Aria
"Please, stop crying. I promise she will be back. Mommy is fine." I coddle Zalea in my lap, lulling her trying to stop her from crying. She shakes rapidly in my arms, still fighting against my grasp determined to run after her mother even though she's long gone. My heart drops at the helpless whimper she let's out.
"Mom is not fine, aunty aia. I saw evewything, that man's friend punched you...kicked you until you were bleeding. That man, he said that mama had to pay for what she did, for forgetting him and moving on." she continues to cry, fighting against my hold hurting my wounds, "Mama didn't do anything wrong."
"I know baby, I know" it's all I can say to her, it's all I can reassure her to do because even I have no idea what Devon will do to Marae. He hates seeing Marae with someone other than him. Knowing that his daughter's rights were given to someone else. It might send him over the edge. "Zalea, I need you to be strong. Tell me anything that can help me find mommy, anything."
"I don't know, I only heard him say that's his, my father. Is he my father...I don't want him to be my father."
My heart shatters. I don't know what to say, I don't know if it's my place to even say anything. But I know my silence will speak for itself...Zalea is smart she might figure it out on her own. I need help, from anyone. I turn my head to find River standing in the doorway, his eyes red and filled with sadness. I know he heard her. Zalea looks to the doorway and already rushes to Rivers' side.
"My mommy! River, you said he wouldn't...but he took her, and he wants to hurt her." for a second I focus on the fact that every 'r' in her sentence was perfectly pronounced because it's the only thing I can focus on. The only thing that I can keep in mind is to tell Marae when she comes back home.
River Monero has been known to be the most ruthless assassin in the underground industry. He has killed without blinking an eye, tortured without hesitancy. Men fear him and every business needs him. They used to say that emotions were something he doesn't have, feelings and actions of empathy didn't exist in his name or life. River Monero was destruction if he ever crossed your path.
And yet.
Today he falls apart in front of a little girl. Unable to be strong for her, River crouches down to his knees. He clutches Zalea as if she might disappear and that's when he couldn't keep it in. River can longer blink back the tears he holds, and can longer appear strong in the face of his mean. The cry for help that he lets out shatters me. And Zalea stands firm no idea how to calm him down because even she is crying.
Slowly, I see the courage of a child when Zalea lifts her hand. Unsure of what to do, she places her hand on his head that is practically embedded near her chest and whispers something so quiet I might have not heard it if not for the silence, "It's okay. I didn't mean to make you sad, please don't cry." she says in between breaths, hiccuping after almost every word.
River doesn't move from his place. He doesn't stop, and quite frankly I think it's because he does not know how to stop. When bottling up emotions and not being used to the feeling of failure, not be able to protect the people you love. He continues to cry against Zalea, he continues to focus on her voice to find the similarities between Marae and her voice. Something that will bring him down to earth.
I can't take this anymore. I stand up from my spot and rush past them and it seems to snap a thought in Zalea when she gasps. "What is it? What's wrong, what did you remember?" I push her for an answer, for anything that will help me get to Marae as soon as possible.
"He said Mikeal Ruben will take us to his w-warehouse, it's isolated I-I think. In a remote place." Isolated, she means. She stutters on a few words but gives us everything we need nonetheless. River snaps out of it, holding Zaleas face in his hand and searching her eyes for any hesitance that maybe she heard wrong."Are you sure?"
She looks around for a moment because of nodding. River places a kiss on her forehead before handing Zalea to Khloe who stands outside the room. We have a lead. We have a clue. It might not be the location but it's just the person we needed.
Mikeal Ruben.
Mikeal Ruben. Mikeal is one of Devon's most trusted friends and also the most trusted weapons dealer after Greyson. Weapons dealing and car dealing are Greyson's specialty, when in need of ammunition, the best man to go to would be either Greyson or Mikeal. Ironically enough, they do not get along. Greyson and Mikeal are lifelong enemies. There isn't an opportunity that either of them hasn't taken to try to get rid of one other.
I wonder if there is a backstory. I reckon it would be something of entertaining. Although now isn't the time to be worrying about Greyson's origin. My best friend's life is on the life and I'll be damned if I sit back and do nothing about it.
"What I can do to help?" Aiden finally says the relief on River's face is not easily hidden. After returning to the family without Marae beside us, Oradell couldn't take it and saved herself from hearing the news. I promised them that I would bring her back, I can't break my promise. Not again.
"Mikeal Ruben. That's the lead we have, the fucker is a friend of Devon's, find out where he's been in the last twenty-four hours and locate him if possible. Family. Close friends. I want everything and I need it in half an hour." River explains, ready to give the next order to the man of the hour, Greyson.
"Greyson, you are the closest thing I have to Marae. You know how Mikeal operates, this is your mission, guide us on what to do and get us the necessary cars and ammunition." His firmness with Greyson proves how much he's desperate to return Marae to him. I cannot fathom how true his love is for her.
"Already on it, Boss." Greyson walks out just as Ash waltzes into the room, hair dissolved and scars prominent. I cannot even admire his beauty in such a state.
"What's the update?"
"Mikeal Ruben. A trusted friend of Devon's, and the fact that she's being taken to a remote area as soon as possible." I update him on the little that we have, along with what I've learned from Marae, "Devon loves extravagance. He would want to put on a show, to display that he has taken something you and you would not be able to gain it back from. His confidence levels are far too high. If he's involving Ruben in this, it has to do with what Ruben does."
"You mean the kind of business Ruben operates?"
"Exactly. Cars and ammunition, in some way one or both of these things have to do with Marae's kidnapping. Los Angeles, even though it is not our main territory, is run by us. Every whisper is heard by us. Devon knows there is no way he can make it out of the city without us knowing, he'll need to disguise to cover, and what better way to do that-"
"Then to use cars. Cars that won't set off the radar but also will be enough to disguise an exit outside the city. He needs an outlet without being noticed but because he loves extravagance, he will probably do it in a way that is fitting for him. Foolish man." Ash continues for me.
"Are they any kind of car event, most likely underground that taking place anytime soon?" River questions.
"There's a street race that will detour out of the city and back. The cash prize is about a million. The route if you continue taking it, instead of making a u-turn leads to various detours, one of them leading to a vast forest, it's why they chose it. Fewer cops and authorities it's abandoned." Vincent pitches in, and as always it clicks. The pieces slowly and although very gradually pieced together.
"Do you think he would use that?" I ask.
"It's an easy excuse for flashy cars"
"And a way to get out of the city undetected."
"Ladies and Gentlemen. I think we're going to enter a street race." Greyson chuckles from the day, holding a set of keys in his hands and spinning them around his index finger.
Greyson leads us to the basement of the mansion, except for the fact that nothing about this is a basement. It is practically instilled in the interior of an underground warehouse. With technology systems, a garage of cars, and a huge table with blueprints; maps; documents. There are a bunch of people dressed in either black along with kevlar or in military uniform.
Everyone has already changed into their necessary suits, there is absolutely no time to waste. Every second spared only seems to tick River more and send him closer and closer to the edge. I don't even want to be in his head right now, all I seem to picture are thousands of ways he could kill Devon. Gruesome. The piece of shit deserves it either way.
"Unfortunately due to our fucked luck we have no idea where the route leads. The plan is to get Marae before they reach the warehouse if we lose them then it's game over;" uncalculated, unperturbed decisions, "Mikeal is a cunning motherfucker, and if we lose track of him for even a second then we'll blow the whole thing. I have reason to believe Marae will be exchanged mid-route"
"Race commencing?"
"No, doubtful." River loads a three-dimensional blueprint of the area showing the route of the race and possible detours, "They will stop but they have assumed thirty seconds for the exchange if evading possible authorities or an enraged Monero and fuck am I apoplectic with rage...I'm going to make an impromptu decision here. My gut tells me that Mikeal will likely deviate his way into the race, if he's spotted he might be annihilated on the spot. Why? This race is sponsored by the one and only tycoon business crime syndicate Iban Under. Not much of an important person but because of him we've easily gained access into the race and Marae, along with Mikeal Ruben's end..."
"...courtesy of my hands." An exciting revelation for Greyson to hold on to.
"Of course. Now to Iban, this is his playground, racers who don't win, die. Those who survive do not come unscathed. If Mikeal is not meant to be there then he is a threat to Iban. Orders will be given during the mission." River concluded, leaving everyone in demented trepidation.
The sounds of protest did not take too long to commence.
"Sir, we have never made an impromptu plan."
"Then we shall deem this the first time."
"If we're going in blind how can you determine our safety?"
"Safety is not determined by your job."
"I fear we are doing far too much when we're not even sure if she's..." The man's body dropped to the floor before he could finish his sentence. The gun in Rivers' hand emitted smoke aimed where the man once stood. He is infuriated.
"Enough." the commanding tone did not falter, "With this job you knew the sacrifices made, and yet you made your bed so fucking lie in it. Anyone who dares to defy me or finish the sentence he dared to say will find themselves penetrating deeper into my gun. I am not against exterminating insubordination with a hefty punishment. Have I made myself crystal fucking clear?"
He walked away from his path leading to the minibar on the other side of the warehouse.
"Take him away," I order one of the guards and they do without questioning. Ash walks down the stairs passing the men removing the dead body off the floor with creased brows. I gesture towards River who knocked down about three-shot of whiskey. He needs to stay level-headed for this or else he will never forgive himself for it.
"Aria?" Greyson assesses me, the foreseen worry planted on his face. "We are operating on limited time. I need to assign your weapons so that we can receive a headstart on this."
"What sort of weaponry are we using?" I scratch my brow, attempting, by all means, to stay calm. Think about Azalea. Azalea.
"Cars, of course," he smirks, a prudent occurrence when he is enjoying something. "I've assigned you according to personality and character, strength as well." As it seems, Ash has spoken sense into River and they join us along with the team as we are escorted to the vehicles, "For Vincent. We have the matte black 2020 SSC Tuatara."
"For Aiden the 2022 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500." Greyson tosses the keys to him and he makes do with checking their supposed weaponry. "For Aria, the grey 2019 Bugatti Chiron," He tosses me two sets of keys, one without notice from the others, "The Koenigsegg Agera for Hermandez." not making the mistake of addressing Ash informally he moved on to River, "and finally, Charger Acura NSX"
"These cars may seem redeemable for a street race but the engines have been tweaked and worked on, improved horsepower and mileage along with furnished interior and calculated mph. Modified and updated, each of them is assigned to you, not by chance, but by careful inspection of the race and you. As for me, I will not be partaking in the race until I am needed. Aiden will have to guide us through while driving because it will keep in undetected."
"This is insane."
"For Marae." River said, strapping two guns to his waist back and placing a military tag necklace around his neck, "This doesn't even put a dent in insane."
I pull my car into drive and placed my foot on the accelerator. I turned and fixed my rearview mirror, my eyes fixated on Ash who was parked behind me. River was next to me and Aiden was in front of me. There was no plan, only impulse and gut decisions.
"Mommy's coming home, Azalea," I whispered to myself. I could feel her, not believing anything I said. Lost hope by the hour that her mother had been taken away from her and would never return. A tired sigh escaped my breath as I leaned my head back on the seat.
She was too young for this, for any of this. I would never forgive myself if I don't return everything to the way it was. River, although overwhelmed by emotions, demeanor had changed towards everyone. More especially towards me, I feel as if he blames me or at least loathes me to the brink for fighting harder, for giving up. If only he knew how much I'd already blamed myself.
"Keep your head in the game, Aria. No distractions." Ash's voice boomed in my earpiece. I looked to my right where he was not staring at me but at the road, yet talking to me. The sight was rather appealing and I won't hide that I stared longer than I probably should have, considering the race was to commence in less than two minutes.
"Aria, we're getting her back, right? She's my best friend." Aiden said. The countdown for the race began at three.
"She's my sister," I assured him. I targeted Mikeal in the forest and scanned the area.
"And she's my to-be wife." the car sped off as the race began. Cutting off all communication with the mainstream, I detached myself from the race. I waited for Greyson's greenlight before targeting an enemy. The race continued with River in the first place, Ash in second, Vincent in third, and Aiden in my car before the rest of the drivers continued.
"Red Ferrari R80, Believed to be Mikeal's right hand." Greyson signals me, and I sped up to pass two cars before getting blocked by a Posh. I attempt to overtake him but his defenses are strong. I tsk and reproach once again this time tipping the back of his car, this causes him to crash on a turn, allowing me to pass through.
"Remind me to never cross you." Aiden snickers.
I only smile, "I'll go easy on you, after all, I am your sister." I watch as the Ferrari is overtaken, allowing me to be right behind the car. I realize that the sharp turns won't allow me to make a precise overtake or permit me to strike him out. "Aiden, take the wheel."
"Hey, wait-" He hesitates but I've already let go, giving him only a few seconds to grasp the wheel. The car swerves and I maneuver my body out of the window, facing the sky. "Grayson, this car isn't exactly suitable for what we want to do."
"Find another way."
I sigh and climb back into the car, "Can you drive with a windshield?" I load my gun and cock it, waiting for Aiden's answer.
"What? Why?"
"Just trust me," The windshield shatters once the bullet's into contact with the glass. I duck away from the glass, one hand still on the wheel before instructing Aiden to take the wheel again as I wrap my hands. Once that is done, I manipulate my body to escape through the windshield. The car continues to swerve, almost knocking me off the car.
I groan, "Aiden." He apologizes before grabbing the wheel and climbing over to the driver's side. Grayson comes into my view on a motorcycle and surpasses my car before driving right in front of it. I launch myself off the car and onto the bike, clutching Grayson for dear life.
We pull over a few minutes later near a tunnel, and he hands me the keys, "The tunnel will exit back on the road, look for the white Bugatti Veyron, Error 287 detected Marae's ID in that car." I nod, wear my helmet, and soon I Bn am back on the highway in no time.
The Ferrari hovers behind me and I change lanes every time he tries to slam into me. I slow down, letting myself drive side by side with the Ferrari. I lean forward slightly with relaxed bent arms when we approach a corner, using high speed and sideways drive, I remove a dagger and slash the back tire of the car.
The impact forces it to tip up before crashing into a tree. When I look back, Ash and Vincent are driving on each side of the Bugatti, with Aiden slowly behind it. I power to close the throttle and push on the rear brake at the same time. Then I first let go of the throttle, the rear brake, and my motorcycle go into an upright position creating a wheelie past the small space between the cars.
Adrenaline courses through my veins as I rotate the vehicle, coming face to face with the driver, Devon, and Marae squirming in the passenger seat. I pull both guns from my pants and shoot at the two men sitting in front. Devon is not someone who backs down easily, shooting at me as well.
Marae opens the car door but Devon grabs her hair, I grimace and shoot at him. A bullet seems to have an effect because his car slows down and Marae jumps out of the vehicle. I drop the weapons and hold on to the handles. Esta mujer trastornada será la muerte para mí.
I pull over near her as River's car slows down next to us. When I reach her, she is in a state of unconsciousness. There are scars on her face from the fall and blood from an open wound on her head. "Marae! Marae, how could you do that? Are you insane?" I remove the hair from her face just as River exits the car, running over to us.
"Rae?" He crouched down on his knees and grabs her from my arms. "Rae." Ra-yah. I watch as River starts blinking rapidly, his eyes beginning to water. "Fuck! ¿Cómo pudo hacerme so, eh? Despierta, despierta ahora mismo."
"R-River?" I wipe my tears at the sound of Marae's voice. River lifts her head, making sure she can see him.
"Yes?" He answers.
"Estás haciendo que me duela la cabeza, cállate." I chuckle and River scolds her, she reaches for my hand and I place it in hers. She grasps it, tightening her hold as if I might disappear. "¿Y usted? ¿Qué te tomó tanto tiempo, eh?"
"Shut up and rest." I scold her.