“It will be okay,” Sabrina tells me, putting her hand over mine.
Why the hell is she the one comforting me when I can tell she’s even more terrified than I am?
“No matter what happens, don’t feel bad, okay?”
What is she saying?
“And if… things don’t go well…”
“Sabrina…”
She squeezes my hand. “If things don’t go well, promise me that you won’t try to make up for it by trying to protect someone else. If you really want to protect someone, love that person. That way, even if that person gets hurt, she’ll be able to heal and find her way back.”
I squeeze her hand in turn. “I’m sorry, Sabrina. I didn’t–”
“Shh.” She holds a finger to her lips. “It’s okay. Everything’s okay.”
How can she say that? I want to say more but I decide to save my words until I get her back.
“After I get you back, we’ll talk, okay?”
She nods. “Okay.”
After a few minutes, we reach the address. Sabrina takes the pill then she and I get out of the car to face Vince.
“Hello there,” he greets us, then glances at his watch. “I see you’re right on time.”
“Where’s David?” Sabrina asks.
Vince holds up a map. “You have to come and get it yourself.”
Sabrina looks at me.
I want to put my arms around her and keep her from going. I don’t want her to go. But I have to think of David.
I nod and Sabrina walks over to Vince.
“What? No goodbye kiss?” Vince teases.
“Where’s the map?” Sabrina asks.
Vince signals to his men to grab her.
“Check her,” he orders. “Make sure there isn’t a tracker on her.”
I look away as they grope her.
“She’s clean, boss,” one of his men answers.
“Good.” Vince grins.
He hands Sabrina the map, which Sabrina looks at before throwing it at me. It’s a map of the forest with a spot marked with a red dot.
“You’ll find David there,” Vince says. “I suggest you hurry before some wild animal finds him. I did tie him to a tree, after all.”
“Bastard.”
I step forward, wanting to throw a punch at him, but he lifts a finger.
“I didn’t say he was alone,” Vince informs. “If you hurt me, David could get hurt.”
Sabrina looks at me, pleading with me to calm down. I take a step back.
Vince laughs. “Look at you, a beast tamed by a woman.” He gets a few locks of Sabrina’s hair and rubs them against his cheek.
My jaw clenches.
“Last night, you looked like a wolf. Now, you look like a neutered dog. Who’s lost his balls now?”
His men laugh.
Fuck. I want to take them down. I know I have a chance. But I can’t risk David getting hurt.
There’s nothing I can do.
“Oh, by the way, don’t think of following us,” Vince says. “If any of my men spot anyone following us, David will get hurt.”
How dare he? How dare he threaten an innocent boy?
“Now, Sabrina.” He grabs her chin. “Why don’t you say goodbye to your husband, hmm? You and I are going to revisit one of our old haunts and maybe we’ll repeat what we did there last time, but with a little twist.”
I grit my teeth. “What’s to stop me from reporting you to the cops after I get David?”
“Oh, don’t call the cops,” Vince tells me. “Remember, I have Sabrina. If I see anything in the newspapers or see any cops on my doorstep, she will get hurt.”
Fuck.
“I’ll just have to hunt you down and come after her myself then.”
Vince laughs. “Good luck with that. I have many properties, Mr. Brewster, most of which aren’t in my real name. Sabrina isn’t the only one with an alias. You’ll never find me or her. Even if you do, I’ll have men stop you, even if it means killing you.”
I don’t care. I’m still coming after Sabrina.
She looks at me. “Take care of David.”
“That’s it?” Vince laughs. “No ‘I love you’?”
Sabrina says nothing more.
“I expected more emotion. Oh, never mind. I’m sure I can draw some from Sabrina later.”
“You–” My body moves forward on its own but I stop.
I can’t do anything. Not now.
“Bye. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Brewster.” Vince pushes Sabrina inside his van. “I’m sorry about your wife.”
Yes, you’ll be sorry. I’ll see to that.
“Oh, she doesn’t need this anymore.” He throws her wedding ring out, and I pick it up.
“And one more thing.” He signals to one of his men, who approaches me. “I said you can’t hurt me, but I didn’t say anything about me not hurting you.”
The man punches me squarely in the jaw and then the stomach. I reel back.
“Randall!” Sabrina screams.
“Quiet!” Vince scolds her. “That was payback for what you said last night, Mr. Brewster. I’m just taking back what’s mine.”
He closes the door to the van and it drives off. The man who punched me goes to the other car and they drive off, too.
Alone, I clutch my stomach and wipe the blood from the corner of my mouth.
Fuck, that hurts. But it isn’t going to stop me.
I look at the map in my hand.
I’m coming for you, David.
***
“Daddy!” David runs toward me, throwing his arms around me.
I throw my arms around him as well, squeezing him tight.
“Thank goodness I found you.”
It’s taken me over five hours to find him but finally, I have.
“What happened to you?” he asks, looking at my face.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I stumbled while looking for you. How about you? Are you all right?”
He nods.
I kiss his hair. “You’re safe now.”
Looking around, I don’t see anyone. Was Vince lying when he said someone was with David?
“Were you alone, David?” I ask him.
“Yeah. But I wasn’t scared.”
“Good.” I hug him again.
Damn that Vince. I could have taken him down. I could have taken down his men. Instead, I just handed Sabrina over.
Fuck.
“Where’s Sabrina?” David asks.
“Don’t worry,” I assure him, running my hands through his hair. “I promise we’ll get Sabrina back.”
I take out my phone from my pocket and call Gil.
“Yes?” Gil answers after the first ring.
“I have David. Now, please tell me you know where Sabrina is.”
Fighter
Sabrina
Where am I?
It seems like an eternity since I got into the van with Vince. After hours of sitting at the back of the van with a blindfold on, the vehicle finally stops. The journey doesn’t end, though. One of Vince’s men carries me for miles on foot, which is uncomfortable to say the least.
Now, finally, the blindfold is off and I find myself inside a house, shoved into a room – a bedroom with a queen-sized bed. The floral sheets match the curtains, an old cabinet, an Aztec rug hanging on the wall and a...
Wait a minute. I recognize that rug.
“Look familiar?” Vince asks as he stands behind me.
After a few moments, I remember. This is a house somewhere in the forests of Chihuahua, Mexico. It’s the place where Vince and I went on vacation, back when he was still trying to win me over.
This is where we first had sex.
I tense.