Hoo.
Ezra let out a deep sigh as he blankly stared at one of the walls. His mind was empty, unable to think of anything. Habits kicked in as he moved his hand to bring the glass to his mouth, only to stop when he noticed the glass was empty. He cursed under his breath in a low voice, realizing the bottle was almost half-empty.
As he tilted the bottle again, he suddenly felt the presence of someone. Ezra turned his head and froze. His wife, with a pale face, was standing against the paneling.
"Sandra..."
Ezra was momentarily startled, and the alcohol immediately sobered him up. He hurriedly stood and approached her, noticing how the hollows of her cheeks seemed even deeper, casting a shadow that made her look even more haggard. His heart ached, and he fought to hold back the tears that were about to pour out as he spoke.
"Why did you come out? Do you need something? Should I get you some water?"
Sandra shook her head as she looked at him.
"No, it's okay. I was just worried because you weren't sleeping..."
"There's nothing to worry about. Don't worry."
He quickly spoke and kissed her forehead, but Sandra still looked up at him with worry written all over her face.
Recently, her husband had been like this every night. He pretended everything was fine, but after putting the kids to bed, he'd drink alone in the kitchen until he was drunk, then fall asleep face down on the table until morning. Sandra couldn’t help but feel concerned for him.
"What's going on, Ezra? Tell me, is it because of the money?"
"No, no, Sandra. It’s not that."
"No, it is. I’m sorry, I’ll ask my father again."
"No, don’t. Please don’t. It’s fine, Sandra. Really."
Sandra’s mother had passed away early, and her father remarried, leaving her with no contact for a long time. Despite the circumstances, Sandra had mustered up the courage to ask him for help, but he had coldly rejected her. Instead, all she received was a barrage of curses. Sandra, already in poor health, had to endure such humiliation again. Ezra couldn't bear the ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) thought of making her go through it once more.
"It’s fine, Sandra. I can hold on."
Ezra spoke and held her tightly, but in truth, Sandra’s words weren’t wrong. Ezra’s situation wasn’t much different. He hadn’t spoken to his parents in years, and because of that, the two of them were all each other had in the world. They were naturally closer because of it, but...
Knock, knock, knock.
A short sigh escaped his lips when suddenly, someone knocked on the front door. Ezra froze, and he felt Sandra tense up in his arms. The two exchanged confused glances. Who could it be at this hour?
"Go to the room."
Ezra told Sandra as he turned his body and left for the kitchen. Glancing through the living room window, he spotted the person standing outside, and his heart skipped a beat. One of the two men was a familiar face. Seeing the tall redhead, he hurriedly made his way to the front door. He unlocked the door and leaned out, speaking.
"Dein, what are you doing here at this hour...?"
Before he could finish his sentence, Dein grabbed Ezra by the collar and yanked him forward. Without any time to process what was happening, Ezra’s body slammed into the wall with a thud, and he screamed in pain. Dein immediately leaned in close and spat out his question.
"What did you do to Grayson?"
The sudden situation left Ezra pale with fear. Between his gasping breaths, the stench of alcohol was overwhelming. Dein, his brow furrowed in anger, gritted his teeth and spoke again.
"How the hell did you sell off Grayson and then drink yourself silly? Ezra, I’m so disappointed in you. I didn’t think you were this much of a piece of trash."
"Sell... sell him off? N-No, no, I don’t know anything! I swear, I don’t know!"
Panicked, Ezra stammered as Dein gripped his neck tightly. Immediately, Ezra struggled for air, letting out a pained groan. With his face turning red and his veins bulging, Ezra barely managed to release a strained breath. Joshua, who had been silently watching, finally spoke.
"Take it easy, Dein. If you lose control, you’ll just waste time."
The cold voice and expression of the man standing beside them were far more intimidating than Dein, whose rage was obvious. Joshua checked his wristwatch and spoke in a calm, cool tone.
"Let him go for a moment, or he’ll pass out."
Dein clicked his tongue in frustration and loosened his grip. Ezra collapsed to the floor, coughing violently as his body shook.
"Cough, cough... Gahh..."
For a moment, Dein watched Ezra’s labored breathing before glancing over at Joshua. Joshua nodded briefly, and Dein immediately grabbed Ezra by the back of his neck and slammed him against the wall.
"Ugh!"
Ezra swallowed his breath and screamed, his head grinding against the wall as Dein leaned in, whispering coldly in his ear.
"Tell me, the longer you delay, the worse this is going to get for you."
"Let... let me go..." Ezra gasped, trying to break free, but his drunken state and Dein’s immense strength kept him pinned against the wall, unable to escape. Watching this, Joshua sighed, brushing his hair back and offering his suggestion.
"We don’t have time. Let’s just throw him in the trunk."
"What? What do you mean?"
Ezra’s eyes widened in shock. Joshua looked at him with a blank expression and replied.
"If we keep shouting here, it’ll be noisy. Everyone’s asleep, we should respect the neighbors."
Joshua spoke as though he were being considerate, but his true intentions were much darker. He didn’t want anyone to hear Ezra’s screams and call the police, causing unnecessary complications. Ezra, realizing the hidden meaning behind Joshua’s words, froze in fear.
"Cut off his fingers, and even the bravest soldier will scream in pain."
Joshua smiled as he said it, his grin far too bright for the disturbing words he spoke. Ezra, still in shock, thought that Joshua had to be an extreme alpha. How else could he say something so horrific with such ease? It was like a California ad, with a smile as bright as the sun, holding a freshly picked orange.
"Oh no, no, please, don’t kill me... Please!"
Ezra screamed as he was suddenly lifted by Dein. Struggling and wriggling, he looked up at Dein with fear in his eyes.
"Quiet now, or I’ll knock you out."
"No, no, wait! Just wait a second!"
As Ezra tried to cover his nose and mouth, he screamed, panic taking over.
"I did it! I did it!"
He sobbed as he confessed. Dein exchanged a brief glance with Joshua before releasing Ezra. Both men stood tall, coldly looking down at him.
"Tell us what happened."
Between his sobs, Ezra began to recount the events, starting with how a man approached him when he was struggling with money, how he received the payment and lured Grayson out, and finally, the last memory of when Grayson was kidnapped in front of him.
Dein, his face grim, let out a sharp exhale once Ezra finished his story.
"So, after that, you kept your mouth shut? Pretended nothing happened?"
"I was suffering too...!"
Ezra shouted through his tears.
"I was tormented by guilt... I still can’t sleep, it’s all because of me... because of me, Miller..."
Seeing the man sobbing on the floor like a child, Dein and Joshua remained silent for a moment. It had been expected, but hearing the truth made it all the more absurd. Dein pressed his forehead with one hand and muttered an expletive under his breath. Joshua, standing nearby, rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Time passed. They couldn’t keep hesitating like this.
"Tell me."
At Dein’s rough tone, Ezra, still sobbing, paused. He looked up with tear-filled eyes at Dein’s stern face, and then Dein ground his teeth.
"Tell me, where are those bastards?"
"I-I don’t know... I swear, I don’t know."
Ezra shook his head desperately, denying it.
"I just took him to the place they told me... That was the last time... We never contacted each other again. I swear!"
He repeated the same words over and over, begging them to believe him. Dein furrowed his brow and came up with a solution.
"Then get them to come to you."
Ezra’s eyes widened in shock, and Dein continued threateningly.
"Say whatever you need to, get them to meet you. After that, we’ll handle it."
"No... No, please don’t..."
Ezra’s face went pale, and he shook his head frantically.
"S-Sorry, but if that happens, Sandra... my kids will be in danger! Do you have any idea how terrifying those guys are? They know everything about me. If they find out I said even this much, they won’t let me go. They might hurt my kids, my whole family!"
At Ezra’s desperate plea, Joshua, who had been silent until then, finally spoke in a quiet voice.
"Do you think Ashley Miller will leave your kids alone?"
At those words, Ezra froze. The once quiet neighborhood was now eerily silent. Joshua, looking down at the dazed Ezra, gave him an ultimatum.
"Choose. Keep your mouth shut, and get everyone killed by those bastards, or confess now, and only you will pay the price for Ashley Miller."
Ezra, unable to speak, could only look up at them. The cold night air brushed past their bodies.
