Chapter 96: keep an eye on Lucas
Raymond stayed a while longer with Lena before finally leaving for his own room. Though reluctant to go, he knew he needed to regain some strength.
The weight of everything that had happened still lingered in his chest, but seeing her stable had eased him, even if only slightly.
Later in the day, Liam, Scarface, and the others returned. They didn’t waste time lingering elsewhere; one after the other, they made their way straight to Raymond’s hospital room.
The room quickly filled.
Some sat where they could find space, while others remained standing due to the lack of chairs.
The atmosphere was tense, yet relieved, an unspoken gratitude hung in the air.
Liam, in particular, couldn’t take his eyes off Raymond.
He had received the news of Raymond’s fall while still in Oasis. At the time, panic had nearly overtaken him, and he had been ready to abandon everything and return immediately. It was only Damon’s call, reassuring him that Raymond was alive, that stopped him. Even then, doubt had lingered.
Now, seeing Raymond with his own eyes, breathing, conscious, and talking, finally settled something deep within him.
"You gave me quite the scare there, Ray. When I heard what happened..." Liam began, shaking his head as he leaned forward in his chair. "I blame myself for not telling Damon you were shot earlier."
Raymond let out a soft chuckle, trying to lighten the heaviness of the moment.
"You don’t have to blame yourself, Liam. If there’s anyone to blame, it should be me. I’m an adult, I should be able to take care of myself."
Damon immediately cut in, his expression serious.
"Well, in any case, yes, you would be. But in this case, no, you wouldn’t have been able to take care of yourself," he said firmly. "It’s our responsibility as your friends to be there for you."
He paused, his voice dropping slightly.
"And I blame myself too. I should have noticed you were hurt. I’m a doctor, for crying out loud. The signs were there, you were in shock and couldn’t feel it.
What if you had collapsed somewhere no one could find you? I don’t think you understand the gravity of what happened."
His jaw tightened.
"I’m just grateful you’re alive... and I’m sorry I didn’t realize what you were actually going through."
Silence followed his words.
Raymond looked at both of them, then at the others, before exhaling slowly.
"Are you all done?" he asked.
They all turned to him, slightly taken aback.
"Good," he continued when no one responded. "If you’re both done, then shut it. Let’s get down to the business of the day, the reason you’re all here. Don’t drag everyone else into this wave of guilt you two are drowning in."
Liam sighed, leaning back in his chair, while Damon shook his head slightly.
Typical Raymond, Damon thought. Always running from too much emotion.
The others, however, seemed unaffected. Their focus had already shifted to the reason they’d been summoned.
Raymond turned his attention to Liam.
"Liam, give me a rundown of everything that happened after Damon and I left the island."
Liam straightened.
"We lost about fifteen men on our end," he began, his tone steady. "From their side, about two hundred and thirty were taken down. Only two survived."
A murmur moved through the room.
"The noise from the fight shook the island, but not enough to send people into hiding. Apparently, this kind of thing isn’t entirely new there."
Raymond’s brows furrowed slightly, but he didn’t interrupt.
"The island used to be peaceful," Liam continued.
"From what we gathered, crime was almost nonexistent, just petty things here and there. That changed a few years ago when Dalton and his crew showed up."
He paused briefly.
"It started small. Then it grew into a full-blown kidnapping syndicate. Every year, hundreds of thugs are brought onto the island."
Raymond’s expression darkened.
"I also found out that at certain times of the year, an expensive boat comes to the island," Liam added. "It picks Dalton up, takes him away for some time, then brings him back, with fresh ammunition and sometimes more men."
"That must be his sponsor," Raymond said immediately. "Did the locals ever see this person?"
"I asked," Liam replied. "They said the person never comes down from the boat. Whoever it is, they’re careful."
Raymond nodded slowly, processing.
"There’s more," Liam continued. "We found evidence of women and children being sold. Women... used as prostitutes. Children forced into labor."
"Bastard," Damon muttered under his breath.
Raymond simply hummed, his jaw tightening.
"He was worse than that," Liam added. "The villagers called him a self-made ruler, a tyrant. He took over the island completely. Even imposed taxes on them."
"No way," Damon said, disbelief clear in his voice.
"Yes way," Liam replied flatly.
Raymond narrowed his eyes.
"What role did the local police play in all this?" he asked.
Liam’s expression hardened.
"They were in on it."
The room fell silent.
"No matter how much the villagers reported crimes, the police did nothing. Eventually, people just stopped reporting altogether. It got so bad..." he hesitated, then continued, "...women were being raped by Darius and his men. When they reported it, they were accused of lying."
Damon clenched his fists.
"One victim said the police told her she must have enjoyed it, that she consented and was now trying to make false claims," Liam added, disgust evident in his voice.
"And the worst part? The villagers often saw Darius and his men drinking with the police. Some officers even own the biggest houses on the island."
Raymond let out a low breath, his expression unreadable.
"Patrick," he said, turning his gaze toward him.
"What’s your take? How do you plan to handle this? Because this is where my men and I withdraw. What did your boss say?"
Patrick straightened slightly.
"We’re going to report it as a major crime bust," he said. "Journalists are already covering parts of it. Of course, we won’t show all the bodies, just a selected few. Maybe around twenty thugs."
He continued confidently.
"We’ll present them as the core operators, with Darius as the head. He already has a reputation, so it works in our favor. The victims we rescued will be reunited with their families. It’s a win, for the public, for my boss... and for me."
Raymond studied him for a moment.
"Well," he said slowly, "this isn’t the first time, your boss has gotten a promotion from a huge crime syndicate burst like this one. Your boss sent you here. There’s a reason for that. When you’re with him one day, ask him how he got to where he is now."
Patrick blinked, slightly confused, but nodded anyway.
"But that’s by the way," Raymond continued.
"What happens to the rest of the bodies?"
"They’re being taken care of," Patrick replied.
"Once we’re done, it’ll be like they were never there."
Raymond gave a small nod.
"Good. You’re dismissed."
Patrick didn’t hesitate. He stood, gave a brief nod, and left the room.
Raymond then turned to Scarface. Their discussion was brief but firm. When Raymond mentioned payment, Scarface initially refused, but Raymond insisted.
"It’s not charity," Raymond said. "It’s respect."
Eventually, Scarface accepted, and he and his team left.
Soon, only Roman, Sullivan, Damon, Eric, and Liam remained.
The air shifted.
This was the core reason for this meeting
Raymond leaned back slightly, his gaze sharpening.
"I have a feeling the person behind Darius is someone close to me," he said slowly. "And that same person is responsible for Lena’s kidnapping."
The room went still.
"This isn’t over," he continued. "And I won’t be unprepared again. I need to know who’s pulling the strings behind my back."
His eyes gleamed with controlled anger.
"I own this city, not the other way around. I need names."
No one spoke.
"What did Fever say about what I asked him to look into?" Raymond asked, trying to recall the earlier conversation.
Liam answered immediately.
"He traced a large sum of money to Mr. Smith’s offshore account," he said. "The payment was made the same day Lena was kidnapped."
Raymond’s lips curved slightly, but there was no warmth in it.
"Good," he said. "Tell Fever I want that money to disappear. And I want him working this case with you, Roman, I want names, who is responsible for Lena’s kidnapping and why the hell Darius is involved and how he knew Lena was pregnant, whoever did this has been planning it for so long ."
Roman nodded.
"And Eric," Raymond continued, turning his gaze toward him, "I want you with Sullivan. Protect Lena. If anything happens to her..."
He didn’t finish the sentence.
He didn’t need to.
"I’ll have both your heads."
"Yes, sir," Eric and Sullivan responded in unison.
Raymond gave a small wave of his hand, dismissing them. They left immediately.
Now, only Liam and Damon remained.
"Liam," Raymond said, his tone quieter but no less serious, "keep an eye on Lucas. I don’t know why... but I have a feeling he’s involved in this."
Liam’s eyes widened slightly, but he nodded.
"I understand."
"And me?" Damon asked, sounding slightly sulky.
"Nothing for me?"
Raymond looked at him, then smiled faintly.
"You’ve already done the most important thing," he said. "Taking care of Lena... making sure she’s okay, that’s the biggest thing you could do for me right now."
He leaned forward slightly, a teasing glint in his eyes.
"So maybe just keep doing that."
Damon scoffed lightly.
"That’s cheesy," he said. "You’ve become cheesy since you woke up."
Liam chuckled.
Even Raymond laughed.
"I can’t help it," Raymond said, his eyes softening for the first time. "I guess this is what love feels like."
For a brief moment, the tension in the room disappeared.
Then Raymond stood.
"I need to see Lena," he said. "And please... I need food."
With that, he walked toward the door, heading straight for Lena’s room, his steps steady, his mind already racing with everything that was yet to come.
