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I’d give my life for my child any day. I just don’t want him to think otherwise.
He slowly turned around, and his lips fell into a thin line. He suddenly took my hand and slipped the engagement ring on my finger. “I don’t need an answer right now. I just want you to wear it, just in case.”
I told Sebastian, “He wants me, not you. Nothing is going to happen to you.”
“Please just wear it,” he begged. I quickly nodded in response.
Caleb yells from outside, “We should go before it gets too late.”
I saw Sebastian’s eyes, and in a second, his lips were on mine. Sebastian was already out the door when we pulled back. I quickly followed with a question stuck in my head. It seemed like he was keeping something from me. When I got outside, I saw Caleb’s eyes and everyone else seemed ready. What is he putting everything on the line for? He doesn’t have to.
Then I looked back at Sebastian. It was hard to see two men I love fighting for my son, knowing that one of them could die. Who am I willing to lose? I’m sorry, but none.
“Let’s go,” Sebastian says to them.
Caleb and two other guys got in the car with Sebastian and me. Sebastian started to drive, and I looked back at the house we were leaving. Will I come back? I pushed that thought out of my mind. I couldn’t help but think that I was made to lose people. That’s all I’ve ever known. I lose people just like Sebastian does. Caleb took out a small laptop and held it up for Sebastian to see quickly.
Sebastian steps on the gas pedal to make the car go a lot faster. “F**k, he’s on to us.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, and my voice sounded hoarse.
Sebastian says, “We might be walking into a trap.”
I can’t let these people risk their lives for me and my child. If anyone should risk their life, it should be me. I blinked away the tears that were welling up in my eyes.
“Sebastian, you have to make the exchange.” I told him, and his hands tightened around the wheel. I swallowed the big lump in my throat.
“Are you crazy? He’ll kill you, Aria.” Caleb’s voice came from the back, making me look at him.
“I have no choice; I’m not going to put you guys at risk because of my mistake,” I yelled. “I owe Maya that much. She would hate me if something happened to you.”
Caleb just looked at me. He knows I’m right. I look back at Sebastian, who is still quiet.
“That’s it, we’re not doing the exchange.”
I didn’t say anything; I just turned around and looked out the window. The car finally stopped, and when I looked out the front, I saw a warehouse. The other five cars also stopped, and everyone got out with guns and other things. I took my gun and put it behind my jeans. Then I took the strap that went around my thigh and held my knife.
Sebastian told Caleb, “You stay with Aria. You follow her everywhere. If there’s a bullet, I want you in front of it.”
I turn to Caleb, who nods. Was he crazy? I glared at Sebastian, who had just told Caleb to put his life on the line for mine.
“No,” I said to Sebastian.
“It’s his job,” he says quickly before walking away with his men.
I turned around and looked at Caleb before following Sebastian. Sebastian has men all around the building, so no one can get out. I didn’t go through the front door with Sebastian; instead, I found a staircase that led to another door. Caleb followed me up the stairs.
He whispers-yells, “What the hell are you doing?” when I open the door. I slowly crept inside with my gun in my hand.
“Taking a different route. We need to see everything from a higher point of view,” I whispered back.
We got in safely. I chose the best way because it gave me a view of everything and was in a different room. We both crept over to the window and bent down next to it. I carefully looked, and Henry’s men were lined up. I saw Henry with his dirty hands on my son’s shoulders. Henry was talking, but I couldn’t hear him. I looked over at Caleb, who was shaking his head quickly. He already knew what I was thinking, so I quickly smiled, left the room, and locked the door behind me so he couldn’t follow me.
Caleb came into view through the window and mouthed, “Open the door.” I shook my head; I wasn’t going to let him out just so he could put his life in danger for me.
I stayed low while I watched them by the railing. Miguel was tall and looked strong. It’s crazy to see my own flesh and blood.
Henry tells my son, “You have to do it, Miguel.” I could hear them perfectly now. Henry’s voice was deep and scary.
“Yes, father,” Miguel said. His voice was very low and broken. He didn’t sound like a four-year-old; he sounded like a soldier. I could hear his pain. He called Henry “father,” which means he must think Henry is really his dad.
A door opened from the bottom, and I couldn’t see who it was. I crawled to my left, where I would be much more visible, but that’s okay. What the f**k? Sebastian was being held against his will. That wasn’t part of the plan, damn it. They threw him on the floor, right in front of Miguel. Sebastian raised himself halfway up before stopping. He must have seen Miguel.
Henry tells his men to “chain him.” Sebastian gets chained up because they follow his orders.
Think about Aria.
Oh my god, Henry pointed his gun at Sebastian’s head. Sebastian wasn’t scared; he was as calm as ever.
Henry spits out, “This man is your pathetic biological father.” Miguel looked back at Sebastian, as if he were trying to understand that Sebastian was his dad.
“Father, please stop,” Miguel begs through his tears.
Henry stiffened and lowered the gun. He stopped paying attention to Sebastian and started paying attention to Miguel. No, don’t touch my child. Please, God. Henry hit Miguel in the face, and he fell to the ground.
“I didn’t raise a bitch, little boy.” Henry kicked Miguel on the floor. I shot my gun up at the ceiling without thinking, and it got their attention right away.
“Touch my kid again, I dare you,” I yelled, pointing my gun at him. Henry raised his gun, which was now aimed at Sebastian.
“Pull the trigger, and Miguel will see his dad die,” Henry says with a smirk.
“Don’t do it, Aria. Leave,” Sebastian yells, and one of Henry’s puppets punches him in the face.
Someone grabbed me from behind and held me tightly. Henry’s guys started to pull me down the stairs to them. Miguel coughed up blood when I got close. I tried to get close to comfort my son, but they wouldn’t let me.
“Not so fast, honey,” Henry says with a wicked smile.
They put tape around my hands and tied them behind my back. I was kicked to the ground and fell to my knees. They took Sebastian down from the chains, taped him up, and kicked him to the ground. Henry bent down to my level, but I was mostly looking at Miguel. I wanted to check on him. Henry grabbed my cheeks and made me look at him.
Henry pointed to my son and said, “Isn’t he beautiful?” “My sister Beth sure had a good time with him,” he said, licking his lips.
No.
I was so angry that I leaned back and hit my head against his.
Henry yells, “You f*****g bitch,” as he gets back up. He held his head in pain, and I laughed.
Honestly, that hurt like hell.
I yelled angrily, “You’re a horrible person. You’ll burn in hell for what you’ve done to my son.”
I didn’t even see it, but Miguel was already standing up. His nose was bleeding, and there was a deep cut on his cheek from where Henry punched him. When I saw his eyes, they softened. He looked just like Sebastian. Miguel slowly walks towards me, and my heart skips a beat when his tiny hand touches my cheek. I couldn’t help but cry; it was real.