I Want to Die, But I Am Immortal-Chapter 90: Police (6)

The commissioner’s eyes widened in fury. The thinly veiled threat against his son Andrew ignited a fire in his belly. He lunged forward his fist raised to strike Adam.

"How dare you!" he roared.

But Adam was faster. He caught the commissioner’s fist in mid-air his grip like a steel trap. The commissioner struggled to pull his hand back but Adam’s strength was immense. He was completely overpowered.

The commissioner’s anger quickly cooled replaced by a grudging respect. He stopped struggling and Adam released his hand. He took a step back a wry smile on his face.

"It seems I made a big mistake," he said shaking his hand as if to get the feeling back. "I underestimated you."

He turned to leave. "If it were up to me I would never have told you any of this," he said as he walked towards the door. "But I had my orders. I’ve done my job. And I’ll remember your advice."

He walked out of the room leaving Adam alone in the sterile silence of the hospital. Adam lay back on the bed his mind racing. The people after him were more dangerous than he had ever imagined.

The commissioner’s words echoed in his mind. The big players were coming. They would come at him with more force more power than he had ever faced before.

And then he thought of Sophia.

The thought of her sent a jolt of fear through him a fear more potent than any he had ever felt for himself. If he were alone he would not be afraid.

He would face whatever came his way with a cold detached resolve. But he was not alone. He had Sophia. And he would not let anything happen to her. He would not let her become a casualty in his war.

The realization spurred him into action. He jumped out of the hospital bed his exhaustion forgotten. He had to get to her. He had to protect her.

Adam walked through the city streets his face uncovered his expression a mask of cold resolve. He was no longer hiding. He knew it was useless. They would find him no matter where he went no matter how well he concealed himself.

He reached his home the same house where his parents had died where he had been killed by a booby trap. He did not use the front door. He scaled the side of the house using a drainpipe to climb to the second floor. He slipped through the window of his old room landing silently on the familiar floor.

He sat on his bed the silence of the empty house pressing in on him. He had to do something. He had to make a move. He knew that the news of his capabilities had reached the higher echelseons of the underworld.

They knew he was not an easy target. They knew he could handle their low-level assassins. That was why they had increased the bounty. That was why they were sending their best after him.

But he still did not understand why. Why had they targeted his parents? Why were they so relentlessly pursuing him? His family had been normal happy. They had done nothing to deserve this.

They had been robbed of their lives their happiness their future. And now they were trying to take everything from him as well.

A surge of rage coursed through him. He slammed his fist on his desk sending books and papers scattering to the floor. The anger was a familiar fire a burning inferno in his gut.

He summoned the system window and pulled out his phone. He opened The Byrd app and went to the forums. His name was everywhere. The news of his one-billion-dollar bounty had spread like a virus. It was the only thing anyone was talking about.

One billion dollars. The amount was staggering. It was enough to make anyone do anything. It was enough to turn friend against friend brother against brother. It was enough to put a target on the back of anyone associated with him.

And that meant Sophia.

The thought of her sent a wave of fear through him a fear that was far more potent than any he had ever felt for himself. He could not let anything happen to her. He could not let her family be drawn into this mess. He had to find a way to get them out to protect them from the storm that was coming.

He was still lost in thought trying to formulate a plan when he heard a voice from downstairs.

"Is anyone home?" a man called out.

Adam froze. The voice from downstairs sent a chill down his spine. They were already here. He glanced at the phone in his hand at The Byrd forum. His location had been broadcast to the entire underworld. There was nowhere to hide.

He summoned a handgun from his inventory its cold weight a familiar comfort in his palm. He moved silently to the window peering down at the street below. He had to know who he was dealing with.

He was confused. If they were here to kill him why would they call out? Why announce their presence? It did not make sense. They could have just stormed the house killed him in his sleep.

He swung his legs out the window grabbing onto the drainpipe. He started to climb down his eyes scanning the street. He saw him. A single man standing on the sidewalk below. He was looking up at the house calling out to him.

Adam raised his pistol aiming it directly at the man’s head.

The man saw him. He held up his hands his expression a mixture of caution and amusement. "Whoa whoa whoa!" he shouted his voice echoing in the quiet street. "I’m not here to kill you. I was sent to deliver a message."

Adam was taken aback. A message? What kind of game were they playing now? "You have until the count of three to deliver your message," he said his voice cold and steady. "And if you don’t I can’t guarantee you’ll be alive to deliver another one."

The man smiled a confident arrogant smile. "If you kill me," he said "you’ll never be able to save your friend Sophia."

The name hit Adam like a physical blow. Sophia. They had her. A wave of ice-cold fear washed over him a fear more potent than any he had ever known.

"No no no no no," he whispered to himself his mind reeling. "Not this fast. It can’t be this fast."

He raised his voice shouting down at the man. "If anything happens to Sophia I’ll put so many bullets in you you won’t know where you’re breathing from!"

The man just chuckled. "I’m terrified," he said sarcastically. "But think about it. The longer you wait the longer you stay here arguing with me the worse things will get for the girl. If you don’t come with me right now I can’t be held responsible for what happens to her."

Adam was trapped. He was completely helpless. They had his one weakness his one vulnerability. He had no choice.

He put the gun in his pocket his hand still wrapped around the grip. "Fine," he said his voice a low growl. "I’ll go with you."

The man’s smile widened. "Excellent," he said. "Now throw the gun over here."

Adam’s frustration boiled over. But he had anticipated this. He had not put the real gun in his pocket. He had dismissed it back into his inventory and summoned a decoy. He threw the fake gun to the man below.

"Now take me to her," he said his voice a cold promise of violence. "And if she’s not okay you’ll regret ever being born."

He climbed down the drainpipe and walked towards the man his heart a cold hard knot in his chest. He was walking into a trap a lion walking into the hunter’s snare. But he had no other choice. He had to save Soph