Leave Me Alone, Big Brothers! [BL]-Chapter 148: What Was Hidden in Leo’s Room

Nathan, Zane, Eli, and Gabriel walked up the stairs. They moved through the long corridor that led back toward Nathan’s room. The carpet under their feet was thick and muffled the sound of their shoes. The walls were lined with expensive paintings and antique vases, but none of the boys looked at them. They were too scared.

"Maybe you are dreaming," Nathan said. He kept his eyes fixed on the hallway ahead.

Eli walked close to Nathan. His breathing was fast and loud. He looked back over his shoulder every few seconds. "How is it possible that I am dreaming alone? Gabriel saw it too, right? Gabriel, tell him."

Gabriel was pale. He gripped the edge of his pocket so hard that his knuckles turned white. He nodded quickly. "Yes. I saw them. They lifted a man. There was a lot of blood on his hands. It was dripping onto the floor."

He didn’t know how the blood could have disappeared.

Zane remained silent. He walked behind the others, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He thought about the things his father had mentioned about the Salazar family. His father had spoken about the family’s business dealings and the rumors of their illegal activities that he had overheard unintentionally.

Zane had never seen proof before. But standing in this mansion, surrounded by dozens of armed security guards, he felt the reality of those rumors. He saw guards stationed around the house. A normal house did not need this many armed men.

Nathan did not speak for a long time. He was thinking about Ray. He remembered the person he had seen through the corridor last time. He began to feel a sharp pressure in his chest. He was worried that his imagination was not just imagination. He wondered if Ray was actually inside the mansion.

Nathan stopped and turned to Eli. "Did you see the man’s face? What did he look like?"

Eli shook his head. "No. I didn’t see his face clearly. It was dark, and they were moving fast. But I saw his hands—bloody. There was a lot of blood," Eli said. He was trembling.

Nathan thought about whether he should wake Malvin. But what if his brothers were behind all this? He wouldn’t be surprised if that were true, considering how Alexander had asked his guards to point a gun at him when he first arrived. It was a memory he would never forget.

But he had to do something. He hadn’t expected something like this to happen when he invited his friends to sleep over.

Nathan looked at the corridor that led to the right wing. That was where Leo’s private rooms were located. Maybe he could ask Leo.

Leo was the person who managed the security systems of the house, as Louis had told him. Maybe he knew something and could check it.

Nathan looked at his three friends. He felt a responsibility to find out the truth. "Wait for me in the room," Nathan said.

The three boys began to argue. Zane didn’t want Nathan to go alone. Eli was too scared to go back to the room by himself, and Gabriel didn’t want to be left behind either. After a few minutes of hushed whispering and debating, they decided to follow Nathan.

Nathan sighed.

They walked toward the right wing. This part of the house was quieter, the same as the corridor leading to Alexander’s room. It gave off a creepy and cold vibe.

They reached Leo’s room. Nathan raised his hand and knocked.

There was no answer. "Leo?" he called.

Nathan waited for a few seconds and knocked two more times. He pressed his ear against the wood but heard nothing. He reached for the handle and turned it. The door was not locked. It swung open slowly.

Nathan looked inside. The room was not lit by normal white light. Instead, a deep red light glowed from the wall. The color was thick and made the shadows in the room look black and heavy.

"Leo?" Nathan called out.

Gabriel and Eli stood behind him, shaking. Zane stood still, his eyes scanning the visible parts of the room. He felt a strong sense of danger.

Nathan turned to his friends. "Stay here."

He stepped into the room. He left the door open a few inches. For some reason, he felt uncomfortable. He was afraid that something might suddenly attack him.

The air in the room felt warmer than the hallway. It smelled like copper and chemicals, and something else strange.

"Leo? Are you there? We need your help," Nathan said. He walked past the sofa and toward the center of the room.

Instead of Leo’s voice, Nathan heard a low, muffled sound. It was a groan.

Nathan stopped. He stepped back as his eyes focused on the stone pillar near the window.

A man was tied to it. The man was naked. His arms were pulled behind the pillar. A heavy black cloth was tied over his eyes, and a piece of tape was stuck over his mouth.

Nathan froze. His heart beat very fast against his ribs. He saw the man’s skin, which looked dark red under the room’s lights.

"Leo? Is that you?" Nathan asked, his voice trembling.

The man on the pillar began to struggle. He moved his shoulders back and forth, trying to break the ties. "Mmmnnhh! Mmmnh!" the man cried through the tape.

Nathan walked closer. He moved slowly, his hands held out in front of him. As he got within a few feet, he realized the man was not Leo. This man was younger and thinner. He was completely naked, and his body was covered in sweat and bruises.

Nathan felt his own body begin to shake. He did not understand why there was a naked, bound man inside his brother’s bedroom.

He wanted to help, but he hesitated. He thought about the possibility that the man was a criminal.

What if he is a bad person? Nathan thought.

But then he thought about the police. If this man had committed a crime, why was he here? Why wasn’t he in jail? Why was Leo keeping him in his room?

Nathan’s adrenaline took over. He reached out and grabbed the edge of the blindfold. He pulled it off the man’s head. Then he reached for the tape on the man’s mouth and peeled it away.

The man was young. He looked like he was in his early twenties. He had green eyes and blond hair. He was handsome, but his face was pale and wet with tears.

"Help! Please help me!" the man screamed. He began to sob. He pulled at his restraints, his muscles tensing.

"Oh shit," Nathan said. "I don’t know what I should do. Who are you? Are you a bad man?"

Nathan knew the question was stupid as soon as he said it. The man was clearly in pain and terrified.

"Please! I am just a student! I am not a bad man! Please help me!" the man cried. He looked toward the door, his eyes wide with panic. He seemed afraid that Leo would walk back into the room at any second.

Nathan looked at the ties. They were thick. They were pulled so tight that they had cut into the man’s wrists. Nathan looked behind the pillar to see the man’s hands. He saw a lot of blood.

Nathan felt a wave of nausea. One of the man’s fingers was black and shriveled. It was disconnected at the middle joint and was hanging by a thin piece of skin. The bone was visible.

Zane walked into the room. He had grown tired of waiting at the door. He didn’t see Nathan at first because of the large furniture, but he heard Nathan’s voice and the sound of someone crying.

"Nate?" Zane called out. He walked toward the pillar.

Eli wanted to follow Zane, but Gabriel grabbed his arm. "No, no! Don’t go inside! Just wait here!" Gabriel whispered. He was terrified.

Eli looked at Gabriel and shook his head. He was surprised that Gabriel was so afraid.

Inside the room, Zane stopped next to Nathan. He looked at the man tied to the pillar. His eyes moved from the man’s face to his naked body, and then to the bloody hands behind the pillar. Zane’s face went pale. He looked at Nathan.

"Nathan, we have to get out of here," Zane whispered.

"I can’t leave him like this," Nathan said. He was trying to pull at the ties with his fingers, but they would not loosen. "Look at his hand, Zane. He is tied up!"

The student on the pillar looked at Zane. "Please. He’s going to come back! He’ll kill me! Please, please save me!"

Zane knew touching the man wasn’t a good idea, but he couldn’t just stand there. He looked around the room for something sharp. He saw a metal tray on a side table. On the tray were several surgical tools and a pair of heavy-duty scissors. He walked over and grabbed the scissors.

"Nathan, if we do this, your brother will know," Zane said. He held the scissors in his hand.

"I don’t care," Nathan said. "He is hurting him!"

Zane walked behind the pillar. He looked at the ties. He placed the blades of the scissors against one of them. He had to use both hands to cut through the tight rope. With a loud snap, the first tie broke.

The man let out a cry. One of his arms fell to his side. It was covered in dark bruises and dried blood.

"A little more! Hurry!" Nathan urged.

Zane moved to the second tie. He was about to cut it when they heard a sound from the hallway. And people speaking.

Nathan and Zane looked at each other.

"Why are both of you here?" a calm voice asked.

Then Eli’s voice was heard. "Ah, we... We just want to meet Leo. Nathan is inside!"

Nathan stood up and saw a guard entering. The man looked fierce, but when he saw Nathan, he nodded respectfully.

"Master Nathan?"

Nathan swallowed hard, hiding the scissors behind his back. "I’m waiting for Leo here. Don’t mind me."

The man looked around; the red room was a little dark. But then he looked back at Nathan, nodded, and walked out.

Nathan breathed a sigh of relief. He returned to the man and finished his task.

Zane opened his jacket and gave it to the man.

The man stood up, but immediately collapsed. He groaned, but it seemed that fear drove him to try hard to stand and run to the door.

Nathan pulled the man back. "If you go now, they will catch you again. Follow me!"