Chapter 12
Ethan
" W hat's that?" Tyler asked, frowning at the briefcase in my hand.
"It's the ransom," Matt answered.
"We were only able to get twenty-five million between the two of us. Can you believe the damn banks..." I added.
Tyler cut me off, eyes wide, looking around. "Put that away," he ground out, popping the trunk so that I could do just that. "You won't be needing that. Just let me lead, okay?"
My cheeks blushed red like a kid caught stealing. "I just thought..." I shrugged, looking at Matt for support. He shrugged as well before entering the van.
"What's this big old van for?" Matt asked, looking around the ample space. It was a far cry from his sleek black Audi straight out of a Batman film, that he'd driven to our place over the past couple of days.
"If we have to take loverboy to collect Lily, I figured a big, dark vehicle would be a good motivator to keep him cooperative," he said.
A chill ran through me, although, I will say I was relieved I wouldn't have to get my hands dirty. Lily wouldn't approve and I wasn't sure I could stomach it. Yesterday, sure, I was willing to wring Marco's neck, but today, I was focused on one thing.
To say I was a bundle of nerves would be an understatement. I was jittery, my palms sweated as I tapped my fingers against my jumping thighs. My chest was tight but I could already envision joy. Today is the day we get Lily back, I thought, swallowing on the drive over to Marco's. And that was what washed away all the thoughts of getting my personal revenge on the person who took her. I just wanted her to be safe. Once she was in my arms again, nothing else would matter. The police could deal with his ass, or Tyler, I didn't care. Once she was back with us, where she belonged, I wouldn't waste another minute on anyone but her.
"Wait here." Tyler hopped out of the vehicle and started walking around the perimeter of Marco's house, looking into windows. It was broad daylight, yet he was so smooth with it, anyone would think he was a friend of the family or something. He strolled back over to the vehicle, so slowly, my breath got trapped inside my chest. "He's alone," he confirmed with a nod before allowing us to follow behind him. "Let me do the talking, okay? You're emotional about this, I'm not. I can be more rational about it."
"I can be rational," Matt said with a red face and swollen cheeks as if he was about to pop at any moment.
"Deep breath," I told him, pretending I was in control of my own emotions.
Tyler pounded his fist against the door before calling out Marco's name in a familiar, friendly way. It produced a tall, slim, unshowered man with a wooden necklace hanging from his neck, an unbuttoned shirt baring his sparsely hairy chest who looked as if he couldn't decide whether or not he was going to the beach or going to bed in his dingy sweats. He sported a black mustache and wore his long black hair pulled back in an unbrushed loose ponytail. His pupils were dilated as fuck as he looked at the three of us, pulling his brows together.
"Who the hell are you?" He fidgeted, shifting from foot to foot and keeping his hand on his doorknob.
"Are you Marco?" Tyler asked with a smile. I attempted to play along, raising my hand in a half wave and forcing a half smile, before dropping it and looking away. Matt scowled at me.
"Depends who's asking," he said.
Tyler's smile dropped. He lowered his voice and pierced him with his eyes. "We're here for Lily."
Marco scoffed out a laugh. Both Matt and I locked eyes onto him, Matt's eyes were wild, heat rose within me. He was laughing?
"Lily? What the fuck? Why would she be here?" He folded his arms. "I don't know if she told you, but we broke up years ago, bro. So if you're her dealer or some shit, and you're here to collect money from her, she's giving you the run-around boss man." He moved to shut the door and I panicked.
"We have the..." I began to speak, referring to the ransom, but Tyler stopped the door with his foot and stepped inside Marco's place. Matt stormed in after him and I did the same. The warm, rank odor that hit us as soon as we stepped in could knock us out if we weren't careful. Fuck, with the fentanyl crisis, I hoped we weren't inhaling that shit. That only made me rush throughout the house even faster.
"You don't mind if we take a look around, do you?" Tyler asked after we stormed through the house.
"Yeah, fine. Whatever." Marco's voice wobbled. "You won't find anything. I'm telling you the truth. I haven't seen that bitch in years. She ain't here, man."
"So, where is she?" Tyler doubled down.
"How the fuck should I know?" I heard Marco shriek as I banged open doors. A thud, a yelp and a crash, in that order, came from the room he and Tyler were in.
The air was damp with sweat, dust, and ballsack. Just straight up body odor and ass. I couldn't stand to be in there for more than a couple of minutes, and the thought of Lily being here for countless hours was making me sick. Was this how they used to live? What he subjected her to? I remembered the state of her childhood home when we just met, and seeing this now? No wonder her head was messed up. Marco preyed on that. But she left that life behind, and if he'd brought her back to that state, I'd...I didn't know what I'd do.
Remember the hunger for violence that had been quenched earlier? Well, it was returning with full force now with every door I opened. I got satisfaction from every echoing blow that landed on Marco's body.
Dirty needles littered the bathroom. Nothing in here had been washed for a while. The more doors I opened without spotting Lily, the more starved for vengeance, and wound up in impatience and anxiety I became. Until Matt stood frozen for a couple of seconds at a door he'd opened. He rushed forward and I hurried in behind him, wind knocked out of me. Dirty blond hair peeked out from beneath some covers. The luster was lost, leaving it scraggly and greasy.
"Is it her?" I asked as Matt ripped the cover off the body.
We both stumbled backwards. A pale woman lay unconscious and naked in the bed. But she wasn't Lily. I wasn't sure what to feel. Shaking, I staggered forward. Matt's hand trembled as he swiped it across his face.
"Is she alive?" I managed.
Matt swallowed, reaching out with hesitation to check her pulse, but she turned over as if sensing our presence. She remained asleep, snoring, and her back was visible to us now. Purple, black, and blue bruises marked the slender arch of the area close to her spine, and I shuddered. Images of Marco laying a single finger on Lily blackened my sight.
Spinning on my heels, I marched back into the living room to find Tyler wiping the blood away from his knuckles and Marco curled up in a ball sobbing on the floor. It wasn't enough.
"This asshole doesn't know anything," Tyler hissed.
My breath left my body as I looked between Tyler and Marco, and at Matt whose body language reflected my own thoughts. What happens now? He was supposed to be it.
Walking toward him, I refused to accept anything I was being told. My foot landed on his jaw. His eyes rolled back and forward. His mouth was moving but I couldn't hear what he was saying. I couldn't hear what anyone was saying as I dropped to my knees, pulled him by the collar of his shirt and fucking headbutted him. I didn't know where the hell that came from and I didn't feel anything from the impact. Today was supposed to be the day we bring Lily home. You were supposed to have her! Where is she? I screamed without speaking.
Stop. Eric and Ryan might have some news for us. He might be telling the truth about being innocent. I rationalized inside my head. There's nothing innocent about him! He hurt Lily. This way I'll make sure he never comes near Lily again. I punched him until his head dangled on his neck. Still, I didn't stop until I was being hauled away from him and thrown to the ground.
Tyler swore and dropped down next to him, checking his pulse. "You could've fucking killed him! Do you want a murder charge?!"
Panting, I watched as Tyler tilted Marco's head back before slapping the shit out of his face. I was a little bit horrified by my lack of remorse. There was even a sense of triumph. I didn't know what to think about that. However, when Marco started to cough, I breathed easier. Tyler rolled him onto his side, the muscles in his face relaxing. He pulled out a rag and some sort of solution, wiping away blood from the scene before shining a blue light around the walls and furniture. Satisfied, he returned to crouching.
"This was a warning." He leaned forward and whispered in Marco's ear. "So remember that plan you had to kill Lily? You're going to abandon that plan, aren't you?" Marco fought to keep his eyes open and Tyler released a mirthless chuckle. "Oh yeah, you probably have a concussion. So try not to fall asleep." He slapped Marco's face, stood up, straightened himself and scowled at me. "Let's get the fuck out of here." He mumbled beneath his breath, storming off through the front door.
I should have apologized for putting us all at risk. Beating someone up to extract information was one thing. Murder was something else. I had no plans to murder him. I had no intentions, period. I'd snapped, but I didn't regret it.
"He didn't know anything," Tyler repeated.
"I know," I stepped past him.
Matt
Always so controlled and sensible, Ethan shocked the hell out of me. I thought that Tyler would be the scarier one today, but shit, Ethan became someone I didn't know. I'd say that the shock was the reason why I remained frozen and didn't jump in to stop him. But that would be a lie. I'd taken pleasure in watching Marco getting what he was owed. What was happening to us? We needed to get Lily back before we were driven insane, to the point of no return.
On the way over to the van, Ethan's breathing shortened, his shoulders began to shake and in the blink of an eye, he dropped to his knees, wrecked from sobs. My heart joined him on the pavement. Tyler swore, looking around.
"Get the fuck up," he bit.
But Ethan crumpled, his body melting into the sidewalk. I attempted to be strong for him, surprised at how well I was succeeding as I held his shaking shoulders.
"Come on. We have to go." My voice cracked.
It took both me and Tyler to get him up from off the ground. The weight of his grief rested like lead in his feet, dragging across the ground. It was like losing Lily all over again, damn it. My own shoulders weakened and I begged myself not to collapse.
In the van and in a trance, I barely registered the vibration in my pocket. Pulling out my phone, I held my breath when Ryan's name popped up.
'Please tell me you have her.' His message set me off and I broke down sobbing like a baby in the back of the van. We were hoping it would be either Marco or her father, but Ryan had had no luck either; we were back at square one. I couldn't bear this for another day.
"What is it?" Ethan turned to look at me.
I shook my head, while texting Ryan with tears dripping onto my screen. "Eric and Ryan haven't had any luck."
My whole body shook when I lifted my head to look out the window as if I expected her to start conveniently running down the street. My phone vibrated again, along with Ethan's and Tyler's. I couldn't bring myself to look at it, but Ethan sniffed beside me.
"The guys want us to meet them at Terry's workplace." His voice cracked with hoarseness.