Ch 1009 - The Battle at Seaport Storage

Ken, Louis, Riley, and Dangles turned around to see Lincoln and Justin standing at the end of the hallway.

As Lincoln hobbled forward in his immaculately pressed white suit, he put all of his weight onto the golden cane he clutched in his hands. The cane matched the gold knuckle dusters Justin wore on his hands.

Justin cracked his knuckles, putting his weapon on display. "Give up now, and we might go easy on you."

Before anyone could say a word, Dangles stepped forward. "I don't serve you. You aren't my boss."

Justin couldn't contain his laughter. "Oh, really? Who's your boss, then, Ding-Dong?"

Dangles spread his feet shoulders width apart. Louis leaned forward, attempting to knock some sense into the man. "Dangles, if you value your life, do not do this."

Dangles didn't heed Louis' warning. Instead, he raised his fists and lowered his brow. "My boss is Riley Naysmith."

With confidence in his newfound karate moves, Dangles pounced toward Justin, attempting to hit him with a one-two punch.

Justin grabbed Dangles' tiny fist in his own mammoth hand. Then, with a flick of his wrist, Justin flipped Dangles onto his back.

Dangles flailed on the ground like a turtle stuck on its shell.

Justin stepped on Dangles' throat without giving his opponent any time to recover. Dangles' airways constricted under the massive weight of Justin's black leather cowboy boots.

As Dangles struggled, Louis, Ken, and Riley stormed toward Lincoln and Justin.

Luckily, Riley pushed Justin off Dangles just long enough to drag his assistant away from the fight.

When Justin charged Riley, Louis stepped in the way.

Justin sneered at the man. "So you're the leader of the mighty Demon Sect?"

Louis refused to respond to the rhetorical question.

Justin chuckled. "Funny. I expected you to be bigger. What are you doing here, Louis? You're on Riley's side now?"

The two men circled each other. Louis puffed his chest out. "I can ask you the same question."

Justin stared at the other man with intense, fevered eyes. "What do you mean? I'm on my grandfather's side. Always."

A wave of disgust washed over Louis. His jaw went slack. "Even when it means kidnapping your own mother?"

Confused by Louis's statement, Justin stopped and jerked his head to the side. "Wait, what about my mother?"

Louis saw Justin's moment of weakness. He caught him off guard. Louis leaped off the ground, landing a masterful back-spinning kick to Justin's chest. With Louis' precision and brute strength, the kick knocked Justin out.

The young man hurtled through the air, landing on the floor with a thud.

Still dazed from landing such an intense kick, Louis glanced around the room. "Riley? Dangles? Ken? Where are you guys?"

Unbeknownst to Louis, Riley managed to pull Dangles away from the fight, and the two escaped amidst the chaos.

Ken, however, didn't run away. Instead, he pushed up his shirt sleeves, ready to go toe-to-toe with Lincoln Ambrose.

The giant of a man towered over Ken. Even though the reporter was much younger, he wouldn't stand a chance against old, wise Lincoln.

When Louis noticed Ken squaring up with the brick of a man, he reached out toward the reporter. "Ken! Don't!"

But it was too late. Ken did not cower in fear. Instead, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a black belt. He tied the belt around his waist, then raised his fists. "I earned this from Master Stefan, and today, I will not let him down."

Ken and Lincoln charged toward each other. As Ken ran, pumping his arms, he shouted, "For the Screaming Eagle!"

Then, he hoisted himself into the air and flipped over Lincoln, kicking him in the face while doing so. When he hit the ground, Ken jumped up again and delivered a double kick straight to Lincoln's chest. The old man flew back, blood cascading from his nose as he did.

Louis watched awestruck as his best friend took down the most sinister man in the history of Baltimore.

When Ken finished his attack, he wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead. He removed his black belt from his waist and nestled it safely in his back pocket. He nervously turned toward Louis. "How did I do?"

Louis rushed toward Ken. "Are you kidding me? That was one of the most incredible things I've ever seen!"

The two buddies embraced. After patting Louis on the back, Ken pulled away. "Where are Riley and Dangles?"

Louis rested his hands on his hips. "They probably got a head start on looking for Flora."

Ken nodded. "Smart." He looked down at the two unconscious men on the floor. "What are we going to do about them?"

Louis scratched his head. "I think I have an idea."

The two friends hauled Lincoln and Justin across the floor. Then, they piled the two men into an open storage unit and locked them inside.

Louis brushed off his hands. "That should keep them occupied for a bit. Let's find Riley and Dangles."

Louis and Ken raced up the stairs to the second floor of the storage facility. When they ran into the hallway, they discovered Riley at the other end, holding Flora in his arms as if she were his bride.

"Oh, thank goodness," Louis said. "We just took down Justin and Lincoln downstairs. Let's get Flora back home."

Riley laughed to himself. "Well, I'm grateful that you two occupied Justin and Lincoln, but I'm afraid Flora isn't going anywhere."

As Riley turned to face Louis and Ken, he revealed that Flora was still tied up and blindfolded.

She squirmed in the man's arms. "HELP! SAVE ME!"

Louis jogged forward. "Riley, what are you doing?"

Riley shot Louis a menacing look. "You should have known better, Louis. But alas, you are what I always knew you to be, a fool. Now, putting your trust in me will be the biggest mistake you've ever made."

Louis cursed himself under his breath. "I knew it. I knew I shouldn't have trusted him."

A tenacious smile danced on Riley's lips. "If Alex ever wants to see his dear, old mommy again, you can tell him to make an appointment with my assistant."

Dangles ran out of the storage unit. He held a tiny, metal ball in his hands. "Good luck, boys."

After Dangles smashed the ball on the ground, a cloud of smoke enveloped the hallway. Riley and Dangles covered their eyes with goggles as they made their great escape.

Louis rushed forward, attempting to grab Riley before he made it out. "You won't get away with this, Naysmith! I'll make you pay if it's the last thing I do!"

Louis and Ken attempted to search the storage unit, but it was no use. The thick smoke blocked their vision, and Riley was long gone by the time it dissipated.

Louis grabbed Ken by the shoulder. "We need to find Alex now. If we have to fly to Paris, we'll fly to Paris."

Ken threw his head back. "Oh, Paris! I would love to get some footage of–"

Louis interrupted him. "Now is not the time for footage, Ken."

The two men exited the Seaport Storage facility.

After seeing something in the distance, Ken squinted down the street. "What's that?"

Two figures sprinted toward Ken and Louis. Alex and Debbie finally arrived, a little too late to the party.

Louis raised his arms. "Alex!"

Upon seeing his friend, Alex sprinted faster. "Where's my mom?"

Unsure of how to break the news, Louis grimaced. "He has her, Alex."

The tendons on Alex's neck visibly stood out. "Lincoln still has her."

Louis pursed his lips and shook his head. "No, Riley. Riley has her, and it's all my fault."

A look of anger flashed across Alex's eyes. "What's wrong with you, Louis?"

Louis stood there, dumbstruck, unsure of how to answer his friend. "I, uh, I… well…"

Alex scoffed. He held up his hand before Louis got the chance to form a coherent sentence. "You're right. You have no excuse."

Louis opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Alex stepped forward. A pained grimace was etched across his face. "How could you partner up with the man who tried to kill us all? He imprisoned and tortured you, and you invited him into our lives. You brought him into my home. It's stupid. You know what? It's more than stupid. It's negligent and dangerous. You put us all at risk, and now my mother is missing."

Ashamed, Louis shook his head. "I know. I'm so sorry. I'm going to make this right."

After finally catching up with the group, Debbie supportively put her hand on Alex's arm. "It's okay. We're going to find her."

Debbie glanced up at Louis. "Where did Riley go?"

Louis drew a shaky breath. "I don't know. He threw down a smoke bomb. We couldn't see anything."

Alex clenched his jaw. "That little snake."

Sensing tension between Alex and Louis, Debbie stepped in between the two. She put her hands on her hips. "He couldn't have gone too far. We need to put our heads together and find her."

Usually, Louis was the kind of man who kept his emotions on the inside. But, when he saw Alex so enraged and heartbroken over a mistake that he had made, a tear ran down his cheek. "Alex. I am so sorry."

Alex held his hand up to Louis. He only had time for the task at hand. "We're going to find my mother, and we're going to make Riley pay."