STILES

I read the message over and over again. What does my Dad and Alex have in common? What should my father even have with Alex? Is this another one of Alicia's tricks? Without giving it another thought, I grabbed my keys and rushed out of the house, closing the door behind me. If my father really had anything to do with Alex's disappearance, then he was even more crazy than I thought. Why would he want to harm Alex and how did he come to know about Alex?

Minutes later, I parked my car just at the roadside beside Alicia's house. There was only one car in sight, a black van, and I was sure it didn't belong to my father. Well, it may, because I didn't even know the man anymore, he has turned to a stranger.

"Get off me!" I heard the voice which I knew belonged to Alicia shout from inside. "No! Leave me alone!" She screamed again. I ran to the poach and pounded my fists on the door. Few seconds after that, suddenly silence took over, but I could still hear muffled whimpers coming from inside.

I knocked harder again. "Alicia?" The whimpers got louder. I rammed my shoulders hard against the door but it was bolted shut. "Alicia, hey! Open the door."

Soon, I heard footsteps approaching and then the unlocking of door chains were heard. It pulled back to reveal a huge man with an annoyed look on his face. "Can I help you, mister?"

"I would like to speak to Alicia," I said calmly.

"Sorry, but Alicia isn't available at the moment. Come back later—"

"I just heard her screams, mister. The cops are on their way here, and when they get here, you could explain to them yourself." I lied. I haven't actually called the cops, but I was sure there were other men inside. Even if they let me in, it will all be in vain, because I couldn't take them down.

Fear crossed his eyes as he heard the cops were on their way. He looked inside and back at me, confused and unsure. "I believe there has been a huge mistake. Please, come on in. You will see there is no need for the cops." He held the door open for me.

I wasn't expecting that. Now, I wished I had actually called the cops. Shooting him a smile, I walked into the dark house. There was no power supply, so only lit candles provided the light in the living room. I spotted Alicia by the side, tied and bound. Tears was streaming down her face, her shirt was torn, and her lips busted. Her mother was beside her laying on the floor, unconscious. The two men who stood beside them looked at me, confused at my presence.

"Alicia? What's going on?" I asked, turning around, even though I had an idea already.

"None of your business, pretty boy!" The man nearest to Alicia said, as he took a step closer towards me.

"Not now," the man behind me said, rushing past. "He called the cops, we have to go!" He shouted. Immediately the words left his mouth, the eyes of the other two opened in alarm.

I then remembered the lie I told earlier. One of the men ran away to join the other and pack some items on the couch. The other turned to look at me. "What should we do to him? The cops aren't here yet to save your ass."

"You better not touch him," Alicia said from her state on the floor. "Or your boss would kill you. That's his son!"

They looked at me, not knowing what to do. I put on a brave face, but something else was on my mind. Alicia just called me the Boss' son. Does that mean the boss is supposedly my dad?

"Why are you still standing there?" The smallest one shouted. "Didn't you hear the cops are on the way? I am not ready to go to jail again! I don't know about you two but I am out of here." With that, he raced to the front door, the other two following behind quickly. They ran out, slamming the door behind them. The engine of a car roared, tyre screeches were heard and soon, they were gone.

I turned back to face Alicia. She looked away from me, and tried to get up. "What happened here?" I asked as I walked to her.

"They saw the text I sent you, they weren't happy about it." She moved to her mother, who I noticed was bleeding on her forehead, her blood staining the brown rug. "Please Stiles, she is dying. We need to get her to the hospital."

~~~~~~~~

We had Alicia's mum in the back seat of my car, with Alicia holding on to her tightly while I drove fast to the town's hospital. Soon, we arrived. Alicia's mum was taken to a ward, while a nurse was seeing to Alicia's minor injuries. I sat down just outside the room Alicia was in. I haven't still gotten the chance to ask her to explain more about Alex and my dad's case.

My phone beeped, signalling a message had entered. Pulling it out, I was about to check the content when I heard screams coming from the right. I looked up in surprise, it was Caroline. Wasn't she supposed to be in jail or something?

Her hair was wide and flew in different directions and there were minor bruises on her face. She was held by two security men who were dragging her away. Her eyes landed on me as they dragged her away, and her screams got only louder. "Tell Simon I will be back!" She gave a creepy laugh. "He hasn't seen the last of me and that sister of his? She will pay!" One of the security men shot me a look of pity and then, they were gone. What was that about?

"I'm done with your friend," the nurse said as she stepped out of the room she had Alicia in. I nodded to her with a kind smile and walked into the room. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

She looked up startled, then looked away. "Better."

"Good, because I have questions, Alicia." I walked towards a chair and sat before her. She looked up at me and nodded her head. "So, how about we start from the text you sent, what did you mean by that?"

She kept quiet for a while and I gave her time. She probably must still be in shock and her mother was still unconscious. I suspected she had been hit by one of the men earlier, putting her in that state. "I told your Dad about you and Alex."

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I...I didn't know he would do something to harm him. I just thought he would warn you to stay away from Alex and I thought if Alex was gone, maybe you would come back to me."

"Okay, wait a minute. Where did you even see my Dad? He isn't around anymore." Ever since mum kicked him out, I haven't set my eyes on him.

"He was...he and my mother had something going on," she said quietly.

"My dad was cheating on my mum with yours?" She nodded. I didn't really care anymore. A week ago my mind was going crazy over who my Dad thought was better than my mum to cheat on her with, but not anymore. He was out of my life now and anything he did was none of my business. "Go on."

"Your Dad had walked into our house a week ago. He talked about how his gay son had come back to ruin his marriage for him. I didn't know who he was talking about yet, but I found out later. When I told him about you and Alex, he looked really angry, even my mother got scared. This night I heard him talk about Alex with those goons of his and then I sent you the text. He got really angry and tried to hit me with a stick. My mother tried to save me and he hit her instead." Her voice broke a little in this area, she sniffed and took deep breaths before she continued. "He ran away and told his men to watch over us. One of the men had just started...he uhm...was about to...well, you know what I mean, when you showed up."

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry, Stiles? You didn't do anything, this is all my fault. I deserve this, I deserve everything." Tears ran down her cheeks freely. I went over to her and held her in my arms. I wanted to be mad at her, but seeing the sorry state she was in, I couldn't be.

"Hold on, I would go get you a glass of water." I informed her and she nodded and moved away from me.

I stepped out of the room, and walked towards a dispenser I had seen earlier. I had just filled the cup near to the brim when I heard my name being called. "Stiles?" I turned to see Simon still in his hospital gown, Damon beside him.

"Hey!" I walked towards them.

"How did you get here so fast? I just sent you the text," Simon said.

"What text? What are you talking about?" As soon as the words left my mind, I suspected the text was the one I received just before the nurse had informed me she was done with Alicia. "I came here to drop Alicia and her mum."

"Alicia and her mum? What happened to them?"

"Long story, will tell you later. Have you heard from Alex?"

"Yes, that's what I texted you. He was dropped off by some men earlier. Damon found him and brought him here. He is asking of you, Stiles."