Chapter 82 The Beginning Of Something Bigger

Chapter 82 The Beginning Of Something Bigger
Marcus’s POV

I hated the quiet.
Not the peaceful kind—the kind that settles in after a long day, when everything feels earned—but the hollow kind. The kind that presses in on you, makes your thoughts louder, heavier, harder to ignore.
I was sitting on the edge of my bed, brace locked in place, crutches leaning against the nightstand like a constant reminder of everything I couldn’t do. Damian had dropped me off less than twenty minutes ago after my follow-up appointment. Physical therapy schedules, recovery timelines, stern warnings about patience. I’d nodded through it all, pretending my mind wasn’t already somewhere else.
With Anna.
She’d left earlier with Courtney to go dress shopping. Or at least, that was the plan. I checked my phone again.
No reply.

At first, I told myself it was nothing. Mall service sucked. She was probably in a fitting room. Courtney had probably already dragged her into some glittery nightmare of a dress. Still… Anna always texted back.
I typed another message.
Everything okay?
Delivered. No read receipt.
The unease that had been hovering at the edge of my thoughts finally pushed its way front and center.
I tried to distract myself—adjusted the brace, shifted my leg, stared out the window at the quiet street below. My knee throbbed dully, but it was nothing compared to the tightening in my chest. Something wasn’t right.
My phone buzzed suddenly, making me flinch.
Damian.
I answered immediately. “Hey.”
“Marcus,” he said, voice rushed. “Where are you?”
“At home. Why?”
A pause. Too long.
“Anna just texted me,” he said slowly. “She said Liam picked them up.”
My grip tightened on the phone. “What?”
“She said Liam picked her and Courtney up,” Damian repeated. “You told him to?”
“No,” I said sharply. “I didn’t tell Liam anything.”
Silence.
My heart started pounding, fast and hard. “Damian. Did you?”
“No,” he said. “Peter was supposed to help them if they needed a ride. But he said he never got a call.”
Cold spread through my veins.
“Where are they now?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Damian said. “Anna’s phone went dead right after that text. No service.”
The room felt suddenly too small.
“Damian,” I said, my voice low and steady in a way that didn’t match the chaos inside me. “Call Liam. Right now.”
“I already did,” he said. “Straight to voicemail.”
That was it. Every instinct in my body screamed danger.

I swung my legs carefully off the bed, pain flaring as my foot hit the floor. I didn’t care. I grabbed my crutches, shoving my arms through them with shaking hands.
“Marcus,” Damian said urgently. “What are you doing?”
“Finding them.”
“You can barely walk—”
“I don’t care,” I snapped. “Something’s wrong.”
He exhaled sharply. “Okay. Okay. I’m picking up Peter and coming to you. I’m ten minutes away.”
“Drive faster.”
I ended the call and shoved my phone into my pocket, adrenaline surging hard enough to make my vision blur. Every worst-case scenario I’d tried not to think about came rushing in all at once.

Liam. Of all people. He’d always been… off. Too eager sometimes. Too quiet others. But I’d never thought—never imagined—
Peter Ramsey’s name surfaced in my mind like poison. My jaw clenched. If he had anything to do with this—
The front door opened abruptly.
Damian burst in, breathing hard, keys still in his hand. “I may have broken a few laws,” he said. “Get in.”
I didn’t argue. The ride was a blur of sharp turns and tense silence. My knee screamed every time the car jolted, but I welcomed the pain. It kept me grounded. Kept me from spiraling completely out of control.
“Think,” Damian said, gripping the wheel. “Where would he take them?”
“He said he was taking them to the mall,” I replied. “If he veered off, it would’ve been somewhere quieter. Less traffic.”
“Industrial area?” Damian suggested. “Old back roads?”
I shook my head. “Too obvious.”
My phone buzzed suddenly. Unknown number. My heart nearly stopped.
I answered without thinking. “Anna?”
“Marcus?” Courtney's voice was filled with relief as the line crackled.
"Are you guys ok? Where's Anna?" I asked but the line crackled again before going dead.
"Damn it!"

I slammed my fist against my thigh, pain flaring but barely registering.
"Peter, pull out your laptop and do your search thing. See if their phones pinged off any cell towers," I breathed out as the pain in my knee throbbed so much my head hurt.
“Damian,” I said, teeth clenched. “Floor it.”
He did. We tore down the highway, then off onto smaller roads, following instinct, memory, and pure desperation. My phone stayed silent, mocking me.
“Talk to me,” Damian said. “Stay conscious.”
“I’m not the one in trouble,” I muttered.
“You will be if you pass out,” he snapped.
" I think I got something, " Peter said as he rambled out some coordinates

Damian's foot pressed even more onto the accelerator as my hands fumbled with my cellphone.
" Who are you calling?" Peter asked.
" The police. We're not sure if Liam has backup," I clenched my jaw harder as the pain in my knee intensified.

My mind kept running Anna's face before my closed eyes. Was she hurt? Was she scared?
Peter leaned forward and tapped me on my shoulder.
"I'm going to murder that kid if he laid a hand on my girls."
" You and me both, kid." I head Damian's voice say, as his knuckles went white on the steering wheel.

We're coming Anna. Please be okay.