Page 21

Chapter 21

Liam

4.5 Years Ago

“ W ant to go grab some donuts?” Ford asks.

I snort. “Could you be any more stereotypical?”

He shrugs. “We haven’t graduated yet. Heard you’re top of the class when it comes to criminal profiling. Who would’ve thought? All those muscles and you’re a wonk.” He chuckles, throwing a punch into my bicep before flinching away.

I laugh. “I’d tear you apart in hand to hand any day.”

Ford rolls his eyes, the bright green piercing in the sun. We had early morning training, and by early, I mean 3:00 a.m.—practically the middle of the night. We move toward the parking lot, intent on coffee and sustenance. Fuel for our worn-down bodies.

“Meet you there?” Ford asks.

“Sounds good.”

I climb in my car and Ford powers up his bike. The bitter chill of south Mississippi isn’t really a chill at all. Compared to Ruin, located so far north it could pass as a Tennessee town, the gulf is much more enjoyable. Although the humidity and heat never bothered me like it does my family.

Guess that’s why I’m here.

Ford gives me a wave and drives off behind me, the rev of his bike rumbling through the sitting cars. Someday, when I can save enough, I’ll get one. The freedom Ford talks about when he brings up his rides with his brothers is enough to make anyone crave a bike like that.

On the way to the coffee shop, my phone rings and I glance at it, smiling. My mother rarely calls me. It’s mostly my father. But when she does, it’s usually to vent about my sister.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Liam?”

The smile on my face falls immediately at her panicky tone. “Mom, what’s wrong? Is everything all?—”

“Liam, Adam’s missing. He isn’t answering his calls. Each one goes to voicemail. Your father has been out looking for him but hasn’t had any luck. People we’ve talked to say he’s been hanging with some new people, but I don’t know who to ask or what to do. I’m afraid this is your sister all over again?—”

“Mom, Mom. Calm down. How long has it been since you’ve talked to him?” I don’t have the heart to tell her that he’s a grown-ass adult and may have decided to hook up with a girl for a long, extended weekend somewhere.

“Days, Liam.”

I sigh. “All right. I’ll leave right now. Should make it in by evening.”

After hanging up with her, I text Ford to let him know I have to pass on donuts and coffee. Then I speed off north to Ruin.

Sixty percent of the bricks on River and Goff’s sidewalk leading to their front porch are cracked. Counting them is an easy distraction as I wait for River and Goff to get off work.

Both of them have worked since high school, and fortunately for me, Adam still runs in their circles, so I’m banking on them knowing something.

After I returned to my mom’s and had a conversation with her and my dad, Goff’s place was the first stop in my search for my brother.

Car lights flicker as an old Honda pulls into the driveway. It’s Goff’s car, but he has always been willing to pick River up from work since the death of their parents.

I raise my hand in a wave as they both grin at me. Probably because it’s been months since I’ve been home. With training at the academy extending into most weekends, time off isn’t a luxury I have.

They both exit the car and stroll up the sidewalk where I stand.

“Hey, man, what’s going on? Long time no see.” Goff reaches forward for a handshake and I take it, offering a firm pump up and down before sliding my hand back into my pocket.

River eyes me, her brow scrunching. “What’s wrong?”

“Have either of you seen Adam? My mom called me worried because she hadn’t heard from him in a couple of days. I figured I’d check in with y’all first.”

“I haven’t,” River says, her gaze turning to Goff and waiting for his answer.

Goff pales a bit before reaching a hand up and rubbing the back of his head. “Listen, man, I haven’t talked to him, but I did see him a few days ago.” He shuffles on his feet, avoiding my gaze, and I step into him a bit. The front porch lights to their double wide detect my motion and turn on, illuminating the freshly mulched landscaping that surrounds the bricked walkway.

“Goff. Tell me.”

“You’re not going to like it,” he says, and spares a glance at River, who has already narrowed her eyes on him. She looks equally annoyed with her brother and elbows him while tilting her head toward me.

“He was hanging out in Darrin’s spaces when I saw him last. A few of us went to play poker one evening and I saw him at the blackjack table.”

“Darrin?” River asks, crossing her arms over chest and shivering as she says his name. Her eyes veer off, gazing up at the night sky before she scowls and shoves past us aiming for the inside of her house. “Tell him what he needs to find Adam, Goff. Darrin is …” She scoffs, her words trailing off as she swipes at her cheeks. With a turn, the front door slams shut.

Stepping up to Goff farther, I lean my face down, leveling him with a stare and conveying my impatience.

“I’ll make a few calls and send you the address if I hear anything,” Goff says, and I notice his hand tightened into a fist at his side before he unfurls his twitching hand. The signs we’ve learned in training of drug use slowly start to register.

Damn it, Goff. What are you into?

I nod at him, knocking his shoulder with mine as I step around him. Not five minutes later, after I’ve left his house, my phone dings with an address for Darrin’s local gambling joint.

I’ve never been one to bet my money. It’s always too precious of a commodity for me, especially because, unlike my brother, I chose to move downstate. Never would’ve pegged Adam as the gambling type either. As I drive to the location, I wonder what I’m going to say. Can I say anything?

Adam and I weren’t very close growing up, not because of any one thing in particular. Our differences in personality and interests always kept us entertained with separate activities. However, our family is an average one, happy to get together and enjoy a meal. There was never a shortage of discussion to be had or jokes to make at each other’s expense. We were normal … up until my sister.

Rocks beneath my tires give way to the large parking lot. I pull into the old diner that used to sit outside the main road into Ruin. It’s since been turned into a place for making a buck.

Stories of Ruin’s infamous diner-turned-gambling center have spread outside the town. The gas station attendant I spoke with on the short drive here mentioned he’d gone a time or two while pointing me in the right direction.

Secrecy isn’t something required, but this established underground gambling ring is not advertised. Word of mouth and hushed whispers attract the patrons eager to turn their luck around. Trust is the real currency here, and any betrayal can be as risky as the games themselves.

I park a short distance away, my walk in the spring night whisking by too quickly as I approach the door before me. It’s covered by a black material with zero security or indication I’m in the right place. If someone happened upon this run-down building, they’d be pressed to assume anything was going on here.

When the door opens, neon light filters out, and I wander through a smoke-filled labyrinth. Tables come into view and high-stakes poker games are scattered throughout. Clicking pulls my gaze to the roulette wheel, punctuating the sounds of clinking liquor glasses.

A few people cast glimpses my way, raising a hand in my direction before going back to their games. Mayor Johnson sits at a blackjack table with the town’s sheriff next to him. He leers at his cards before gesturing to the dealer for another hit. No wonder why this place exists with zero consequence.

I move through the room, sliding behind fully occupied seats and mostly full tables to scan the crowd for him. Adam’s hair is an inky brown, the exact opposite of mine, although we both keep our hair short. I’ve always had the hankering to grow my hair out like I had it in high school, but the academy wouldn’t be too keen on the idea.

In the corner of the room, with less light than the rest of the space, several people gather. Bags of something are exchanged, and money leaves hands quicker than you can say the word drugs.

I shouldn’t be here. Where the hell is Adam?

There’s a man pacing at the front of the room, hands deep in his dark jeans, wearing a shaggy leather jacket. A few men flank around him as they scan the tables of diverse characters playing.

Squinting, I get a better look, my eyes narrowing on the man himself. Darrin.

Stiff beneath the few spotlights focused on the tables, I inch around the room, casing for my brother while simultaneously heading for the front of the room. My fists clench at my sides, a subtle reminder to myself to stay calm. The man on Darrin’s right turns in my direction, eyes pinning me. I meet the stare.

As I approach, Darrin raises his chin and studies me as if he’s curious about the newcomer in his establishment versus concerned.

“I’m looking for my brother,” I say. “Friends of ours, Goff and River, mentioned he has been around here lately.”

Darrin stands a little straighter. “River?” he asks, and I blink.

“Her brother Goff told me.” I chide myself for even bringing River’s name into this. From the swallow that works itself down his throat at her name, I have a feeling he knows her.

“And your brother is Adam, I take it,” the man standing at Darrin’s side says.

“That’s right. He hasn’t been seen in a few days. My family is getting worried.”

A snort rings out from Darrin, and he wipes the back of his hand across his nose. Several tattoos entwine his fingers with some ink disappearing underneath his jacket. I’ve only begun my arm sleeve, but Ford is already trying to talk me into my thigh as well.

“Your brother is here, down the hall. Would you like me to take you to him?” A smirk twitches at the corner of his lips.

I nod, following Darrin to another dimly lit hallway. Both of his men walk behind us as we make for the last door on the right. With his hand hovering over the door handle, Darrin peers back at me, his gaze appraising.

“Don’t try anything stupid. Blitz, my right hand, is not so forgiving.”

I blink, unsure why he’s telling me this. Honestly, Adam better be in severe trouble for this charade he’s put our family through.

The old door, which I’m assuming was a back office for the diner’s owners at some point, squeaks open. I narrow my eyes immediately at the figure sitting slumped against the back wall.

There, Adam sits, head hung. Crimson leaks from his nose in a steady drip, and heated anger courses through my veins. What the hell?

“Adam,” I bark, stalking toward him. However, a large, burly man steps in my path, flashing gold teeth at me with an intimidating growl. I’m no small man. In fact, where Adam is lean muscle, I’m bulky and large. Titanic was a nickname in high school given to me by the football players who always wanted me on their team. I preferred to have weekends to myself or with my sketch pad instead of suiting up to plow people over on grassy rectangles.

“Get out of my way,” I growl up at the man and after a quick flick of his eyes to his boss behind me, he steps aside.

Crouching down next to Adam, I say his name once more.

His face lifts to mine and I internally wince at the jagged position of his nose and the fresh cut above his eye.

“Liam, what are you doing here?” His words are slow, mimicking his blinks as he looks from me to Darrin. His eyes widen with realization. “You need to leave.”

He continues to mumble those words as I place a hand over his shoulder. The slightly less meatiness of his shoulder makes me curious about how long he’s been here. Have they kept him here the whole time, or did they move him?

I stand to offer a hand to my brother. “We’re leaving,” I spit out, making sure my voice is loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room.

Adam visibly flinches and the man named Blitz lets out a disgusting laugh.

“Unfortunately for your brother, he cannot. Owes me two hundred thousand dollars with interest.” Darrin shuffles farther into the room and I step closer to my brother. Irritation at his predicament doesn’t lessen the responsibility I feel toward him.

“Two hundred thousand dollars?” I ask, seething down at Adam. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“Doesn’t even include the inheritance from your grandparents he’s set to get. Although, being the local champion of small businesses that I am, I’ve decided to hold off on collecting my portion right now.”

It takes everything for me not to stagger back or place a hand on the wall. My grandparents built their business from the ground up. And they did it with their grandchildren in mind, having willed the business and the entire property it sits on to all three of us.

My brother gambled away his portion of it? How could he be so flippant about something like that?

Gritting my teeth, I stare down Darrin and his goons. The idea I could have the law here in seconds fizzles as soon as it bobs into my thoughts. Sheriff Easton was sitting next to the mayor. No doubt Darrin has many of the locals covering for him.

“He’ll pay you back. Get up, Adam, we’re leaving.” I reach down and yank Adam up by the elbow, unwilling to be gentle. I’m pissed.

“He can’t leave until he pays back the money or decides to come work for me,” Darrin spits, his tone becoming more agitated with each attempt I make to walk my brother out of here.

Adam blanches as if he wasn’t aware Darrin was trying to proposition him. He opens his mouth, and the dried blood from his nose cracks across his top lip.

“Let me play. I can win it back,” Adam pleads.

Furious, I wrench his elbow out and he lets out a whine. Play? He wants to try to gamble his way out of the very mess he dug himself into.

“No,” Darrin and I say at the same time. Darrin smiles at me, the corner of his mouth twitching while he studies me again. It’s creeping me out, particularly with his different-colored eyes.

“H-how long do I need to work for you? I don’t have the money to pay you back,” Adam asks.

“Six years.”

Darrin lets his words hang there in the silence of the room. Even the tree limbs scraping the office windows outside seem to stop their ministrations.

Adam cowers behind me, and my protective instinct roars.

“Six years? That’s insane. Give me a couple of months and I can come up with the money,” I say, glaring at the smug look on Darrin’s face. But he shakes his head with almost a knowing glint in his eye. What’s this guy after?

“I can’t do that. You see, those who don’t pay their debts to me either have to work it off for the determined amount of time or pay. You won’t be leaving here until you do. And any attempt to rush my men …” He glances at the two guys wrapped in leather jackets at the door, who both swipe the bottom corner of their coats aside to reveal two large pistols.

“You, however, may leave whenever you’d like. You owe me nothing.”

I look at my little brother. The thought of leaving him here is not an option, and something tells me Darrin knows it. Is he a fool for gambling away his money to the point he borrowed from Darrin? Yes. Do I want to beat him to a pulp with my own hands for putting our family through all this worry? Yes. That doesn’t make me want to leave him, though. He’s my family. I’d do anything for him.

“I’ll pay the debt,” I say. Darrin’s eyes widen only a little before he smiles. Adam’s arms go slack in my grip, and he turns to stare at me.

“You have two hundred thousand dollars?” Adam asks, gaze searching my face. I don’t miss the slight inhalation and rush of joy that emanates from him before it disappears, replaced by worry.

I fidget, looking over the room. The walls are wallpapered with an ugly striped pattern, and a metal desk is pushed into the corner. Other than several stacks of papers and two chairs, the room is empty, save for the full weight of my decision.

Darrin lets out a tsk and my eyes snap to his. He raises his chin in acknowledgment. “No,” he says, “he does not.”

“But then how—” Adam starts.

“Six years. You owe me your life and loyalty for six years. After that, the debt will be paid.”

Blitz’s laugh slithers through the room, landing at the base of my neck, and I reach up palming the raised hairs there. “Who knows, D. He may just enjoy our world.”

We leave with my promise to meet Darrin tomorrow, and I cringe as I make the drive to my grandparents’ house with Adam. I dictate how everything is going to happen, and he doesn’t fight me on it. Probably too stunned to disagree even if he wanted to.

We’re keeping our parents out of this. I’m taking him to see my grandparents not only to get him cleaned up but also because I demand he tell them. To be honest about how he gambled away his portion of his inheritance all on cheap thrills and a dopamine hit.

The tension in his twitchy face means he doesn’t want to, but Adam doesn’t have to spend the next six years of his life having sold his soul to the devil. The least he can do is apologize to them.

We spend the night filling in our grandparents, and my grandmother takes Adam to get cleaned up while my grandfather sits pointedly across from the kitchen table, his gaze fixed on the pond in the backdrop.

“If there was something I could do …” he says. It’s not a question, more like a wish. As if he flipped a penny into the water to make it.

“No,” I answer flatly. One grandson already pawned away part of his legacy. I wouldn’t—couldn’t—take more from them already.

My grandfather doesn’t say anything else. He only stands and places a hand on my shoulder, offering it a knead before moving out of the room. Before he reaches the door, he turns back. “You’re a good man, Liam. Don’t lose sight of that.” His tone is even and unwavering, and once he’s out of the room, I snort to myself—the realization of what I’ve done dawning on me.

“Not for long,” I mutter in response.

The text messages from Ford keep filtering in, but I ignore each one.

Where are you, man? Want to grab a beer?

Dude, you missed a hell of a night!

You sick? We had insane tactical training today. They say tests are happening Friday.

Yo where are you? No one has heard from you. Can you at least tell me you’re okay?

Screw you, Liam. They officially kicked you out of the program. Hope it’s worth it.

I ditch my coffee cup in the trash as I delete the message thread and open the email from the academy, officially dismissing me from the program. I sigh, the weight of this making my shoulders slump.

A car approaches and Darrin rolls up next to where I wait outside the Ruin coffee shop.

“Get in.”