Chapter Eight

Liam's heart pounded as he approached Alex's apartment door. After his conversation with Jamal, he knew he had to tell his friend about the new developments, even though he anticipated Alex's strong disapproval.

He knocked firmly, and a few moments later, Alex opened the door, his brow furrowed. "Liam? Man, you look shaken up. What's going on?"

"Can I come in? We need to talk," Liam replied gravely.

Alex ushered him inside and gestured towards the worn couch. "You know you can always talk to me. What's eating you? And don't tell me it is about this Ava girl issue," he asked immediately after he entered.

Liam sank into the cushions, rubbing his temples. "I, uh... I went to see Jamal."

Alex's expression darkened instantly. "Jamal? The shady dude from your old crew who's into illegal schemes? Oh, hell no, Liam..."

"Look, I know how it sounds," Liam said, holding up his palms. "But you gotta hear me out."

"Does this have to do with your idiotic bet to try and bag that billionaire chick, Ava Taylor?" Alex shook his head disapprovingly. "I already warned you that was a terrible idea. She's so far out of our league."

Liam swallowed hard. "I got a little over my head with that whole thing. Jamal said there might be a way to make it happen and gain Ava's trust. But it would take some pretty extreme measures."

"What are you talking about?" Alex narrowed his eyes. "I knew Jamal was trouble, but what kind of extreme measures are we talking about here?"

"Well, the gist of it is..." Liam took a steadying breath. "Jamal thinks it's stupid for me to do this because of a silly bet..."

"I told you about this," Alex interrupted. "I hope you'll listen to his advice now. I never knew something as intelligent as this could come from him..."

"You're too quick to judge," Liam countered. "He made me see a bigger picture. He was going to give me everything I wanted if only I could work for him in return by collecting a little piece from Ava to make a little fortune for ourselves."

Silence fell over the apartment as Alex stared at him, utterly dumbfounded. "Are you out of your goddamn mind, Liam? That's not just extreme, that's psychotic! And completely illegal!"

"I know how it sounds, but try to hear Jamal's logic," Liam pleaded. "We'd control the entire situation, make sure no one gets hurt. Just shaken up a little so no one is hurt, I will win the bet and be rich at the same time,"

"This is insane!" Alex shot up from the couch, throwing his hands up. "I warned you not to get mixed up with that Jamal guy's shady crap again. Now you're thinking of doing this with him?"

Liam rose to his feet as well, his brow furrowed in desperation. "Jamal said while we're pulling this, we could even find a way to secure a cut of Ava's inheritance for ourselves. I'm not thinking of doing this with him, but I'm just letting you know."

His friend looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "Fine, thank you for letting me know, and I'm telling you as a friend, this isn't a good idea. You've left this kind of life behind, and you should remain true to your commitment."

"I know, but I've thought this through!" Liam threw his arms out. "With that kind of money, I could finally become a legitimate businessman like I've always dreamed of. Start my own construction company, be my boss..."

"At what cost?" Alex cried. "You'd be throwing away your integrity, your morals, everything you've worked so hard for to go straight and make something of yourself!"

Liam opened his mouth to respond, but at that moment, his phone started buzzing incessantly in his pocket. He pulled it out to see multiple calls coming in from his brother. Holding up a finger to Alex, Liam answered with a curt "Hello?"

The frantic voice on the other end made his blood run cold. "Liam! Oh my God, you have to get to the hospital right now!"

"Dave? Dave, what's going on? Is everything okay?"

"No, man, it's mom," Dave said, his words laced with panic. "She had some kind of heart attack or something at home. I called an ambulance, but... but it doesn't look good, bro. You need to get here fast!"

Liam felt dizzy, the room seeming to spin around him. "I... I'll be there right away!"

He hung up and looked at Alex with wild eyes. "That was my brother, Dave. My mom's in really bad shape at the hospital. He said it might be a heart attack. Oh, God..."

Momentary anger was forgotten, Alex moved forward and gripped his friend's shoulder firmly. "Go, man, don't even think twice. I'll round up the rest of the guys, and we'll meet you at the hospital to support your family."

Liam opened his mouth, wanting to explain further about Jamal's insane proposition, but Alex shook his head vehemently.

"Not another word, Liam. Just get to your mother. Whatever nonsense you were talking about with Jamal, I hope you'll see reason and put that behind you. Your family needs to be your priority right now. Everything else can wait."

Nodding numbly, Liam turned and rushed out the door, fear and dread gripping his pounding heart. He had to go to the hospital.

As he peeled out in his beat-up truck, Liam forced himself to momentarily push aside dark thoughts of Jamal's offer and the potentially life-altering money involved. What mattered most was being there for the woman who had sacrificed everything to raise him against all odds. She was a fighter, just like him. Whatever health crisis she was facing, she would pull through.

Liam owed her everything – his drive, his ambition, his moral compass that helped him escape the toxic street life. The thought of losing her made his throat constrict with panic. He couldn't fathom a world without his unwavering mother in it.