Chapter 29

Joe stood against the wall with a wet rag in his hands. In front of him was a bloodstained stain that had already dried up. The boy sighed in alarm as he started wiping away the blood.

Wetting a rag in cold water again, the young man began to wash away the traces of the crime again with intensive movements.

Hamerson kept looking at the door, afraid that someone might enter the room, especially Foster.

The crimson substance was difficult to wash off, making the person more and more nervous.

And when the case was over, loud footsteps were heard along the corridor, which were getting closer and closer.

Joe began to look around the room in a panic, not knowing where to put the bloody rag and himself. He quickly tossed it into the bin in the closet, crawling under the bed himself.

And at that moment, the door opened, letting a man inside.

Joe hid his legs, trying to hold his breath, which was too loud.

'Hailey, are you there?' Asked a male voice with an accent.

Hamerson closed his eyes, waiting for that time to pass as quickly as possible.

'Hailey?'

The young man stepped further into the room, looking around.

On suspicion, everything was too quiet, calm and, worst of all, empty...

'Fuck,' Hissed Nick, when he realized that Mackenzie was not here.

There was silence, but Joe could see how the boots did not move at all, remaining in their own position. The boy furrowed his brows, not understanding what he was going to do.

'Tyler! Hailey is not in her room. Tell the guards to look for her,' the young man gave the installation. 'Please don't let Foster find out about this.'

The country house was impressively large. The luxurious manor that surrounded the building fascinated the eye. The man finally went into the house, after a hard day's work. Still in his suit, he went to his office for a glass of strong cognac.

Today was a big day.

'Rosalie!' Williams called out to a middle-aged woman, beckoning to him for a new assignment.

The blonde man heard a rough male voice while she was in the kitchen preparing food. After taking one last look at the stove and making sure she could arrive before the vegetables could burn in the pan, she hurried to her employer.

'Mr. Foster, you called me,' the maid said.

'Has Nathan been here yet?' The man asked, standing near the window and looking around his estate.

'No, Mr Foster.'

'Let me know if he comes here with a girl.'

'All right, Mr. Foster. I can go?'

'Get out of it.'

The guards walked around all the buildings, looking into every unexplored corner. The girl was nowhere to be found, no information was available, no one saw her any time soon to help find her.

Miller entered Jay's bedroom with a clenched jaw and scowling eyes that were ready to throw lightning all over the neighborhood. Everything suddenly fell on my head, like some kind of curse.

The death of a best friend, problems with James's father, a girl running away.

The boy sat on the edge of the bed, softening his gaze as he turned his attention to Foster, who was standing by the table. The brown-haired man sighed heavily, already regretting that he had come here, because he did not know what to say exactly.

'We're in trouble, Jay.'

And it was the word 'we' that showed all the support, because Foster's problems were the problems of the entire 'Darkness' gang.

The car stopped in front of a huge building somewhere in the middle of the forest. The young man got out of the car, pulling out his companion. The girl clutched her head as she got to her feet. Because of the rapid increase in pressure, flies appeared in front of my eyes.

'If you behave well, everything will be fine,' the guy grinned, saying a tautology.

'One wrong move and a bullet in the forehead?' The brown-haired woman asked, following in the footsteps of the guy who held her hand tightly.

'Maybe.'

In front of them was a huge fence with a gate near which stood two strong men in formal suits.

When the young men were close enough, the guards placed their palms on their guns, warning them that this was private territory and that strangers did not belong here.

'I'm Nathan Evans. Williams Foster is waiting for me,' the brown-haired man said sternly, changing his voice beyond recognition.

'Come on in.'

The gate began to slowly diverge in different directions, giving way to young people.

And then Hailey realized that there was no way to escape here.

They entered the courtyard, immediately noticing armed guards around the perimeter. Walking along a stone path between planted ornamental trees with flowers, it was a pleasant feeling, if not for this situation, which completely killed any feelings except fear.

Nathan rang the doorbell, and a minute later a young girl showed up at the door.

'Welcome, Mr. Evans. Williams Foster is waiting for you. Follow me.'

Evans gave me a look as if he was trying to tell me something, and then went after the maid.

His grip became much lighter, as if he was ready to let me go. We went up to the second floor, heading towards my client. The girl stopped near the doors, opening them and then stepping aside.

The man stood in the middle of the office with a glass of alcohol in his hands.

The door slammed shut after we stepped inside, making me flinch in fear.

I looked up as I felt the guy let go of my wrist.

Dark blue eyes looked straight at me.

They were identical to his son's eyes.

The man was quite young and pleasant in appearance, his strict suit fit well on the body, and the gold watch perfectly showed that this man was very successful and influential.

There was a light stubble on his face, with the help of which sharp cheekbones immediately caught the eye.

He looked at me with a frown on his face, not looking away. I felt uncomfortable and wanted to hide behind Nathan, but now he was standing behind me.

The man took a step closer, continuing to study me with his eyes.

He raised his hand with a glass, and I flinched again at the unexpected gesture. Evans took the alcohol from his hands, placing it on the table near the window.

'Hailey Marilyn Mackenzie,' the brown-haired man said in a rough voice, tasting my name on his lips.

'I completed my task, can I now get...' the guy did not have time to finish, as Mr. Foster interrupted him.

'You're late in time,' the young man replied rudely.

There was something in his voice so authoritative, clear and understandable, after which it was not necessary to ask anything, speak or appear.

He felt like a leader.

It felt like James Williams Foster, his son.

The man cupped her chin in his fingers, lifting Hailey's head higher since she was much shorter than him.

'I know why he chose you,' the brown-haired man said quietly so that only Mackenzie herself could hear it. 'I would have done the same if I were him.'

There was no need to guess, and everything was so clear that he meant his son by all these proposals.

'Why?'

'Why, what?'

'Why did you take me away from him?'

'Too many why, don't you think?'

'Absolutely not.'

Mr. Foster moved away from the girl, going back to the table. He took a sip of the fine cognac, again glancing quickly at the brown-haired woman.

'I'd lock her in the basement,' he told Nathan rudely. 'but she behaves too well for that. Take her to the guest room.'

The young man was sitting on the bed with his head in his hands. He was so tired of these problems that he just wanted to run away from them himself, but unfortunately, they would still remain unresolved and would someday remind of themselves with renewed vigor.

This day went by pretty quickly, and the guy, tired of everything, completely exhausted, lay down on the bed, closing his eyelids.

He took a deep breath, trying to stop the extra thoughts in his head. Various plans of action, tomorrow's pictures of what was happening still climbed into the tired mind, preventing him from falling asleep.

'I will return everything that was taken from me... Freedom.'