Finding Forgiveness

“You fucking bitch, Blanca,” he snarled, his mouth so close to mine.

My pulse throbbed in my ears as watery tears built in my eyes. His glare was relentless and dark, and his claws dug into my cheeks.

“I was told that you knew how to fight but that was pathetic Sweetheart,” he said ripping the knife out of my hand.

The cut clearly only stretched across the surface of his cheek and the blood had already stopped flowing.

He slowly brought the knife to my throat and pressed the back of the blade against my skin.

“I am going to make you pay for this,” he said slowly and clearly, every word deep and cutting.

I then briefly saw his fist flying towards my face before everything went dark and silent.

Leo’s Point of View

The second the truck rolled into the base, I was opening the door. In the front, there were two men: one driving and one clutching what looked like just a bundle of blankets. The bundle of blankets stirred and I was met with a pair of innocent, watery eyes.

“Papa,” it sobbed.

Its lips quivered and its eyebrows furrowed before tears began to stream down its soft little cheeks.

I instantly pulled it into my arms and held it tight.

“Cato,” I whispered, kissing his head time and time again. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

He wrapped his little arms around my neck and clung as he cried into my chest.

“Thank you,” I said to the soldiers that had brought him back to me. “Your bravery will be rewarded.”

They nodded.

“We’re just sorry that it came to what it came to and that your son had to experience,” one said.

“You did what was necessary and with time, he will recover.”

The course of Cato’s return hadn’t run smoothly. Ella handed herself to Andrea and he released Cato. Cato was driven as far as California but then being the lying cheat Andrea is, withdrew from his part of the deal claiming that Cato would remain in his custody until he no longer needed the threat of his demise to control Ella. The time frame for that was unclarified and I saw the rescuing of my seven-year-old son from the trauma of being kidnapped by a gang of thugs as far too urgent to wait so had my men intercept the vehicle just before they got back to the border. It resulted in Cato witnessing the deaths of his abductors which is something no parent would ever want their kid to see even if they were bad people.

I held myself fully responsible for this. I’d failed as a parent and to make it even worse, now I was a single parent. Ella and I always brought the kids up together and she was so naturally good at it and always there to provide a voice of reason but she was no longer here so now I had to do it alone.

When I arrived home with Cato the house was dark bar one lamp on the coffee table in the living room. At least I still had my own Mother, Rosa, to help out. She woke immediately from the sofa and rushed to comfort Cato who was still in my arms.

“Oh, bambino. You’re home,” she said kissing his cheek and taking his little cold hands into the soft warmth of hers.

He produced a smile. It was small and feeble but it was there.

“You better get to bed, young man,” she added. “It’s awfully past your bedtime.”

He smiled again and I slowly carried him upstairs.

“Can I sleep in your room tonight, Daddy?” he asked as we reached the top of the stairs.

I nodded and made my way to the room I shared with Ella with great caution not to wake any of the others.

He was asleep within minutes of laying his sweet head on my chest but held tightly to me the entire night.

I wrapped my arm around him and closed my eyes, letting out a deep breath.

Now all I had to worry about was Ella.

All?

I couldn’t bear to imagine Andrea’s reaction to the ambush and how he would have taken it out on her. But I knew that it’s what she would have wanted me to do. Put our son first and do whatever it takes.

The least I could do was honour her wishes.

I next woke on a slightly damp, hard floor to the sound of a loud engine. I slowly opened my eyes, squinting from the bright sun, to see a pair of smart shoed feet. I then looked up higher to see Andrea, still wearing the same suit, and sat controlling the motor of the boat.

He glanced down for a split second before taking his eyes back to the river as if he hadn’t noticed me.

I pulled my self into a tight ball and stared passively at the floor of the boat. My head throbbed and ached with a dull undetermined sense as my situation tried to sink in. It didn’t feel real, how could it?

About an hour later, the boat came to a stop. I didn’t move a muscle but Andrea took my already bruised wrist and hauled me onto a jetty.

“Welcome home,” he announced as I looked up to see the huge mansion in front of us.

I remained silent as I was lead up a set of stairs to the front door where another suited man awaited us with a huge rifle slung across his chest.

“Buenas tardes, Se? or,” he said to Andrea with a nod.

“Chico, this is my new prized possession. Leonardo Loren’s Luna,” Andrea said pushing me forward and presenting me.

He looked across to me expressionlessly and scanned my face. He eventually nodded to me too but said nothing.

“You’re in charge of making sure she doesn’t get out of this house without my permission,” Andrea said placing his grabbing my arms and shoving me into the house. “Don’t fail me,” he added in a darker tone.

Andrea pushed me into the large foyer? with a grand staircase and huge tall doors. It was dead quiet and our footsteps echoed around the room.

“This is the first house I ever bought,” he said. “My house in Mexico is nice and lavish and comfortable but this? This is home to me. Perfectly placed in the middle of nowhere, where no one can ever find us.”

He shot me a grin and winked.

“It’s nice,” I said quietly.

“Come. I will give you a tour,” he said taking my hand.

He then showed me every room in the house. It was big and beautiful but at the same time, I hated it. Every mosaiced floor, every water-colour wall, every huge plump bed, every swanky bathroom. Even the pool, blue and refreshing, shook me.

“And this is the master bedroom,” he said opening the door to the final room.

It was vast. The bed was the biggest yet, the balcony stretched out so far it could have space for its own pool and the closet was by right another room.

“What do you think of the view?” he asked wrapping his arms around me as I looked over the balcony into the array of jungle that stretched as far as the eye could see.

“It’s refreshing,” I replied quietly.

The wild, untamed nature of the jungle also reminded me of all the freedom I didn’t have but I wasn’t going to bring that up now.

“Good,” he stated. “Now, I have a few questions before I put you to good use.”