Leave Me Alone, Big Brothers! [BL]-Chapter 149: Ray?

Nathan peered out into the hallway. Eli and Gabriel were standing there, their faces white with shock when they saw a bruised, half-naked man emerging from Leo’s room behind Nathan.

"We have to get him to my room," Nathan whispered to Eli. "We have to move quietly. We cannot let any guards or servants see us."

Eli and Gabriel looked confused, but they didn’t say anything.

Gabriel took the lead. He was the tallest and felt he could protect them all—except from ghosts. He walked a few paces ahead, checking the intersections of the corridors. He felt like a spy on a very important mission.

Every time a shadow moved, they froze against the wall. Gabriel would wait for a few seconds, then signal with his hand for them to follow.

They finally reached Nathan’s room. They hurried inside and locked the door behind them. The man stood nervously, his body trembling violently. He looked at Nathan with wide, terrified eyes. He looked like he expected Nathan to tie him up again or hurt him the way Leo had. He stood with his back against the door, watching every move Nathan made.

Nathan was also shaking. His face was red, and his heart was pounding against his ribs. He had lived in this house for two months and had never suspected anything like this.

He pictured Leo’s empty chair in his mind. He had always thought Leo was just a quiet, intelligent man. He had never imagined his brother would hold a person captive and torture them.

Nathan looked at the man’s injuries. He walked to his walk-in closet and grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a thick hoodie. He handed them to the man.

"I am going to help you get out of here," Nathan said. "What is your name?"

The man took the clothes. His hands were so damaged and stiff that he struggled to pull the pants on. He groaned several times as he moved his arms. His fingers were swollen, and the blackened skin on his hands looked horrific in the bright light of the room.

After several minutes of struggling, he managed to get the clothes on. He looked at Nathan, his eyes filled with anxiety.

"I’m Edson Marion," he whispered. "Please... call my family." He stopped suddenly and shook his head. "No, no. Don’t call them! Don’t involve them!"

Nathan frowned. "Why not?"

Edson shook his head again, looking at the floor in terror. "He will kill them. Please, just help me get out of here," he begged.

Eli stood by the sofa, looking confused and frightened. First one problem, now another. What was happening in this house? He loved adventure, but not this kind of terrifying experience.

Gabriel looked at Nathan. "What is this? How many people are dying here?" Gabriel was used to seeing his father and the men use violence in their business, but he had never seen someone treated like an animal at home.

Zane rubbed his forehead. He felt a deep sense of unease. He did not want to be involved in a criminal investigation involving the Salazars, but he could not ignore Edson’s condition.

"I can take him in my car," Zane said. "The problem is how we get to the basement parking lot without being caught. The guards are everywhere."

Nathan nodded. "I will find a way."

Zane looked at Nathan. "Nathan, think. How many cameras are in this house? It is impossible to take him out without being seen on a monitor. I’m sure someone already saw us bringing him out of Leo’s room."

Nathan swallowed. His hands felt like ice. He looked at Edson. "Did Leo really do this to you? What did he do?"

Edson went silent. He seemed to be thinking, his eyes darting around the room. "He’s a psychopath. He tried to kill me as slowly as possible. He loves to torture people and hear them scream."

His body shook uncontrollably as he spoke. "He has another one. I heard he took him to the storage room."

Nathan felt a cold weight settle in his stomach. "What? You mean Leo has another prisoner?"

Edson nodded, his face pale. "He is looking for victims for a sacrifice. I heard him talking. He said he needs ninety-nine victims. I’m sure he has brought many men here before me."

Nathan’s mouth fell open. He had lived under the same roof as a serial killer and had no idea. He turned to Zane, his eyes filling with tears of frustration and fear. "What if the man in the storage room is Ray? I’m scared, Zane. I think Ray is in the basement."

Zane reached out and grabbed Nathan’s hands, trying to calm him. "Why are you scared? This isn’t your fault. We need to help them as fast as we can. We need to get them out of this house now."

Nathan swallowed hard. He remembered how polite and elegant Leo had always seemed. He looked like a perfect gentleman who enjoyed books and tech. The reality was a nightmare.

"I have to find the storage room," Nathan said, his voice cracking. "I have to see if it’s Ray. I hope it’s not him. I will never be able to look at Vale again. I will feel guilty for the rest of my life."

"We will find it together," Zane said firmly. "Don’t say you are alone in this."

Nathan exhaled a shaky breath. "I’m so scared of what will happen next..."

"Whatever happens, let it happen," Zane said. "We just need to help them right now. We don’t have any time to waste!"

Nathan looked at Zane and nodded. He turned to Eli and Gabriel. "You two stay here with Edson. Do not leave this room. Lock the door and don’t open it for anyone but us."

Eli and Gabriel did not argue. They were too afraid to go back out into the hallways. They sat on the sofa, watching Edson.

"Stay here," Nathan told Edson. "I promise I will bring you out safely. But do not go out of this room."

Edson looked skeptical, but he saw the conviction in Nathan’s eyes. He knew he couldn’t escape on his own. He knew how many men Leo had. They could catch him easily.

He simply nodded.

Nathan and Zane stepped out into the corridor. They moved silently, avoiding the main paths where the guards stood. They headed toward the stairs that led to the lower levels of the mansion.

They reached the storage area in the basement. It was cold and dark. At the end of a long hallway, they saw two guards standing in front of a room. They were sure someone was locked in there.

"How do we get past them?" Nathan whispered.

Zane looked around. He saw a fire alarm pull station on the wall and a stack of empty crates. He thought hard.

"I think I need to get them away from there. Stay here."

"What?"

Zane walked away. Nathan tried to stop him, but the boy had already walked away. Nathan stayed behind the wall.

"Hey, Leo is asking both of you to come to the back garden," Zane said.

The two men stared at Zane. "Who are you?"

"You shouldn’t ask me. It’s really hard to find this place. You’d better come, or you will know what will happen," Zane said, walking away and leaving the two men staring at each other.

It seemed they didn’t believe him, but they also didn’t want to take any chances.

"He came with Nathan, right? Why is he here?"

"I don’t know. Let’s go. Who would come here anyway?" one of them said.

Zane waited anxiously for them to leave. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the two of them walking away.

Nathan seized the moment. He moved quickly and quietly, slipping into the side door. He moved through the narrow, dark space and found the access panel that led into the storage room. He pushed it open and dropped onto the floor.

The room was freezing. Nathan stood up and looked around. In the corner, a man was sitting on a wooden pallet. He was pale, and his shirt was torn. His hands were handcuffed behind his back.

Nathan ran over. When the man lifted his head, Nathan’s heart stopped.

"Ray?" Nathan whispered.

It was Ray. He looked terrible. His skin was gray, and there was dried blood on his neck and chest. He looked up at Nathan with a weak, disbelieving expression.

"Nathan?" Ray’s voice was barely a whisper.

"Yes, it’s me," Nathan said. He pulled a small pocket knife from his pocket and began to cut the ropes that tied Ray’s ankles to the pallet. "We need to get out of here right now."

Nathan managed to free Ray’s legs, but the handcuffs were made of heavy steel. He didn’t have a key.

"I can’t open these," Nathan said, looking at the cuffs.

"It doesn’t matter," Ray said, his voice trembling. "Just take me away from here. Please."

Nathan helped Ray stand up. Ray was incredibly weak and leaned his entire weight on Nathan. Nathan helped him back through the narrow panel and out into the side hallway.

Outside, Zane made sure nobody was there. He helped Ray and, using his body, managed to lay him on his back.

Nathan looked worried. "You sure you’re okay?"

Zane nodded. "I’ll bring him slowly. I brought my inhaler."

Nathan walked in front, just as when they came, carefully avoiding the guards and walking cautiously.

When they finally burst back into Nathan’s room, everyone stood up. Eli gasped when he saw them coming.

Nathan gasped when he saw a man standing in the middle of the room.

"Leo?"