Chapter 202
Chapter 202
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Liam
My breath caught.
The phone in my hand vibrated again, screen lit up with a name I never thought I’d see again.
Father.
But I’d seen the photo. He was alive. Bloodied, yes—but conscious. And now he was calling?
“Do I answer?” I asked aloud, mostly to myself.
Avery stood frozen beside me, her hand lightly gripping my arm. “Put it on speaker.”
I did.
The line connected, and for a few seconds, all I heard was static.
Then—
“Liam…”
His voice was hoarse. Wrecked. But unmistakably his.
“Dad?” I breathed, heart thundering.
“Son… don’t—don’t believe everything you see.” A deep cough interrupted his words. “She… Evelyn… she has—”
A sharp sound, like a slap. Then a different voice filled the line. Cold. Smooth. Calculated.
“Hello, Liam.”
Evelyn.
“I hope you enjoyed the photo,” she said. “It took quite a bit of effort to get your dear father to cooperate.”
“What do you want?” I growled.
A small laugh. “You know what I want. Walk away. From Avery. From the companies. From everything. Or I’ll start mailing you pieces of him.”
“You’re bluffing.”
Another noise. A cry. A scream—his scream.
My vision blurred.
“I don’t bluff, Liam,” she said. “You of all people should know that. You have twenty-four hours. Choose wisely.”
The line went dead.
I stood there, fists clenched so tight my knuckles cracked.
“She’s unhinged,” Tobias muttered. “We should’ve taken her out when we had the chance.”
Avery didn’t say anything at first. She just walked to the window, staring out into the night.
“Are you going to give her what she wants?” she finally asked, without turning.
“No.”
I crossed to her, resting my hands on her shoulders.
“She’s going to push until someone breaks. I just need to make sure it’s her, not us.”
“But your father—”
“I will get him back. But I’m not sacrificing you or Ryan in the process.”
She finally looked up at me, her eyes fierce. “Then we need to outsmart her. Beat her at her own game.”
I nodded. “Then it’s time we stop being reactive.”
Avery gave a sharp smile. “Let’s go hunting.”
By morning, we had a plan.
Tobias tracked the call Evelyn made to a dead zone off the coast. An island estate—privately owned, unregistered on government logs. Likely where she was keeping him.
We needed to infiltrate.
And we needed bait.
“She wants me to surrender,” I said. “So let’s make it look like I’m doing exactly that.”
“And what about Ryan?” Avery asked.
“He stays here. Triple the security. We’ll have guards in shifts, even drones watching the estate from above. No one touches him.”
She hesitated, then nodded. “Fine. But I’m going with you.”
“Avery—”
“You need me. She won’t expect both of us to show up. She thinks she’s already scared me into hiding.”
I couldn’t argue. Not with the fire in her eyes.
And not when I knew she was right.
We landed on the island just after midnight.
No formal landing strip. Just a private helipad surrounded by dense jungle and hidden cameras. Tobias disabled the signal jammers before we touched down.
The place was dark. Quiet.
Too quiet.
I exchanged a look with Avery as we crept forward. Dressed in black. Armed. Focused.
Inside the main house, the silence was deafening.
We moved through empty halls and opulent rooms—until a low hum stopped us.
A screen flickered to life in the center of the ballroom.
Evelyn’s face appeared. Smiling.
“I knew you couldn’t resist,” she said. “You always were predictable.”
Suddenly, steel shutters slammed down across the windows and doors.
Avery cursed. “It’s a trap—”
Gas filled the room. Thick. Sweet.
I grabbed her hand. “Hold your breath—”
But it was too late.
My vision swam.
Avery’s grip slipped from mine.
And then everything went dark.
I woke up bound to a chair, blood dripping from my temple. Across from me, Avery stirred—gagged, bruised, and furious. And standing between us… was Evelyn, holding a gun.
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