Chapter 86: Start Talking
The door creaked open. One of the masked men stepped inside—the one with the crowbar earlier, though his hands were empty now. His breathing came uneven behind the mask, each inhale sharp in the still room.
Oliver didn’t move. “What are you doing here?” he asked, voice low.
The man’s gaze flicked around the room, restless, before settling back on him. “I shouldn’t be here,” he said. His voice wavered. “But I can’t— I can’t stop thinking about it.”
Oliver tilted his head. “Thinking about what? Kidnapping? Or the part where you realized you’re in over your head?”
The guy winced, then gave a weak nod. “Both.” He dragged a hand down his mask. “Look, I didn’t plan this. It wasn’t supposed to go this far. Toby said it was just to scare you off—mess with your head a little. We didn’t know it was because of a woman.”
Oliver’s expression didn’t change. “A scare tactic that involves tying a man to a chair in an abandoned building?”
The guy flinched. “I know how it sounds, alright? Told you already... I was drunk when he first brought it up. He made it sound like a joke. Then, when I sobered up and tried to back out, he—he threatened me. Said if I bailed, I’d regret it.”
Oliver studied him. “And you listened.”
The guy swallowed hard. “He’s… convincing. He’s got this way of talking, making you think you owe him something. And he said it’d prove loyalty.”
Oliver let out a short, humorless laugh. “Loyalty’s expensive these days.”
The kid stepped closer, lowering his voice. “You have to believe me, man. I didn’t want this.”
Oliver said nothing. Just watched.
After a moment, the guy shifted under the silence. “It’s her, isn’t it? The woman he’s been… talking about. The one he keeps tabs on. He’s been at it for over a year now.”
Oliver’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t answer.
The guy nodded to himself, uneasy. “Yeah. Thought so. He’s obsessed with her, man. The way he talks about her—it’s not right.”
Oliver didn’t move, didn’t speak. The guy filled the silence himself.
“He used to show us pictures,” he said, voice low, shaky. “Screenshots. Stuff he took from her social media. Taking pictures of her, not knowing he’s doing it. Said she was perfect, that she didn’t belong around people who didn’t appreciate her. At first, we thought he was just drunk-talking, you know? But then he started driving by her place. Said he was ‘looking out for her.’”
Oliver’s jaw flexed. “How long has that been going on?”
“Since last year, maybe more. I don’t know.” The guy’s fingers twitched against his knee. “He said they had a connection, that she used to talk to him. But I don’t think she ever did. He kept tabs on her — where she goes, people she talks to, even what time her lights went out at night.”
“Really?” Oliver remembered the busted CCTV at Del’s porch.
The guy swallowed. “We told him it was messed up, but he’d just smile and say we didn’t understand. Then, when you showed up, everything got worse. He said you were in the way, that you were—”
“What?”
He hesitated. “That you were obsessed with her, too.”
Oliver gave a short laugh, quiet and humorless. “That’s what he told you?”
The guy nodded. “Said you wouldn’t leave her alone. That you were some freak following her around.” His breathing quickened. “But if you’re her—” He stopped himself, eyes flicking up, wary. “What are you to her?”
Oliver leaned back, calm again. “I’m just her fucking boyfriend. Nothing else.”
The guy’s eyes widened. “Boyfriend?” His voice cracked. “He said—he said you were the problem that she didn’t even know you. Jesus! Toby just kept lying to us. Fuck!”
Oliver’s gaze dropped to the floor, steady and calm. “Yeah,” he said.
“Look, man, I’ll let you go, I just need you to promise you’ll leave me out of this.”
Oliver’s gaze sharpened slightly. “That depends. You’ve got something I want.”
The guy hesitated. “What? But I already told you everything.”
“Not everything. ” Oliver leaned forward as much as the rope allowed. “Tell me everything you know about Toby—where he’s been staying, who he’s been talking to. Don’t hold back.”
The guy shook his head. “You should go to the cops. Just report him. They’ll handle it.”
Oliver’s tone stayed level. “You think the cops can stop him? You said it yourself—he’s not just drunk or stupid. He’s planning something. I mean, look around you and look at me. He just manipulated you and your other friend into committing a crime.”
The kid’s eyes dropped, mulling over what Oliver had just said.
“So,” Oliver said, voice steady. “You going to talk, or not?”
A beat passed before the kid looked up again and gave a small nod. “He is. He—he’s going after someone.”
Oliver’s tone shifted, low and deliberate. “My girlfriend?”
The kid hesitated, then whispered, “Yes.”
Something flickered across Oliver’s face—sharp, cold, gone in a second.
“Toby said once you were out of the way, he’d take care of her,” the kid went on, words tumbling now. “Said she’s the reason you deserved this.”
Oliver’s jaw tightened. “Alright,” he said quietly. “Then you’re going to tell me everything. Because you don’t want anything bad happening to my girlfriend now, do you?”
“Of course not, man,” the kid said quickly. “I don’t want anything to happen to her. Or anyone, for that matter. This is just insane!”
“Good.” Oliver leaned forward, calm but unreadable. “Then you’re going to tell me every place Toby’s been, everyone he’s talked to, and every stupid thing he’s bragged about. You helped make this mess. Now you’re going to help clean it up.”
The kid nodded, guilt pulling at his face. “Alright. I’ll tell you what I know. But you swear—you’ll leave me out of it when this is over.”
Oliver’s eyes stayed on him, flat and focused. “Start talking.”