Page 79 of Addicted

Liam stomped down and Owen cried out as pain shot through his foot, causing him to release his hold. Tearing away, Liam sprinted through the greenery on the side of the road, his limp evaporating under his terror. Finn hurried after him but Owen could only shuffle over to a small guardrail and check for broken toes, sighing in relief as he realized that Liam had struck hard enough to get away but not enough to cause damage.

A few people still milled about in the convenience store parking lot, casting glances his way, but none of them had their phones out. It would probably be a good time to leave.

“Opie!” Finn jogged up, breathing heavily. “I lost him but I’m pretty sure he’s heading home. How’s your foot?”

“Probably just bruised.” Owen put his shoe back on and took a few steps, feeling only a dull fading ache. “It’s okay. Let’s go back to his place.”

“Do you think we should call someone?” Finn asked, holding Owen by the bicep and steering them across the street and back to their cars.

“Like Marci?” Owen stared absently at his discarded cup and the coffee that had pooled into a small puddle by his driver’s side door.

“Sure. But what about the cops? Someone hurt him-”

“No. No cops. Not yet anyway. Let me talk to him first?” Owen pressed his lips together, shaken to his core. How could he have missed Liam’s addiction? Then again, Liam’s shakiness, his weight loss, his mood swings, and his abnormal panic attacks were starting to make sense. According to Marci, Liam had gotten worse over the last few months. Was that linked to Owen’s appearance at The Pointe? He had so many questions and the only person who could answer them was Liam.

Finn was right, Liam did head home. Owen could see the light spilling from his third-floor window, and a Liam-sized shadow moving back and forth behind the blinds.

“Do you want me to go in with you?” Finn had brought them over, stating that Owen wasn’t in any shape to drive, and Owen had easily agreed. His foot still throbbed and the image of Liam’s bruised face left his stomach and mind rattled.

“No. But can you wait here in case I need…”

“Backup? No problem.” Finn leaned across the console and gave Owen one of his shoulder-bump hugs.

Owen took a deep breath. “I might be a while.”

Looking through the windshield, Finn followed Owen’s gaze up to the window. “I know. How about I walk back to the store and bring your car here? It will probably be easier to take him somewhere if it’s just you two.”

Owen pressed his shoulder back against Finn’s. “I owe you so much for this. For everything. Listen, I’m sorry-”

“Opie, we’ll talk later. Liam is the priority right now. I know…” Finn gestured vaguely at the building. “I know you care about him. Help him. My ex has been clean for six years. She deserved that second chance and so does Liam.”

“Thank you.” Owen blinked, surprised by Finn’s empathy. At first, he thought that Finn didn’t care about Liam, but in the grand scheme of things he was only being overprotective. He’d watched Owen go through a lot and right now in his eyes it probably seemed like Owen was trading one tough relationship for another. But Sharon and Liam were like night and day, and deep in his soul Owen knew that fate had brought Liam back to him because they needed each other.

And right now, Liam was crying out with that need.

Within seconds, Owen was at the door to Liam’s apartment and after a deep steadying breath, he knocked.

“Liam, it’s me. Can I come in please?” He leaned close to the wood, pitching his voice so it wouldn’t carry throughout the hallway.

There was no reply.

“Liam?” Owen knocked again, pressing his ear against the door but not hearing any motion. Unless Liam had climbed out the window, he was in there and Owen’s gut told him that he needed to get inside too, immediately.

“Liam! Let me in!” Owen yelled, pounding on the door with the side of his fist instead of the knuckles, not caring if the entire building heard, but no one peeked out to check on the commotion. A dog barked in the apartment at the end of the corridor; otherwise, it was strangely quiet which unnerved Owen even more.

Taking a chance, he twisted the doorknob and his mouth fell open as the door swung inward. It stayed open as he walked into Liam’s apartment and looked around.

The dinginess of the building’s facade and corridors carried through to the interior. Liam’s apartment was small, with faded yellowing walls and a ceiling that was streaked with water damage. The kitchenette with its missing floor tiles wasn’t wide enough for the refrigerator door to open all the way, and it appended a living room that could barely fit a normal couch, let alone the mattress in its center. Aside from a tiny desk and night table, the bed took up most of the room and Owen squinted at it in curiosity. Why didn’t Liam sleep in the bedroom? A glance down the hall told him that there was at least one.

“Liam?” His voice echoed strangely off the walls. They were bare, like Liam had just moved in, but Owen knew he hadn’t. The apartment was decrepit and depressing and Owen’s heart sank a little further knowing that Liam had been living in it for years.

He was about to check behind the closed doors at the end of the hall but a shuffling sound near the mattress caught his attention. Carefully, he walked around it, noticing that a blanket had fallen in the tiny nook between the bed and the wall.

Squatting down, Owen reached for it, but as his fingers brushed the fabric, it shifted and he froze.

“Liam? Are you under there?” Grasping the corner, Owen slowly pulled the blanket off and though it seemed impossible, Liam appeared, stuffed into the narrow space in a way that gave Owen second-hand claustrophobia. Whimpering as the light hit his eyes, Liam ducked his head under his arms, trying to curl but unable to as his knees hit the side of the mattress.

He was just as worse for wear as he’d been on the street, the wall behind him stained with blood, and the bruise on his cheek had deepened, turning an ugly purple that would last for weeks. Various emotions warred within Owen’s mind but, for now, he needed to focus on concern and let that come to the forefront.

---