"Everything is ready, we have to leave now." Silas speaks on the phone before hanging up.
I put my guns in my waistband and my phone in my pocket. I go into the living room where Anna is with Dahlia and Lucia's parents. I give them both a hug and a kiss on the head.
"Ace, please be safe." Anna takes my hand before I get to walk out.
I nod but I can't promise her anything.
"I'll bring mamma back okay, my love." I look at my little flower who smiles.
"Mama." She repeats and I give her another kiss.
"Yes, mamma." I kiss her small hands.
"I love you both." I tell them. Anna tears up immediately. I'll tease her about it later.
"Please call us to inform us about anything." Irma tells me as she quickly does a prayer over me.
"I will eternally be grateful for all the things that you've done for my daughter. Be safe." Alberto tells me right after.
I only nod at them too before finally deciding to leave. Silas is waiting in the car outside and I turn around to see my sister looking at me in the doorway with my daughter in her arms. Her eyes seem to be filled with tears and I only send her a reassuring look. This time I have men all around the property just in case. I need my sister and my daughter to be well protected.
"You ready?" Silas questions the moment I get into the car.
"Lucia will come back." I tell myself more than him.
We eliminated properties from the list from all around the country and other countries. The list ended up being reduced to five cabins in the country. The one closest to us was obviously it and Silas confirmed it by being able to track the face time call. The phone is still active and in that exact location. Silas didn't even take a break or even had an ounce of sleep because he refused to until he found the location.
We're only a few minutes away from arriving when I receive a message.
3 minutes
Is what Eric sends. The GPS says four.
"Step on the fucking gas." I demand Silas who surprisingly obliges.
Anxiety courses through my body and for the first time in quite a while I begin to pray. I need her to be okay. I need her in my arms, and I want to smell the scent of her. I want to feel her soft wavy light brown hair on my hands. I need to see her beautiful green eyes again. I won't be okay until I know that she is okay.
We finally arrive to the cabin along with the all the men who came just in case we need any assistance. The moment I step out from the car I smell gas and then flames spread right before my eyes. The whole house quickly is tainted with fire.
"What the fuck?" Silas says lowly beside me.
"Call for help." I say before running toward the flames.
I hear Silas yelling at the men behind me as I go to kick down the door. I run in without having to even think it over. I cover my nose and mouth as I look around for her. This may be a trap, but it may also not be. I can't risk losing her.
I don't know how many bedroom doors I break into before I realize Silas is with me. Part of the roof falls off behind us all of a sudden when I turn to look at him. The flames start to get worse and the temperature increases. I see stairs heading up and I point to them. Silas and I run toward them and go up. Parts of the wooden stairs are falling apart but we manage to avoid them.
The first bedroom door that Silas kicks down is probably the one that is most in flames. I'm not going to walk in until I see that the bed is occupied. I walk right in without a care.
I see my sunflower passed out still tied to the bed and wounds still on her face. Eric is beside her passed out as well, hugging her in his arms. Crazy motherfucker.
"Here." Silas hands me a mask like the ones he usually uses when he goes on his murdering sprees. I take it and quickly put it on as he does the same.
I take the pocketknife that I surprisingly decided to bring today. I immediately cut the rope off of her hands as Silas cuts the rope on her feet. I feel for a pulse, and I feel a bit calmer to know she is still alive.
I carry her in my arms, giving her a kiss on the forehead before I look at Silas. "Take her out of here."
He takes her from me but seems confused. "Aren't you coming? Let the fucker burn in here." He says, reading my mind.
"I need him to suffer, go." I urge him as I hear more things fall.
"Ace..." He doesn't want to go.
"Get out of here and make sure that she is okay." I demand in an angry tone, and he hesitantly nods before leaving with her.
I go around the bed and I grab Eric by the arms, dragging him down to the ground. I cough, feeling my lungs begin to gradually close. I hear the sounds of fire alarms and ambulances in a far distance as I try my hardest to drag the idiot out.
When I've gotten downstairs, I see that the path to the door is blocked now. I look around seeing another door to the back, so I begin heading toward it. Just as I'm going to reach it a chunk of wood from the roof falls down in front of me.
The sound of yelling and ambulance alarms makes me slightly open my eyes.
I try to fully open them, but I can't. It feels like there is a weight on them. I also feel that I am breathing clean air, but someone is talking to me. It's a stranger and I have no clue where I am.
"Ace." Is the only thing that comes out of my mouth before my eyes win and they close.
__
I awaken once more but this time by the sound of a beep. My eyes take a while to adjust and for me to fully open them.
"Lucia, mi niña hermosa." The comforting sound of my mother's voice sounds.
I look toward the direction to see her coming toward me as my father rushes out the room. Mama hugs me gently and repeatedly kisses my head.
"I'm so glad you're okay, my love." Her green eyes tear up.
A doctor and a nurse walk in. They check the monitors around me and ask me a few questions. They then leave after telling me that I am fine and that I will need to stay twenty-four hours.
"Lucia." Catalina walks in with her coat and all. Father walks in behind her.
She smiles big when seeing me and she also gently hugs me. "Hermanita, I was so scared. I'm so glad you're alive and well." She kisses me repeatedly on the head as well.
"I had to rush over here after finishing a caesarean section." Cat leans her head over mine.
"I have to go now, but I will come visit you later." She gives me another kiss before rushing out of the room in her heels.
I look at my father who stands beside me. He looks at every inch of my face and his eyes turn into waterfalls.
"I'm so sorry." He begins to cry, taking hold of my hand. "Perdóname, mi niña."
"I swear that I regret giving you to that man. I didn't know this would happen. You know that I would never put you in danger." He kisses my hand and then brushes my hair gently with his hands.
I don't talk because of the oxygen mask on my face. I only squeeze his hand and I look at him through my tears. It's my way of telling him that I forgive him for everything. I almost lost my life twice and if it were to actually happen, I want to leave knowing that everyone was at peace with me.
He wipes my eyes with his thumbs. I decide to take the mask off for a few seconds.
"What happened? How long was I asleep for? Where is Marco?" I begin to ask question after question and mama puts my mask back on.
She seems hesitant and avoids looking at me for a moment.
"After Eric set the house on fire Marco found you in time and saved you. You were passed out for a few hours." She answers the first two questions.
"As for Marco..." She hesitates and looks away.
Silas enters in that moment. "Sorry to interrupt."
My father leaves the room as if he is avoiding something while Mama sighs looking at me.
"Lucia, I'm glad to see you're awake." Silas says, hiding behind his sunglasses. He also avoids looking at me.
I pull my mask off once more. "What's going on? Where is Ace?" My tone is one of worry and panic.
"I'll talk to her." Silas tells my mother who nods.
"I'll be outside." She just leaves and I still don't get any answers.
"Where is he, Silas?" I demand to know.
He takes his sunglasses off and finally looks at me. My whole world comes crushing down when I look at his face.
"I'm sorry." His eyes fill with tears.
"No." The word comes out weakly.
"He stayed back, and the house somehow exploded." He breaks down into tears.
"No."
"No! No! No! He's alive, Silas! He isn't dead! You don't know what you're saying!" I try to rip everything off of me to go look for him, but Silas immediately stands and doesn't let me.
"Doctor!" He yells out toward the door.
My parents walk in as I cry while screaming, trying to get out of his hold. "Where is Ace?! I need him here with me!"
"Mama, please call him!" I see doctors and nurses rush in.
"Let me go! I need to see him!" I'm held down by the nurses when Silas backs away.
Something is injected in me, and my body stops. It all calms down except for my heart and eyes. Tears rush down my face and my heart aches.
He isn't dead.
"He isn't dead. He can't leave me." My voice is low and tired.
I watch Silas leave the room with his stupid sunglasses on. My parents try to comfort me with their words and hugs, but nothing can stop my heart from bleeding.
I feel my eyes become heavy and I fall asleep.
__
My feet are buried in the warm sand as cold water comes rushing toward me. I take quick steps back to avoid it when I hear a deep chuckle behind me.
I turn around to see my beautiful love sitting on the sand watching me. I go toward him with a smile, and I reach my hand out to him. He immediately takes it when he stands.
I lead him toward the water, but he lets go when I run in a little. The warm summer breeze of the ocean hits us softly, making my hair get in my face.
Ace comes to me, the water reaching his ankles. His hands brush against my face as he moves my hair away.
"You're so beautiful." He kisses my forehead.
I smile looking at him and his beautiful face. I wonder if he knows that he is beautiful too. He's the most beautiful man I've ever seen with the most beautiful heart too.
"Come, let's walk along the beach." He takes my hand in his, kissing it before leading me to walk with him.
In the distance I see a sea turtle heading back to the ocean. It seems that she has laid eggs somewhere around.
"Look!" I point at it.
"Do you want to see it up close?" He asks. I nod immediately.
We run toward it, my hand in his, and our hair becoming messier than it already was. We make it close enough to where we can see the patterns on its shell. He pulls me close as we watch it get into the water and eventually swim away.
Ace turns me toward him. He holds my face softly, gently rubbing my cheeks with his thumbs.
"I love you, sunflower." He kisses me softly on the lips.
"I love you eternally, my beautiful Lucia." He lightly smiles.
"I love you so much." He adds in causing me to chuckle and smile big.
"I love you more." I return the small kiss.
"Impossible." He chuckles as I turn away to draw a heart on the sand.
I put our names in it and with a smile I stand, turning around to show him.
He's gone.
"Ace?" I look around me, but the beach is still empty except he's not here with me anymore.
The cold water of the ocean washes over the heart, eliminating his name.
His words begin to replay over and over in my head. I get a melancholic feeling as I sit on the warm sand. I lay down, letting the sun's warmth hug me until I eventually fall asleep waiting for Ace to return.
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