Two Worlds Collide

Chapter 4: Gone south

Liam’s POV – Present Day, Chicago

I had just gotten out of class when I heard news…

News of the encounter between the boys and Rico. They had just messed up the mission by going ahead of time for the Rico clean up. I was pissed. This was a major slip up and I wasn’t having it.

Chris meets up with me at the east entrance.

My jaw clenched and fist tightened. I was pissed.

“What’s up” chris asks cause he notices my anger

I tell him what’s up.

“Terrance and Greg went early,” I growled. “Didn’t wait for us. Rico got away.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah. And now we’ve got a mess to clean, and I have to explain it to my father.” I said to him.

“Let’s go fix it,” he said.

By the time we got back to the estate, my blood was already simmering. I kicked off my boots at the front steps and headed straight to the garage office where the guys were waiting. The smell of smoke and sweat hit me the moment I stepped in.

Terrance and Greg were there, sitting like nothing had happened, passing a joint between them. Their laughter died the second they saw my face.

“You skipped school,” I said, voice flat.

Terrance stood up, brushing his hoodie like that’d help his case. “Yo, Liam, listen…”

“You skipped school,” I repeated, stepping forward, “and ran into Rico without backup?”

Greg winced. “We thought we could handle it. We ran into him unexpectedly at our usual smoke spot. We didn’t expect him to be there.”

I slammed my hand on the table. “You didn’t expect it? You think this is a game? This isn’t high school street brawls, this is real life. Serious business .”

Chris walked in behind me, silent but tense. I didn’t even have to look at him to know he was pissed too.

“You idiots just scared Rico off,” I growled. “The Colombians want that shipment yesterday. And now he’s probably gone ghost with products worth a fortune.”

Greg muttered, “We almost had him…”

I snapped. “Almost doesn’t cut it! You tipped him off, and now we’ve got eyes watching every move. You just made a clean job a warzone.”

They didn’t respond.

“Get out. Now,” I said through clenched teeth. “I’ll deal with this.”

They scattered.

Chris finally spoke. “What do we do?”

I blew out a breath and rubbed my eyes. “We need to find Rico. Now. If he crosses state lines, we’re done.”

Chris pulled out his phone. “I’ll call Ryan.”

Ryan was our IT guy. Lived in the shadows, pale as hell, jittery as a wire, but brilliant. We met him in a dingy old warehouse he works from. It was old but secure. He had monitors everywhere, most showing traffic cams and encrypted maps.

“Ping Rico’s location,” Chris said, already tossing him Rico’s burner number.

Ryan popped his gum. “This s**t ain’t easy. He’s smart. Changes numbers like socks. But he’s been lazy lately. Using the same burner teach out to hos family”

Twenty minutes. That’s how long it took for Ryan to trace a signal to an apartment near Bronzeville.

“Got him. East 53rd. He’s not moving,” Ryan said.

Chris and I looked at each other.

“We go now,” I said.

We rolled up with three cars deep, the guys were adequately armed. I wore my cap low to mask my face, but walked normal enough to not draw suspicions.

Chris and I were out in the open by the car. The other lurked in the shadows, heart beating in sync with the loaded Glock at the side. Chris was beside me, lips tight, scanning the street.

We hit the apartment hard.

But Rico wasn’t alone.

Bullets cracked before we even got through the front door. Someone inside had seen us coming.

Chaos erupted. Greg took a hit in the leg. Chris got clipped near the shoulder. I pulled him back, hands soaked in blood.

“I’m fine!” he growled. “Go!”

We lost two men in the fire escape crossfire. Rico slipped again. Another ghost in the city.

Back at the car, I sat in silence, blood drying on my hoodie.

Chris leaned back in the seat, shoulder wrapped in gauze, wincing. “We lost him again.”

My hands trembled. Not from fear. From failure.

“You have to tell your father,” hemuttered. “I’m screwed, Chris. We’re all screwed.”

Chris didn’t say anything for a moment. Then: “There’s one more option.”

I looked at him.

“We know where his sister lives,” he said grimly. “And his mom. They’re not guarded.”

My stomach twisted. “You think we take his family?”

“It’s what your father would do,” he said. “And Liza would cheer.”

I stared at the windshield. It had started to rain.

Chris turned to me, eyes darker than I’d seen in a while. “But it’s not what we would want to do.”

“I can’t keep looking like a weak heir, Chris.”

“You’re not weak. You’re just not a monster.”

I swallowed hard, watching the raindrops race each other on the glass.

“They have nothing to do with this,” I said finally.

“But Rico does. And now we’re bleeding money and men.” I added

Chris looked at me like he knew what I was thinking. I looked away

But I also wasn’t sure I could live with myself if I dragged innocent lives into the fire.

I had sworn never to be like the monsters that murdered my mother, she was pure, innocent and they took her life like it meant nothing and I was not about to do that to another family.

Now I had to choose: obey my father and cross the line I swore I never would or defy him and risk everything.

My legacy or my soul?…