{Thea}
I kept calling the number over and over again, but it was useless. At first, the line rang a couple of times, but after a few tries, it went completely dead.
My heart pounded so loud it practically echoed in my ears.
'Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong!'
I sat on the pavement outside the hotel, not caring about the numerous stares I got while I constantly replayed my brother's voice in my head—"They're going to kill me."
I swallowed the bile that was slowly rising in my throat as I tried to focus on reality. But the reality of it all was that Liam was in trouble, and I was sitting there, helpless.
Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. I jumped to my feet and turned my phone on. There was only one person who might be able to help me, and that was Mr William, the Leighton family lawyer.
He had been our family's lawyer for years now, and if there was anyone left in Texas who still had a shred of loyalty to me, it was him.
I tapped on his name on my contact list and held my breath. "Come on, pick up…" I whispered while pacing the sidewalk absentmindedly.
Finally, I heard his familiar voice through the phone, "William speaking."
"William, oh thank God. It's me, Thea."
"Thea?" There was a hint of surprise in his voice, then it simmered down, almost immediately. "Why are you calling me?"
I knew I wasn't exactly in anyone's good graces, especially with me signing the company over to Curtis, but now wasn't the time for all that.
I ignored the sting in his words and pressed on. "Have you seen Liam today?"
"Miss Thea, I'm a lawyer, not a babysitter."
"Look William, I understand you're disappointed in how I handled the company, but I just got a call from Liam, and he sounded terrified. He said… " I paused, unable to even bring myself to complete the sentence. "He said they were going to kill him."
There was silence on the other end, and I actually thought we had been disconnected.
"Tell me everything." He finally broke the silence.
I immediately repeated everything I could remember, making sure I didn't miss even a single detail.
When I was done, William exhaled slowly. "I was afraid of this."
A shiver ran down my spine. "Afraid of what?"
"From what I gathered, yesterday, some men came looking for you, or I guess I should say, the new heir to Leighton Steels."
"What men?" My voice cracked in fear.
"I don't know for sure because I wasn't there. But they meant business, and when they realized you weren't in town they started causing chaos."
"Why?"
"I can't say. All I know is Liam showed up and tried to defuse the situation, but they assaulted him. And as of this morning… he's missing."
'Oh dear God, it's all my fault.' was the first thought that snuck into my mind.
I forced myself to focus, "Who are these people?"
There was a short pause before William spoke up again. "This isn't something I can share over the phone. But listen, I'm in San Francisco on business right now. Come to Pierre's cafe close to the city college in one hour. I'll tell you everything."
I swallowed the lump in my throat, "I'll be there."
****
The cafe was nearly empty, yet it felt like every pair of eyes in the room was on me.
The workers kept glancing in my direction and whispering. With my messy hair, the dark circles under my eyes, and the clothes that still smelled faintly of last night's regrets, I honestly couldn't blame them for staring.
But they were the least of my worries. My eyes kept darting between the door and the windows beside me while I waited for William.
The bell above the door jingled, and I lifted my head up just in time to see William walk in. He was dressed in his usual business suit with a leather briefcase in his hand.
Whereas I looked like someone who had just escaped from a refugee camp.
He scanned the room, and his eyes finally fell on me. Mustering up a smile, I waved him over, and he gave a nod before walking over.
"Thea," he greeted.
"William," I answered with a small nod.
He took the seat across from me, and his eyes narrowed the second he got a good look at me. "You look… unwell."
"I've been worse," I said with a wave of my hand, but we both knew that was a lie.
William sighed and shook his head. "When was the last time you ate, Thea?"
I shrugged, but that was more because I honestly couldn't remember.
Without another word, William called for the waiter, who still kept stealing glances at me. I probably looked like some charity case to him.
"Two plates of whatever's fresh," William ordered quickly, and the waiter bowed and left.
When the food arrived, I wasted no time diving in, savoring each bite like it was my last. Because at this point, I wasn't sure where my next meal was coming from.
William leaned back in his chair, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Want mine?" he asked again, pushing his plate halfway toward me.
I shook my head quickly, embarrassed. "No, I'm fine. Really."
His eyes narrowed as though he didn't quite believe me, but he let it slide and cleared his throat before speaking again. "After our call, I made some inquiries. I needed to know exactly what we were dealing with."
My eyes flickered from the plate back to his eyes, and suddenly a sense of dread washed over me. "Okay?"
"The men who have Liam… they're not ordinary thugs, Thea. They're part of a mafia-run loan shark organization. Dangerous people. The kind who'd rather collect in blood if their money doesn't come through."
My throat went dry. "M-Mafia?"
William nodded grimly. "Your father borrowed from them years ago, behind everyone's back including mine. He used Leighton Steels as collateral and for a while he managed to keep up with the interest, but when he died…" William's gaze hardened, and he refused to meet my eyes. "the debt became yours. And now they've turned to the next Leighton in line—your brother."
I felt my insides twist into knots. "So Liam's in danger because of Father's debts?"
"Yes," William said gravely. "And they've finally come to collect."
"W-What… what do they want?"
"They want at least half of the debt before they'll even consider releasing him."
I gripped the edge of the table, my knuckles slowly going white. "Half?" My voice cracked. "How much is that?"
William didn't answer right away. His eyes lingered on me, filled with regret, before he finally spoke. "The agreed-upon amount is four hundred million dollars, so half would be—"
"Two… two hundred million?" I whispered, my whole body trembling. The words slammed into me like a freight train, causing my breath to hitch, and my fork clattered against the plate. "William, I—I don't even have two hundred dollars to my name. How the hell am I supposed to…"
I stopped talking and buried my face in my hands, the despair crashing over me.
William's voice softened just a touch. "Thea, listen to me. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but right now, Curtis is the only person with that kind of money who might actually listen to you."
I lifted my head sharply, eyes blazing. "Curtis? After everything he's done to me? After he ruined my life and left me with nothing?"
"I'm not asking you to forgive him," William cut in firmly. "I'm telling you that if you value your brother's life, then you'll go to Curtis, explain the situation and maybe, just maybe, he'll be willing to help if he realizes that your brother's life is on the line."
My lips trembled as I stared at him, torn between hatred and desperation. "And what if he doesn't?"
"Then at least you'd know you tried," William said. He reached into his pocket, slid a few folded bills across the table, along with a slip of paper.
I glanced down; it was money and an address.
"Get some new clothes," he instructed. "You'll need to look presentable if you're going to appear before him. That is Curtis' new home address."
Before I could respond, William stood and tipped his hat to me, "Good luck, Thea."
He strode to the counter, pulled out his wallet, and paid for our meals. Without another word, he left the café, the bell above the door chiming softly as the door closed.
I stared at the cash and the address sitting in front of me. My hands trembled as I picked them up, holding them up to the light like my eyes had forgotten how to work.
Curtis Blackwood had already stolen my company, my marriage, and my dignity. Now, he was my last chance to save my brother.
"Fate you cruel bitch."
Curtis would just have to help me. I would make him see reason.
For Liam's sake.