23
Michael
"Aquí está el resto," I said as I handed the man five thousand dollars. It cost me twenty thousand dollars for the cartel to let me join them as they broke out of prison.
(Here's the rest.)
"Es un placer hacer negocios con usted. Espero tener noticias tuyas una vez que te recuperes."
(It's a pleasure doing business with you. I hope to hear from you once you get back on your feet.)
"Definitivamente me comunicaré pronto."
(I will most definitely reach out soon.)
I was able to make a few connections while in prison. Once I began selling weapons, I could gain more power as I reached out to other people. Going to jail was the best thing to happen to my career.
I started walking toward one of my warehouses, where I kept a few cars. Once I got there, I picked out a modest black car and drove off. I wanted to get my family, but I needed to first take care of a traitor.
Victoria
I walked into a small diner with Antonio in my arms. I sat in a booth far away from the window; I settled Antonio down next to me and looked at the menu.
"What can I get for you, honey?" The waitress asked; she was an older woman with short, red hair and glasses.
"I will have a cheeseburger with fries."
"And the little guy?"
"Chicken nuggets please," Antonio said.
"Of course! Would you like french fries?"
"Yes, please!"
"Coming right up."
"Thank you."
I reached into my bag and grabbed the burner phone to call detective Voight.
It took a few rings before he answered, "this is Voight."
"Detective Voight, it's Victoria. I need help," I said in a rush.
"Victoria, calm down. Where are you right now?"
"I'm at Wojo's Diner."
"Alright. I'm on my way, and you can tell me what's going on."
"Okay."
When I hung up the phone, I looked at Antonio.
"Mommy, what's wrong?"
I ran my hand through Antonio's hair and kissed his forehead.
"There are a lot of people who didn't like your dad. They're trying to hurt him by hurting us."
"Daddy will protect us, right?"
"No, sweetie. He won't. We're running away, and I called a police officer to help us."
My heart broke at the devastation and disappointment in Antonio's eyes.
"Hey," I said as I put my hand under Antonio's chin, making him look up at me. "We don't need daddy to protect us. I've got you, and I'll always protect you, no matter what."
Antonio wrapped his arms around me as I kissed the top of his head.
I flinched as I heard the door open. I slowly turned around and let out a sigh of relief when I saw Detective Voight. I waved him over, and he sat down in front of me.
"I'm surprised you're still here. I thought you would've left last night or this morning."
"I turned the tv off right when the announcement came up."
"You're trying to hide from him?"
"Him and others. Two men broke into my home and said they wanted his attention."
Detective Voight looked at Antonio.
"He didn't see anything," I said. "I had him hidden."
"Okay. What happened to the men who broke into your home?"
"I knocked them unconscious and stabbed the tires of their car."
"Alright. I'll call for someone to pick them up. We'll ask them some questions."
"Thank you."
"Here you go, honey," the waitress said as she put my burger and fries in front of me. She gave Antonio his chicken nuggets while saying, "here you go, little guy."
"Thank you!" Antonio immediately said.
"You're welcome, honey."
"Thank you," I said.
The waitress looked at Detective Voight and asked, "can I get you anything?"
"I'll take a coffee. Black."
"Coming right up."
Detective Voight looked at me.
"We're gonna have to get you two out of here."
"Where are we going?" Antonio asked.
"I'm going to put you in a Witness Protection Program."
"Seriously?" I asked.
"Well, Michael was the leader of a large gang when he was arrested and made connections while in prison."
"What kind of connections?"
"He broke out with the help of the Cartel."
My eyes grew wide, and my jaw dropped. I looked at Antonio, who was indulging in a french fry. Things got a lot worse; I couldn't let Michael find us.
The waitress came back with Detective Voight's coffee. As Antonio and I ate and Detective Voight drank his coffee, there was silence between us. Once we were finished, Detective Voight insisted on paying the check and guided us to his SUV. I ensured Antonio and I were buckled securely before Detective Voight drove off.
I kept staring out the window, not saying anything. I looked over at Antonio and saw that he had fallen asleep. I opened my bag, took a blanket out, and covered Antonio.
"Did you have that bag packed already?" Detective Voight asked while looking at me through the rearview mirror.
"Yeah. In case of an emergency."
"Were you anticipating this?"
"No. I never thought anyone would come after us. This bag was in case of some other emergency."
"You followed your instincts to be prepared. Well done."
I let out a sigh. Before I could say anything, Detective Voight's phone rang.
"This is Voight. Let's hunt them down, then. Search for any security cameras, and let's find a way to trace them."
"What's wrong?"
"The two men that broke into your house recovered and fled."
My heart began to race.
"I have security cameras inside and outside my house; I just need a computer to log in and see the footage."
"Alright. Once we get where we're going, I'll have y-"
Before Detective Voight could finish what he was saying, the front windshield shattered, accompanied by gunshots. I unbuckled my seatbelt and covered Antonio with my body as I heard more gunshots.
"Are you okay?" Detective Voight asked.
"I think so."
"Mommy, what's going on?"
"It's okay. Just close your eyes. Mommy's here."
"Stay down," Detective Voight said as he grabbed his gun and got out of the car.
I quickly unbuckled Antonio's seatbelt and wrapped him up in his blanket. I held him close and lay on the floor of the car.
"It's okay, Antonio. Mommy's got you."
It felt like an eternity before the gunshots stopped. I kept quiet until the backseat door was ripped open, and I came face to face with an all too familiar man.
