Stolen Love (A Cartel Romance)

38

"I can't believe your here." She said between sobs. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too." I petted her hair more.

"W-where have you been?! How are you here?" She pulled away. "I've been looking for you. I never stopped looking for you." She let out a deep breath. "I tried, I really did, but things got crazy while you were gone, and I lost focus, but I could've sworn I was so close to finding you and the reason they took you." She rambled. They? Did she know about the cartel? I didn't have time to ask before she started speaking again. "I'm sorry for stopping at that stupid gas station and leaving you in the car. We should've left that stupid fucking party earlier, as you said, but no, I was such a stupid fucking bitch, and I wanted to impress that Fuckface Ethan instead like the entitled bitch I was-"

"Calm down." I chuckled humorlessly and grabbed her arms tightly. "I know." I nodded while staring into her big baby blue eyes. "Dad told me, and I never doubted you. I never blamed you." I smiled at her.

"I really tried, Harley, but things got-" she looked away from my face and bit down on her bottom lip nervously. Her toes fidgeting under her. "-things got dangerous and weird." She ran a hand through her tangled hair, allowing her bangs to flop down and rest on the bridge of her nose. "I should've known since I learned about Riot cartel." She sneered and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Y-you knew Riot took me?" I asked. Was it a bad idea to ask? Should I pry for more answers? What if she doesn't know as much as I think, or she knows more than I think?

"Yeah." She nodded. "I figured it out a week ago. I always suspected it but never looked into it. The police said sex trafficking made more sense." She shook her head like it would suppress the memory. The police thought I was sex trafficked? I'm glad they didn't tell my dad their theory.

"I see." I looked down at the floor.

"Anyways. It doesn't matter." She physically shook her head again. "It doesn't matter because you are here, and everything is right in the world again." She grinned widely, showing her perfect teeth, and pulled me through the front door.

"W-wait, Can you tell me what you meant by weird ?" I couldn't help but ask. I wasn't done prying. Xander told me the truth, but there was clearly a lot more that he didn't have time to explain. I regret not hearing him out now. As I crossed the threshold, Avery frowned slightly, then shut the door behind me and grabbed my clammy hand in hers.

"I don't know." She sighed and pulled me with her to the kitchen. Still clean and elegant, like I remember. "Strange people started driving by the house, police officers have been in and out of here for the past two weeks; there was even a driveby a couple of days ago. The bullets flew through the kitchen window and broke a couple of cabinets; still it was weird. Nothing like that has ever happened here."

It was obvious since Avery basically lived in a gated community. Drive-bys were unheard of here.

"What else?" I croaked out. My throat had suddenly gone dry.

"Mom starting receiving weird mail. My dad started taking business trips; he's been gone every day. Stuff like that." She was now nibbling on her nails. Her manicure was completely nonexistent.

"T-that is strange." I nodded, and Avery handed me a cold water bottle from her beverage fridge.

"I know." Avery nodded the rested her head on her hand, and looked up at me for a good long time until she spoke again. "I just can't believe you are here." she breathed in like the air had suddenly turned fresher.

I didn't want to tell Avery about Xander because then I'd have to tell her about her dad. I'd have to tell her that she was actually meant to get kidnapped because her father was a lousy drug trafficker, and she should be dead right now. How could I say that? But I knew the question that was coming. So I tried my best to stall before she could ask.

"W-what happened to all your furniture? Where's Mrs. Miller?" I asked. Mrs. Miller stayed in the kitchen most of the time. The kitchen was her domain. She hardly let Avery and I enter while she was baking or cooking. The counter would be cover with baked goods like homemade cinnamon rolls, apple pie, chocolate crescents, and blueberry scones. Sometimes she'd make us cheesy biscuits if she caught us studying. But no trace of her was here.

"It's been a lot, Harley." She suddenly looked solemn again. "She left a couple of days ago. She took most of the furniture to her new apartment downtown." She said.

"Wh-what do you mean she left?" I asked.

"Dad-dad had been cheating on her. On those business trips he's been taking, I guess. She wouldn't tell me anything else; she just said a private investigator told her." She said, looking down at the counter. "I don't know how true that is, though. They got in a huge fight, but I didn't hear much of it, just a lot of slamming. Mom broke almost everything in their bedroom." She frowned.

Those photos on Xander's desk showed Daniel anywhere but here. Surely, Xander had someone send them to Avery's mom. There was no doubt about it.

"I'm so sorry, Avery." I walked around the island and grabbed her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around me tightly. Mr. and Mrs. Miller never fought around Avery; I suppose not at all. They looked like the ideal American family living the American dream. I envied her more than not, but I never wanted anything like this to happen to her.

"It's fine." Avery shook her head. "I always knew something was wrong. Dad has been acting different, and he could never seem to look me in the eye anymore. I knew something was wrong, so at least I was prepared. Not to mention neighbors are now petitioning for us to move out since that driveby happened. So it's for the best that we leave." She shrugged. She was always optimistic, but this was beyond anything I knew Avery was capable of. Her entire life was being turned upside because of her father and Xander's feud and me.

"I'm meeting mom at the new apartment later tonight." Avery huffed. "You should come with me! Mom would love to see you!" Avery suddenly started smiling and grabbed my hand. "Then when things settle down, we can have a sleepover just like old times, and we talk. Talk about everything." She sighed out the last part. I knew what she meant. I just wasn't sure what to tell her. I wasn't sure how far I should go. Would her dad ever tell her the truth? Anger spewed out of me randomly as I thought about the awful position Xander put me in and how he wasn't here to help with the effects.

"Okay." I nodded and offered her a small smile. "Sounds like a good idea." I plastered on a smile and squeezed her hand gently. "So, are you alone?" I looked around like someone was going to attack me out of thin air.

"No." Avery shook her head. "Dad's just upstairs taking care of some business with some of his police buddies." Her face turned from happy to stern all of a sudden. "He's been looking for you too, you know?" her childlike eyes got bigger. "It's partially why I'm not so mad at him right now." She shrugged.

"Really?" My voice came out shaky even though I tried to control it. That bastard. He's been lying to Avery more than any of us.

"Dad! Come here!" Avery suddenly began to shout. No. No. I can't see him right now. What would he do when he saw me? Would he kill me to get back at Xander? Should I text Xander? The phone Henry gave me was tucked away in my back pocket. "Daddddd-" Avery yelled louder. Fuck.

"Av-avery. Wait. I don't think-" I grabbed her shoulder like my grasp would hold back her voice.

"Harley-" I was cut off.

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HEYYY YALL!!! I've been looking forward to writing this chapter all week. We are reunited with Avery and fucking love her.

Hope y'all enjoyed, vote and comment if you like.

Also should I enter this book for Wattys2021👀???I'm literally also thinking about a sequel already??A less intense...more family drama...more smutty filled sequel👁👅👁👀