Liam's POVDust and echoes filled the air immediately, with my heart pounding fast. I held Sarah tighter behind the big concrete pillar trying to make us both small and unseen. The shooting had stopped, but I still felt scared.“What the hell was that?!” Ryan shouted with his voice loud in the tunnel. “I didn’t say you could shoot! Do you want to get us all killed?”People mumbled sorry, but it was hard to hear over the water dripping and the sound of faraway trains. “Sorry, Mr. Blackwood, sir. I just reacted. I saw a flash...”“Reacted?! You nearly ruined everything! Be quiet!” Ryan yelled.I heard boots scraping on the floor. His men were moving, sounding nervous. He was close. Too close.Then total silence.“Who’s there?” Ryan called out with his voice sharp and angry. “I know someone’s there. Come out. Now. Or I swear...”He didn’t finish his threat...“We’re okay,” I whispered to Sarah, barely moving my lips. “He didn’t really see us. Just saw light. He’s guessing.”Sarah’s eyes

Liam's POVMy heart pounded fast as I ran the last block to Sarah’s house. The street was very quiet…too quiet. Every sound like leaves moving or a car horn far away made me feel jumpy. I had to see her. I had to know she was okay. She hadn’t answered any of my calls and I kept imagining something bad had happened. Something that was my fault.Sarah’s mom opened the door before I even knocked. Her face, which was usually smiling, looked worried. She saw me and her eyes softened a bit.“Liam, thank goodness it’s you!” she said, stepping aside. “Sarah’s… busy. Please be careful.”She knew. Somehow she already knew something was wrong. My stomach felt tight.“Thank you ma'am,” I said as I walked inside.Inside the house I could hear the hum of electronics. I stepped into the front room which was dark except for the light coming from three big screens at Sarah’s desk. They showed lines of computer code and parts of messages she had hacked. Sarah was sitting at the desk typing fast. She d

Liam's POVSoon enough, I pulled into the police station's parking lot. The pictures from the warehouse still lingered freshly in my mind with the scenes of Blackwood’s crimes making me angry. I turned off the car, grabbed the envelope with the pictures and walked quickly into the station.Inside, the atmosphere was filled with normal police sounds… phones ringing, people typing and hushed talking. A tired looking officer sat behind the front desk chewing gum and making loud pops.“I need to see Sheriff Grey,” I said with my voice tense and urgent. “It's very important.”The officer barely looked at me. “Do you have an appointment?”“No, but this can’t wait. It’s about William Blackwood.”That caught his attention, but not how I hoped. He raised his eyebrow and looked a little amused. “Blackwood, huh? Look kid, everyone wants to see the Sheriff. Take a seat. He’ll get to you when he can.”“But it’s urgent! I have evidence of crimes, proof of illegal stuff!” I said while holding up t

Liam's POV The sting of the taser still pulsed through my muscles as Deputy Locke guided me none too gently into the back of the police cruiser. I didn't resist. What was the point? Struggling would only make things worse. As the car pulled away from the docks I stared out the window with the lights of the warehouse fading into the darkness. The whole thing felt surreal, like a nightmare I couldn't wake up from.Blackwood. He was always a step ahead. Every time I thought I had him cornered he'd slip away leaving me looking like a fool. I clenched my fists with my anger boiling beneath my skin. All the stress, the sleepless nights and the endless planning... for nothing. He walked away yet again smug and untouchable while I was being carted off to the station.The only sound that disturbed our ride back was the hum of the engine and the occasional crackle of the police radio. I kept my gaze fixed outside while trying to block out the humiliation and frustration. But the silence was

Liam's POVThree days until freedom. Three days until I could finally escape the suffocating walls of Crestwood High. Three days too many. Ryan's absence had become a constant and unsettling normalcy in the background of my already strained life. He had been drifting in and out of school like a ghost, silent and withdrawn which was a stark contrast to his usual boisterous arrogance. It was unnerving.I like to keep my enemies where I can see them, and with Ryan skipping school, I had no idea of what he was up to and this left me uneasy.I pulled into the parking lot with the familiar scent of exhaust fumes and stale asphalt of the school's driveway filling my nostrils. As I reached for my bag, I saw them.. Melissa bathed in the reflected sunlight off a gleaming cherry red convertible, surrounded by a group of giggling girls. The car. It had to be. Ryan’s pathetic attempt at showing that he was wealthy enough to have her or maybe just proving something to himself.Even though I shoul