“His eyes,” she said, her gaze distant as if she was reliving the moment. “They were cold and calculating. He knew exactly what he was doing. He was the one who made me send the text—told me that if I didn’t cooperate, they’d hurt Liza.”
“Rory, that man was Liam. He’s Liza’s half-brother,” I said.
“Her half-brother?” Rory’s eyes widened in disbelief. “But… why? Why would he do this to his own sister?”
“Because he doesn’t see her as family.” I growled, digging my nails into the palms of my hands. “He sees her as a pawn in his twisted vendetta against our pack. Against us.”
“Against me, too, it seems.” A shudder passed through Rory’s body. “That explains why he was so adamant about protecting Liza from ‘those people’, as he put it.”
Those people. She was talking about us. Our pack. Our family.
“Rory, what do you mean Liam seemed determined to protect Liza from ‘those people’?” I asked, trying to remain calm.
She looked at me, her eyes still glassy from the anesthesia. “When the other two men were in the house, Liam was trying to convince me that he could keep Liza safe. He claimed that the people she was with…“ She hesitated for a moment, glancing at me with uncertainty. “That they were a danger to her.”
The very idea of someone claiming we were a danger to Liza was preposterous. We had done nothing but care for and protect her since she joined our pack. Yet, there would be no reasoning with Liam. He saw us as his enemies, which was evident in the way he had orchestrated this entire mess.
I clenched my jaw, my teeth grinding together. Dad placed a hand on my shoulder, a silent reminder to stay focused.
“Rory,” he said. “Did Liam say anything else? Anything that might give us a clue as to where he’s taken her?”
Rory shook her head, looking apologetic. “I’m sorry. One of the other men came into the kitchen and grabbed me—he was the one who hurt me, not Liam. I wish I could remember more, but I was so scared. And after Liza appeared, everything happened so fast.”
“We understand,” I said gently. “You’ve been through a lot. Just try to focus on your recovery now.”
Tears welled in Rory’s eyes. “Thank you.”
We left Rory’s hospital room, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to Liam’s actions than just misguided protectiveness. He had some hidden agenda—something that went beyond his apparent vendetta against our family. But what?
Dad drew me from my thoughts. “Liam clearly believes we’re a threat to Liza, and her brothers seem to agree with him.”
“Then, we’ll prove them wrong,” I snapped, unwilling to let their mistrust hinder our mission. “They have no idea how much we love her or how far we’d go to protect her.”
“Damn right,” Dad added.
As soon as we got back to the estate, I jumped out of the car. My heart pounded, each beat only intensifying my need to find Liza. With Dad following closely behind, I burst through the front doors with fury and desperation coursing through my veins.
“Where’s the footage?” I scanned the room for anyone who could help, barely containing my wolf’s growl.
Isaiah looked up from a table, where multiple monitors were set up, displaying security camera feeds from around the house and property. He gestured for me to join him. “We’ve already got it pulled up.”
I rushed to his side, my gaze locking onto the screen that showed Liza being carried away by a stranger, her treacherous brother leading them to a truck. The sight of her limp form in hisarms sent a fresh wave of rage surging through me. How could he do this to his own sister?
“Can you zoom in on that truck?”
“Already tried.” The room was silent but for the sound of Isaiah’s fingers tapping rapidly on the keyboard as he clicked through different angles of the footage. “We can’t get a clear view of the plates. The streetlights were out..”
“Damn it.” I cursed under my breath as I stared at the blurry image of the vehicle. Every second that passed was an eternity, and it was driving me mad knowing that she was out there, trapped and terrified, while we remained helpless to rescue her.
“Keep looking,” I said, my tone brooking no argument. “There has to be something we can use to track them down.”
Isaiah nodded. “Of course.”
The tension in the room was palpable. Nico approached me, his expression grim. “We’ve been looking into Liam’s properties.” Nico had dark circles under his eyes. “These are a few potential locations.” He spread out a large map marked with red circles across the table.
“Call in a scout team.” I pointed at the locations on the map. “I want eyes on every one of these places, and I want it done discreetly. We can’t risk tipping Liam off.”
“Already started.” Isaiah tapped his cell phone on the table. “The teams are on their way now.”
