The place looked straight out of a horror movie. It was the kind of building where drug deals and murders took place. The building was still in construction with a bulb here and there to keep darkness engulf the entire building. Even the place was surrounded by barren lands and there was no houses nearby. If you needed immediate medical attention, you were better dead in this place.
They just hoped that Riley wasn't hurt. He was a kid, he didn't deserve to get traumatized by this for his life. Elise hoped that Sophia at least had this much of motherliness in her that she wouldn't let anyone do anything that could scar him for life.
"How are we going to find him?" Elliot asked looking around. There were a total of five floors in the building. It could take forever to find him. "What are you doing?" Caden asked Vincent angrily who was fiddling with his phone.
"Getting an ambulance. Better safe then sorry." He said putting his phone inside his pocket.
Everyone nodded their head, agreeing with him. There could be armed people inside.
"Okay, so here's how it goes. There are five floors. Rivers you check the ground and above. I don't think they would keep him there though." He said and Elliot nodded his head.
"Vince, you take the second floor. Javier and Elise, the third and fourth, I will cover the fifth floor." Caden ordered. He opened the bag he had taken from his car and Elise gasped when she saw what was in it.
"What? Though we would walk in with a fork?" Caden taunted.
Though she had of course not thought of a fork, she didn't think about gun. He passed the guns to each and every one of them. Elliot took one out confidently.
"You know how to use one?" She asked incredulous.
"I had to learn in my line of work." He shrugged. She realised that she never thought about it. He dealt with powerful men and criminals. Of course he must know how to protect himself.
"Let me show you." Javier said from beside her.
"Thats the safety. Don't forget about it. Pull this back and aim and shoot. Easy?" He asked showing her how to work the gun. She nodded her head though she doubted that she could use one even if her life depended on it.
"Don't worry, you don't have to use it. I will be there." Javier assured.
"All ready?" Caden asked connecting them on a conference call with their airpods on
.
Javier turned to her and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.
"That's my sister." Elliot whisper yelled and pulled Elise in a hug. "Be safe Ellie." He mumbled with her head pressed in his chest.
"You too Lee. Take care." She turned towards all of them. "All of you, be safe. Take care. I want all of you at Riley's birthday party." She said placing her hand in Javier's extended one.
"Lets do it." Caden said like a man on a mission.
Elise walked around in the scary place with only a prayer in repeat in her head. No body should get hurt. Especially Riley. The place looked like nobody had been there in months. It was covered in layers of dust. She walked around examining everything. There were few cigarette packets here and there along with beer bottles. Was Riley living in these conditions?
She could hear mumbled voices from around herself and wished it was Riley.
"I want Momma." His voice cried and she felt hundreds of needles poke her chest. Her baby was crying. Riley was crying.
"I am your Momma Riley." Sophia said trying to feed him.
"No No No No No No." Riley yelled. His face was tearful and he was curled up in a chair. Thank god he wasn't tied up. "I want Momma. I want Ellie. I want Daddy." He cried. Big fat tears falling down his cheeks. His eyes were puffy as if he had cried a lot.
"She is not your mother Riley. I am. I love you more than her. And don't worry we will see Daddy soon. Okay? Here eat first." She said, sounding annoyed.
"No." Riley yelled at her smacking her hand. The plate fell down her hand she looked at him angrily.
Please don't hit him. Please don't. She prayed. She hadn't realised the tears falling down her cheeks.
"Elise, are you alright." I quiet voice said in her ear but her eyes were locked on the other woman. She sighed in relief when she saw her pull at her hair. She hadn't hit him.
"I love you Riley. You are my kid. But if you want to act like a brat. Fine. Call me when you are hungry." She said and left the room.
"Elise." She heard him again.
"I-I am fine." She said with a shaky voice.
"I found him." She said.
"Where?" Three set of voices said at the same time.
"At your level Javier. He is alone in a room."
"Okay. I am getting there." Javier said
"We are coming." The others said and then it was quiet again.
Elise stood up. She had to kneel down to look at the scene below her from the hole in the floor. She brushed her knees. A small smile on her face with the hope to meet her son.
She was ready to walk down when her gaze fell on the chair. It was one of the few chairs she had seen on this floor. But what was alarming was that it was clean. Like the others, it wasn't covered in dust. Someone had lived in this floor very recently.
She quickened her pace ready to leave this building with her son and family.
"Whats the hurry?"
She stopped at her track in fear with the familiarity of the voice. She knew him. But she didn't know how he was concerned with all this. What was he doing here?
"Come one Ellie, turn around. Show me your beautiful face." He said. Thankfully, his voice was farther away. He made no move to come near her.
"Elise who was that?" Javier asked. "I hear someone. Is there someone with you?"
"Ellie." Lee questioned when she didn't answered.
Slowly she turned around to face her biggest fear.
"Luke." She whispered in fear.
"That son of a bitch." Elliot roared. "I finally get the chance to kill him."
"Who?" Vince questioned.
Javier and Caden were quiet.
"I am coming. Don't worry." Javier said at the same time Luke decided to walk towards her.
"Don't." She said and he stopped looking amused.
"He isn't safe." Javier argued.
"I am here for Riley. He is important. He is a kid, he doesn't deserve this." She said trying to fool Luke into believing that she was talking to him. He looked worse than ever. His beard had grown and his eyes were red. She wouldn't be surprised if he was high at the moment.
"I don't care about him." He shrugged. "I want you though." He added with a sickening grin. It made her feel sick in her stomach.
"Come with me and he can go. You know you love me babe."
Luke waited for an answer but when she didn't say anything he got angry.
"Why do you always test my patience Ellie. I think you like making me angry, don't you?" He sneered angrily. "Come here." He said curling his find in a calling manner.
"Don't move." Javier said in the earpiece.
Elise stayed rooted in her place.
"I can inform Garratt and he would kill the kid without wasting a second." He threatened.
"Please don't." She begged taking a step towards him.
He seemed happy with that.
"You know I never wanted to kill our baby. You just made me so angry that I had to teach you a lesson. But I promise I will give you another child. You don't have to compromise with someone else's kid." He said now covering the distance between them and raised a finger to her cheeks.
"What the fuck?" Caden and Vince said together. They must have put the pieces together.
However, before he could touch her. Elise flinched with a loud noise and Luke cried in pain falling down on his knees.
"I remember telling you to stay away from her if you want to stay alive." Javier said a very cold voice that she hadn't heard before from him.
She couldn't stop her tears anymore. She now felt all that fear hit her in an instant.
"Kill that Bastard." Elliot shouted in the earpiece. And Javier didn't hesitate a second before placing the gun on his head.
"Close your eyes, Elise." He commanded coldly.
She looked between the two people one with the gun and the other wearing a scared expression. She knew it was wrong. Luke should not die because no one deserved that. She knew if she tried to stop Javier he would listen. But she didn't want to. She didn't want to stop him. She felt sick for thinking it. But she wanted him gone. So she took steps towards him and buried her head in his chest and gave him a small nod to show she was ready.
Without wasting a second, Javier pulled the trigger. The sound of firing echoed inside the building. If they had thought that earlier it was a false firing, now everyone knew it meant war. Javier wrapped his arm around her to soothe hear. She didn't realise she was sobbing loudly.
"Shh! Its alright." He whispered wiping the tears from her eyes. "We still have to get your son, right?" He asked and she pulled away carefully not to look at what was now a dead body. The thought of Riley was enough to bring her back to reality.
"Um, there is a slight problem now." Vince said.
"What?" Javier asked alarmed and held her hand tightly.
"They know we are here." Caden said.
Severals bullets were fired at the moment from all around them.