Chapter 12: The Witness Who Saw Everything

Liam's POV

I arrived at the location just before midnight.

It was an abandoned warehouse on the edge of the city, surrounded by empty lots and broken streetlights.

I parked several blocks away and walked the rest of the distance.

The entire place felt wrong.

My phone buzzed.

"You're here?"

I looked around.

"Yes."

"Come inside. Second floor."

I pushed open the rusty door and stepped into the darkness.

The building smelled of dust and oil. My footsteps echoed through the empty hallway as I climbed the stairs.

A single light was glowing at the end of the corridor.

When I opened the door, a man was sitting beside a table covered with photographs and documents.

I recognized him immediately.

Daniel Reeves.

The driver of the black sedan.

He looked exhausted, his face drawn and pale.

"You came alone," he said.

"You asked me to."

Daniel glanced toward the door.

"Then listen carefully. I don't have much time."

He pushed a photograph across the table.

It showed Andy leaving preschool.

The black sedan was parked across the street.

I stared at it.

"You were following him."

Daniel nodded.

"For three days."

My blood ran cold.

"Why?"

"Because Gwen told me to."

I felt something inside me crack.

"What exactly did she tell you?"

Daniel swallowed.

"She said I was supposed to watch Andy's routine. When he left school, when you picked him up, where you went, which routes you took."

"Why would she need that?"

"I didn't know at first."

He lowered his eyes.

"Then Pierce contacted me."

I clenched my fists.

"What did he want?"

"He told me there would be an accident."

The room seemed to shrink around me.

"An accident?"

"Yes. He said a drunk driver would lose control near the school route. My job was to make sure Andy was there at the right time."

My breathing became shallow.

"You're telling me Andy's death was arranged?"

"I didn't know they planned for him to die." Daniel's voice cracked. "I thought they only wanted him injured badly enough to justify an emergency blood transfer."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"They wanted my son hurt on purpose."

Daniel nodded.

"Pierce told me Gwen needed Andy's blood. He said the hospital had already been prepared."

My eyes burned.

"And the drunk driver?"

"He was supposed to hit the brakes before reaching Andy."

Daniel's face twisted with guilt.

"But he was far more intoxicated than Pierce expected. He lost control completely."

I gripped the edge of the table.

That was why the accident had been so brutal.

It wasn't supposed to end with Andy's death.

But they had deliberately put my four-year-old son in danger anyway.

Daniel pulled out his phone.

"I recorded one of Pierce's conversations."

He pressed play.

Pierce's voice filled the room.

"Once the child is admitted, Gwen will handle the rest. The blood has already been arranged. Nobody will question a mother consenting to emergency treatment."

Then Gwen's voice followed.

"And Liam?"

Pierce answered calmly.

"He'll believe whatever the doctors tell him. If he causes trouble, keep him away from the operating room."

My vision blurred.

That was exactly what had happened.

Gwen had tied me up.

She had covered my mouth.

She had kept me away while Andy was dying.

I pressed my palm against my face, fighting to stay composed.

"Why are you giving this to me now?"

Daniel looked at me with hollow eyes.

"Because Andy's death was never supposed to happen."

He paused.

"And because Pierce wants to eliminate everyone who can expose him."

I looked up sharply.

"What do you mean?"

"Two people who helped with the arrangement disappeared after the accident."

A chill traveled down my spine.

"Daniel, we need to take this to the police."

"I know."

He stood up and handed me a small flash drive.

"Everything is on here. Messages, recordings, payment records, surveillance footage."

I closed my fingers around it.

"Thank you."

Before we could leave, headlights suddenly swept across the warehouse windows.

Daniel froze.

"They're here."

I turned toward the window.

Two black vehicles had stopped outside.

Doors opened.

Several men stepped out.

Daniel's face drained of color.

"Liam, run."

A loud crash came from downstairs.

Someone had forced the entrance open.

I shoved the flash drive into my pocket.

Then I grabbed Daniel's arm.

"We're getting out together."

But as we rushed toward the back staircase, a gunshot echoed through the warehouse.

Daniel suddenly stumbled.

Blood spread across his shirt.

"Daniel!"

He collapsed against me.

I caught him before he hit the floor.

His breathing was shallow.

"Take the drive," he whispered. "Don't let them get it."

Another gunshot rang out.

I looked toward the dark hallway.

They were coming for us.

And this time, I wasn't running just for my own life.

I was carrying the only evidence that could finally expose the people who had killed my son.