Page 88 of Look My Way
Daniel lifts Liam from the trunk, shooting daggers at me. “Looks like we got here just in time. Liam meets the description of all the guys who are missing and showing up dead too.”
“Wait . . . you think?” The guy behind me curses.
“It seems to look that way.” I don’t have to turn around to know that’s Jared. His voice shakes when he says it too. And he keeps pushing how it has to be me and how my apartment needs to be checked. They won’t find anything, unless . . . unless Daniel’s put something there. I think about the box in his apartment. A light bulb goes off in my head.
He had a collection like me. It’s him. He and Jared are the ones kidnapping young men. He’s been right under my nose all along. I grit my teeth. I don’t know how, but I need to get myself out of this situation somehow. I need Liam to wake up, not only to clear my name and take Daniel down, but because I can’t picture a world without him now that I’ve had him.
“Come on. You’re coming with us, asshole.” Cuffs are put around my wrists and Liam is carried inside, Daniel looking back at me with an almost smile. Oh, he’s better than I gave him credit for. “I’m going to stay here and see if I need to take Liam to the hospital. He needs me right now.”
“Of course, man. Do what you need to do. We got this.” The guy behind me shoves me into the back of the vehicle, and I climb in, sliding closer to the middle. The door slams shut and my escape plan is looking dimmer the longer this goes on.
Two cops get in the front, and one says something into a walkie-talkie while the other one says something to me that I’m only half listening to. Something about guys like me and scum of the earth. No, he has it all wrong. The real scum is inside the house we’re quickly driving away from. Liam was safe before and now he’s far from it.
I slam my head back and the chain of my necklace tugs on my neck. Right. I’m still wearing the key from when I locked Liam in Daniel’s handcuff earlier this morning. I never took it off from around my neck, so it was convenient in case I needed to use it again with him later.
Wiggling in my seat, I look out the window, and the guys in front are so wrapped up in their conversation about something else, they’re no longer focused on me. One messes with the radio and sighs. “We have to make a quick stop. There’s been an accident reported on the way to the station.”
“Shouldn’t we take him in first?” The guy in the passenger seat asks, pointing back at me.
“Nah. The detective meeting us there to question him is running behind. We have time. This asshole isn’t going anywhere.”
“Yeah, alright. This shouldn’t take long anyway if it’s just a fender bender.”
The car speeds up before slowing down and pulling over to the side of the highway. One cop looks back at me with a cold expression. “Hang tight. Don’t try fighting your way out of there, because all you’ll do is wear yourself out and piss me off further.”
The driver laughs, stepping out of the car, and his partner follows suit, slamming the door so hard the car rattles. Once they’re far enough away from the car, I turn my body and lie on my back. I look out the window as I fold my body to bring the cuffs forward. It takes several tries before I finally get them over my feet. Breathing hard and breaking a sweat, I lift them up in front of me, while my eyes stay on the two pigs talking to a couple of pedestrians as they describe what happened.
Working fast, I tug the key from under my shirt and shove it into the lock counterclockwise until I hear a click. One cop looks my way, and I quickly position my hands behind my back as hewalks closer. He lifts his glasses, squinting his eyes as he looks at me through the back window. “What are you up to back there?”
I shake my head, mouthing, “What?”
Sliding his glasses back down, his muscles jump in his cheeks, and he repeats himself. I mouth, “Can’t hear you.”
He blows out a breath, jutting out his bottom lip as he opens the door. “I said, what are you up to back here? I saw you moving around and lifting your legs up.”
“Nothing. Staying put like you said.”
His glasses slide down his nose and he looks me over. Leaning closer, he lowers his head, and as he’s reaching his hand out to grab and examine my wrists more closely, I use the opportunity to swiftly turn my body and kick him in the chest. He flies back and I jump out, kicking him when he tries to get up. I step on his hand when he tries to reach for his gun, kicking it out of his fingers. I pluck his keys from his pocket, stepping on his hand again.
His partner looks over when he shouts, and as he’s grabbing for his holster, I snatch the gun from the ground before running behind the car. I climb into the front, shoving the key in the ignition after locking the doors. I’m being shot at as I duck my head and drive away. My bag is in the trunk. I saw them put it in there. It has my phone and everything else I need inside. I don’t have to look at the map anymore to know where Daniel is probably headed, though.
The lake house is his holding area, isn’t it? Will I also find the missing guy there? I’ll know once I arrive. Speeding up, I run stop signs and turn on my siren as I drive straight through red lights. The cops will track the car and follow me to where I’m headed. Good, I want them to. Pulling onto the street where the lake house is, I slam my foot on the gas, and my heart thunders when I see Daniel’s car in front of the house.
He’s here. I hope I’m not too late. Whatever he’s done to Liam, he better get ready to pay for every hair he’s hurt on his head. I’m not a good person, but there’s not a bigger monster out there than someone who’s capable of what Daniel has done. As soon as I’m parked, I get out and grab my bag on the way to the porch. The door is of course locked, so I break a window, not caring who hears me.
A song is blaring in the living room, and I follow loud screams to the basement. It takes me a minute to realize what’s playing around me. “Smile,” by Natalie Cole. My stomach tightens. I jiggle the door to the basement and shoot at the hinges when it doesn’t open. Rushing down the stairs, I get closer to the screams, and a man is lying on the bed against the wall fighting against the ropes tied to the frame.
“Help. Please.” His face is stained with tears, his red hair caked with blood. “Please,” he says again, and as I shine a light on him, my stomach plummets. It’s not Liam.
“It’s okay. Help’s on the way. The cops should be here soon.”
“Don’t leave me. He’ll hurt me again,” he croaks. “They’re both insane.”
“I’m sorry, I’m looking for someone, but I’ll be back, I promise.” I try to reassure him before running back in the direction I came. The song is playing on a loop, and the guy in the basement is back to crying. It’s like nails on a chalkboard and hurts to ignore. He’ll be okay, but I don’t know if Liam will be yet. I have to get to him before he isn’t.
I run up the narrow steps, my shoes pounding against the carpet the faster I move. The first room I check only has a bed in it. No Liam. Behind the second door are nothing but boxes. Growing impatient, I kick open the door to a bathroom and move past an open doorway that’s clearly another loose end. Noise from the last room has me locking my eyes onto it and nearing it with careful steps.
The door pulls open before I can touch the knob and Daniel is pointing a gun at me. “Drop the weapon, Zavier. You don’t want to be the reason Liam suffers before I end his life, do you?”
