A unanimous sigh breaks out throughout the SUV when Izzy says, "Park behind his truck, Abbie. I'll go with her!"
I look back to my best friend, my platonic soulmate, and flash her a flat, closed-mouth attempt at a grin that says, "Thank you." She nods in return.
"The fuck, as if y'all are going alone," Abbie says as she parks behind Ander's truck and she unbuckles. They all unbuckle, and we hop out and start moving frantically.
"I just texted Jett to tell him we are here and going in; he said they're two minutes out."
Her words are disregarded as I start running down the lane toward the house, leaving them all alone, still searching Anders's truck. We won't find our answers there.
Our answers, my world, are somewhere on the property. I have a feeling I know exactly where they are, and I'll be damned if I'll subject even more of the people I care about to Liam's wrath. If Ander had found Liam here, it wouldn't have been inside the house, and Ander would have been the only other person to know that.
Darting through the now thick brush on the once beautiful property, I run with purpose.
I am ignoring every flaming ounce of pain that radiates through my bruised and tattered body. I have to get to him. I need to know he's okay.I need him to beokay. The pathhere is somewhat cleared out, and by the looks of the stepped-on bushes and cracked twigs, there are apparent signs of foot traffic, so I know someone's been here recently. Liam must have been squatting here.
How fucking long has he been out of prison?
As the old barn where Liam spent most of his pathetic days as he aged comes into view, I slow my footing. This is one of several barns on the property, but this specific one was always Liam's spot.
Everything is eerily quiet.
Too quiet.
I pull at one of the large barn doors, and it lets out a loud creek in disapproval of being moved, which causes me to jump. Then, I hear it before I can see anything.
His laugh.
His sick, sadistic fucking laugh.
"Well,sister. This is the last thing I expected." Liam's callous voice sent a shiver of panic coursing down my spine slowly, one vertebrae at a time.
On impulse, I cringe and become rooted where I stand as Liam steps out of the shadows and into my view, bloody and bruised. He's limping, dragging his left leg. This tells me a tussle went down, and he's hurt.
Good.
As he steps into my line of view, he smiles from ear to ear as if pleased with my arrival.
"I'm glad you're here, Olive. Now, you get to watch!" He says gleefully as he raises a gun and points it directly in my face.
"Liam, you don't have to—"
"Oh, but dear sister, that is where you're wrong." He lets out another dark chuckle as he steps closer, mere inches between us, and nudges me forward with the gun. With his right hand, he swipes a trickle of blood from his creepily turned-up mouth.
I shake my head and force Liam to look me in the eyes.
"No, Liam. I'm not playing your sick fucking games anymore!" I shout as loud as I can.
"If you want to fucking hurt me, then do it, you coward! HurtME! Only a true little bitch would hurt others to get to me!"
I turn the tables, grab the barrel of the gun, and place it directly to my forehead, daring him and wishing he would at this point. I amdonewith his tormenting, and I am refusing to be his scared victim any longer.
Liam's mouth falls agape, and his jaw ticks as he scowls at me, gritting his teeth.
"You stupid bitch!" He shouts as he pulls the gun back and passes a hard slap across my face that catapults me to the ground.
He leans over me as I stumble to get up, feeling every ounce of pain from my already aching body screaming at me to stay down.
"You aren't going to die, Sis," he growls." Not by my hands, at least, but you will wish you were dead. That's the point, don't you get it?" He laughs as he pulls me to my feet and attempts to drag me by my arm.
