Chapter 140 The Abandoned Warehouse

Chapter 140 The Abandoned Warehouse
The Abandoned Warehouse 

Liam’s POV

“No,” I said, shaking my head before she could even finish explaining her plan. “What if it backfires? You can’t promise it won’t.”

Rosalie let out a quiet sigh and stepped closer. Her voice stayed calm, the same gentle tone she always used whenever she was trying to get through to me.

“I’ve done this before, Liam,” she said. “It isn’t going to kill you. If I believed there was a real chance something would happen to you, I would never ask.”

Normally, I might have listened. I trusted Rosalie more than most people. But right now, I couldn’t think straight.

For days, every lead had fallen apart the moment I got close. Every hour that passed felt like another hour Dylan was suffering somewhere while I stood here doing nothing. The thought of sitting still while someone drained my blood for an experiment made my skin crawl.

What if they needed me now? What if I wasted the little time Dylan had left?

“I need some time,” I muttered.

Before Rosalie could stop me or try to change my mind again, I turned around and walked away, leaving her and Vivian standing in the hallway.

I pushed open my bedroom door and slammed it behind me harder than I intended. The loud bang echoed through the room before everything went quiet again.

The silence didn’t help.

If anything, it made everything in my head even louder.

I ran both hands through my hair and started pacing from one side of the room to the other. I couldn’t sit down. I couldn’t think. Every worst-case scenario kept flashing through my mind, each one more terrifying than the last.

Needing something to hold onto, I pulled out my phone and called my investigator.

He answered almost immediately, as though he’d been expecting my call.

“We found the place where Ethan was keeping him,” he said without wasting a second. “At least, where he was keeping him. I can’t promise they’re still there, but it’s the strongest lead we’ve found.”

My heart slammed against my ribs.

“Send me the address.”

There was a brief pause.

“Liam,” he said carefully, “it might already be too late. They could’ve moved him by now.”

“I don’t care,” I said, my voice coming out harder than I intended. “Send it anyway.”

A second later, my phone buzzed with the location.

“Thank you,” I said quietly before ending the call.

I didn’t stop to think.

I grabbed my jacket from the chair, checked that my phone still had enough battery, shoved it into my pocket, and headed straight for the door. My mind was already made up. Whether that lead was old or not, I had to see it with my own eyes. I couldn’t sit around waiting anymore.

I was halfway down the hallway when Rosalie stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

“It’s late,” Rosalie said, her voice firm but gentle. “You’re not going anywhere tonight.”

“I have a lead,” I replied, trying to step around her.

She moved just enough to block my path again.

“Liam, listen to me…”

“No, you listen.” The words came out much harsher than I meant them to, but I couldn’t stop. The fear, the frustration, the helplessness I’d been carrying for days all spilled out at once.

“You don’t understand what this feels like,” I said, my voice shaking. “You’ve never loved a human, Rosalie. You’ve never had to lie awake all night wondering if the person you love is still alive… wondering if they’re scared, hurt, or calling your name while you can’t do anything to help them.”

I swallowed hard, but the anger kept coming.

“All you’ve ever loved is your own kind. You have no idea what this feels like. It’s not the same.”

The moment the words left my mouth, I saw the change in her face.

The calm expression she’d been holding onto cracked just enough for the hurt underneath to show. It was only for a second, but I saw it. Her eyes dimmed, and something inside them broke.

A part of me immediately wished I could take it back.

Rosalie had been there for me longer than anyone. She had raised me, taught me how to survive, and stood beside me through centuries when I had no one else. She had become family long before I even understood what that meant.

She didn’t deserve those words.

I knew that.

But the fear of losing Dylan was louder than my guilt, and I couldn’t bring myself to apologize.

Without another word, I brushed past her and walked out the front door.

The cold night air hit my face the moment I stepped outside, but it did nothing to clear my head. I hurried to my car, climbed in, and pulled away before anyone could stop me.

The drive felt like it lasted forever.

Every red light seemed determined to hold me back. Every slow driver in front of me felt like another obstacle between me and Dylan. My fingers tightened around the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white, and the knot in my stomach only grew tighter with every passing minute.

By the time I finally reached the address my investigator had sent, my hands were trembling.

I parked at the side of the road and climbed out.

The moment my feet touched the ground, a strange feeling settled over me.

Something wasn’t right.

The air felt unnaturally heavy, pressing against my skin in a way that had nothing to do with the weather. The streets were too silent. There were no voices, no passing cars, not even the distant sounds of the city. It was as though the entire neighborhood was holding its breath.

I looked around slowly.

Nothing matched the description I’d been given. The place felt unfamiliar, as if someone had erased its identity and replaced it with something empty. Either Ethan had changed everything before leaving, or I had arrived too late.

I started searching.

I checked every building I could reach, peered into narrow alleys, and searched every dark corner that looked like it could be hiding someone. I let my senses reach as far as they could, desperately searching for the smallest trace of Dylan’s scent.

Something that told me I wasn’t chasing another dead end.

But there was nothing.

Minutes passed, and every empty doorway made the frustration inside me grow heavier. I was beginning to wonder if I’d come all this way for nothing when something caught my eye.

A warehouse stood farther down the road, hidden behind a line of dead, leafless trees.

At first glance, it looked no different from the other abandoned buildings around it. There were no lights in the windows.

And yet…

Something about it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

I couldn’t explain why.

I just knew that was where I needed to go.

Something about that warehouse wouldn’t let me walk away.

I couldn’t explain it. Every instinct I had kept pointing me in that direction, whispering that I couldn’t leave without checking it first.

I moved carefully toward the building, keeping low and staying close to the shadows. My heart pounded harder with every step, each beat loud enough that I was sure someone would hear it. By the time I reached the wall, my breathing had turned shallow.

I pressed my back against the cold concrete as I heard voices.

They were faint, little more than low murmurs, but they were definitely coming from inside.

Slowly, I edged along the wall until I found a narrow gap between the broken boards. Holding my breath, I leaned forward just enough to look through.

Several men stood inside, gathered in a loose circle.

They were all dressed alike, wearing long dark robes that covered them from their shoulders to their ankles. Strange symbols had been stitched into the fabric with silver thread, symbols I had never seen before. They spoke quietly among themselves, their voices too low for me to make out a single word.

Even without hearing them, something about the scene made my stomach tighten.

The way they stood was too organized and deliberate. Every movement looked planned, almost ceremonial, as though they were preparing for some kind of ritual.

A chill crawled down my spine.

Every instinct I had screamed that I shouldn’t be here.

I had no idea who these people were or what they were doing, but one thing was obvious. I was alone, they outnumbered me, and I wasn’t prepared for whatever this was.

This wasn’t the time to be reckless.

I slowly eased away from the gap, careful not to make a sound. My only thought was to get back to my car, call for help, and return with people who actually stood a chance against whatever I had just stumbled onto.

I had barely turned around when every voice inside the warehouse suddenly went silent.

The change was so sudden it made my blood run cold.

My heartbeat thundered in my ears as I stood perfectly still, barely daring to breathe. Maybe they had simply finished their conversation.

I clung to that hope for exactly one second.

Then I looked down and the moonlight had stretched my shadow across the ground.

It slipped through the gap in the wall… straight into the warehouse.

My stomach dropped and that was when I realized that they knew someone was outside.