to be there for him, my only concern now was Liza and her safety. My gut churned with anxiety, but I needed answers.
“Ty,” he croaked, his voice hoarse. “I’m so sorry.”
“Tell me what happened, Dad.” I tried to keep the growl out of my voice. I needed him to focus on the facts, not self-pity.
He winced in pain from the movement. “Liza rushed inside to check on Rory after we heard her scream. I was right behind her, but someone ambushed me before I even sensed them.” He averted his eyes, and I could see his self-blame eating away at him.
“Did you see who it was?” I knew who it was, but I wanted him to remember it all. “Did they say anything?”
“No, I didn’t get a good look at them, but they must have been skilled to get the drop on me like that,” he said shamefully.
“Hey.” I met his gaze, our eyes so similar in their stormy-gray hue. “This isn’t your fault. We’re going to find out who took Liza, and we’ll bring her back home. Safe.”
He nodded, swallowing hard. “I just… I let you both down.”
“Stop that. Right now, we need to focus on finding Liza.” I kept my voice firm but not unkind.
“Okay.” He managed a weak smile. “You’re right. We’ll find her.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket, cutting through the tension in the room. I glanced at the screen. Scott, Liza’s father.
Swallowing past the tight anger in my throat, I answered the call. “Scott, what’s going on?”
“Rory’s been rushed into surgery.” He sounded like he was on the last threads of sanity. “The injury to her head was worse than we thought. There’s bleeding on her brain.”
“Shit.” The situation just kept getting worse and worse. Not only was Liza missing, but now Rory was fighting for her life.
“Ty, focus on finding Liza,” Scott pleaded. “I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose them both.”
“I promise we’re doing everything we can to find her,” I assured him. “We won’t stop until she’s back home, safe and sound.”
“Thank you,” he said before ending the call. As I slipped my phone back into my pocket, I turned back to look at my dad.
He was out of bed and already halfway dressed.
“You sure you should be doing that?” I asked.
He grunted. “Scott shouldn’t have to wait alone, and I’m already healing.”
He wasn’t a man to argue with. “Let’s go.” There wasn’t a second to waste. He told my mom he’d be back soon, and we walked outside.
The cold air bit my skin as we climbed into the car, but it was nothing compared to the icy atmosphere inside the vehicle.
I gripped the wheel tight enough for my knuckles to ache while Dad stared out the window, my thoughts a whirlwind of anger and fear.
“Are you going to be able to keep your emotions in check when we get there?” Dad asked.
“I’ll try.” My anger would only make things worse for everyone involved. “But I can’t promise anything.”
Dad exhaled slowly. “You’re not the only one who’s hurting here. We all love Liza and her mother. We need to focus on finding Liza and making sure Rory is okay.”
“I know.” I rubbed a hand over my jaw, keeping the other clenched on the steering wheel. “I just... I can’t shake this guilt. I should’ve done more to protect them.”
“None of us saw this coming, but what matters now is how we handle it. Let’s be there for Scott and the boys, and you do whatever it takes to bring Liza home.”
“Right.” As we pulled up to the hospital, I steeled myself, determined to do whatever was necessary to make things right.
We entered the waiting room, the harsh fluorescent lights casting stark shadows on the faces of Liza’s brothers. Mason’s and Michael’s expressions were thunderous, and I braced myself for their wrath.
“Where the hell is Liza, Ty?” Mason’s rage was barely contained. “You were supposed to protect her.”
“Believe me, I’m doing everything I can to find her. My team is combing the security footage now.” Frustration had me balling my fists. “Right now, we need to focus on your mom and dad. They need our support.”
“Support?” Michael sneered, his eyes cold and accusing. “Is that what you call it when you let our sister get kidnapped and our mother attacked?”
“Enough.” My father’s voice commanded the attention of everyone in the room. “We’re all upset, but pointing fingers won’t help anyone. We need to work together if we want to find Liza and bring her home safely.”
“You blame me, and maybe you have every reason to. But I swear to you, I will do whatever it takes to make this right,” I told them.
Mason’s jaw clenched, his eyes burning with anger. After a moment, he nodded curtly. “Fine.” He turned his attention back to their father, who sat hunched over in his chair with his face buried in his hands.
“Thank you.” My heart ached for them. It was my responsibility to fix it—to save Liza and mend the rift that had formed between our families.
The door to the waiting room opened, and a doctor in pale blue scrubs approached us. His expression was calm and professional, and I sensed the slightest hint of relief coming from him. It was enough to make my heart skip a beat.
“Mr. Mims?” the doctor said, his gaze settling on Scott. “Your wife is out of surgery. She’s in recovery now if you’d like to see her.”
“Thank God.” Scott’s shoulders sagged with visible relief. A weight lifted off my chest, too. At least Rory was safe for now.
We followed the doctor through a maze of hallways, my ears picking up every conversation and beeping monitor along the way. It was disorienting, the constant barrage of human sounds and scents, but I kept my focus on the task at hand: being there for Scott and Rory.
When we finally reached Rory’s room, she was awake but groggy, her eyes glazed over from the painkillers. The bandage wrapped around her head was stark white against her dark hair. She looked so fragile. So vulnerable.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Scott said as he approached Rory’s bedside and reached a trembling hand out to touch her face.
“Scott,” she croaked. “Where’s Liza?”
Scott’s jaw worked, and his eyes darted to me. He couldn’t hide the truth from Rory, but how could he say it?
Before he could answer, I stepped forward, needing to take some of the burden off his shoulders.
“Rory, Liza is… well, she’s not here right now.” I chose my words carefully. “We’re doing everything we can to find her and bring her home.”