Chapter 17: Chapter 17

I'm halfway down the street, wondering how on earth I'm going to find the Spanish gang.

If I do, what happens then? I beg for my parents back?

What if the Spanish gang aren't the kidnappers?

I exhale deeply, running my fingers down the space between my eyebrows to calm myself down. Whenever I was younger, Mum would stroke the exact same spot. It would calm me down instantly or make me fall asleep within minutes. I ached to have her affection back, no matter how old you get, you always need your mother.

The roaring of a bike catches my attention and I instantly duck, hiding behind a large bin. The roaring increases until it's directly next to me and then I hear the engine cut off. Without looking, I already know who it is.

"Ruby, come out."

"Shit," I mutter under my breath. I clench my jaw angrily as I figure Woody blew me up to Uncle Tobias. I make a quick mental note to punch him as revenge the next time I see him.

"Come out Ruby! You're not going to the Spanish gang. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?" He yells, becoming increasingly agitated. I blow out the breath I'm holding and finally stand to my feet, exposing my hiding spot. Uncle Tobias stands a few feet away from me, his helmet tucked under his arm.

"I want to find my parents." I say emotionlessly, feeling completely drained. This was my last plan, my final idea. Without this, I have no clue what to do next. Silence falls upon us and eventually, Uncle Tobias lets out a deep sigh, placing his helmet down onto his seat. He takes a step towards me —

"Sweetheart, look at me."

I lift my head up, holding eye contact with him.

"This is what the Spanish gang did to me." He murmurs, loud enough for me to hear. His fingers find the hem of his shirt and he pulls it up, exposing his body.

"I showed your Mum the exact same thing when I was ready. I'm ready to show you now."

I slowly inch forward, my eyes glued to the section of skin he's pointing at. It's a tattoo but underneath the tattoo lies a scar. A deep scar, one that's been there for years. A scar that carries pain and a tale behind it.

"They stabbed you?" I question, holding in my breath. Uncle Tobias shakes his head, his eyes masked over so their unreadable.

"They shot me."

"Why?" I breathe out, my heart aching for him. He drops his shirt, covering the scar quickly.

"I was involved in things I shouldn't be. I tried to leave and I was shot. They tried to kill me Ruby." Uncle Tobias says quietly, taking a seat on his bike. He holds out his arm towards me, gesturing for me to take a hold of his hand. I slowly inch closer and wrap my small hand in his.

"I won't let them do the same to you." He murmurs, pulling me into his chest. He strokes my hair, inhaling deeply as he realises I'm safe. I grimace at how stupid I've been. Through the process of finding my parents, I almost got myself killed.

"Sorry," I mumble sheepishly into the fabric of his shirt. I can feel him shaking his head —

"Don't be. You're desperate to find them. Desperate people do dangerous things."

"I have no idea where they are. We aren't getting any closer to finding them!"

As if on cue, my phone begins to ring. I pull away and reach for it from the back of my jeans. The screen displays - Unknown Caller.

"This is it! This is them, I know it!" I gasp, clutching the phone tightly. Beside me, Uncle Tobias stiffens and signals for me to answer. I nod my head and answer the call, placing it on loudspeaker.

"Hello?" I say, my voice wavering slightly.

"Ruby Melvin."

It's the same voice. My jaw clenches tightly and I can already feel the anger bubbling inside of me from the sound of my parents kidnapper.

"Who are you? Can I speak to my parents?"

There's a pause on the other end.

"You have fourteen days."

"No!" I scream, becoming increasingly frustrated.

"What do you want?" I ask quickly, desperately trying to keep them on the phone. I need to know if Uncle Tobias recognises the voice.

"What do I want?"

They scoff on the other end of the line and I can't decide whether the voice is male or female. The raspiness feels forced. . . Uncle Tobias motions for me to keep them talking.

"Yes, what do you want?" I repeat my question, trying my best to control my voice. I don't want them to know I'm beginning to grow desperate. Silence fills the line, the only sound is the callers heavy breathing.

"I want justice."

The words cause an icy shiver to run down my spine. It's full of venom, spite and revenge.

"Justice for what?" I ask quickly but there's a click and the line goes dead. I yell out in frustration, staring at the phone.

"No! No, no, no!" I yell, gritting my teeth. I turn to Uncle Tobias who's features are scrunched together with confusion and concentration.

"Who the hell is that? Do you recognise the voice?" I ask him. Uncle Tobias shakes his head and I let out another groan.

"I'm sorry, I don't know who that is."

I slide down onto the road, sitting cross legged in defeat. I don't have any other ideas or plans. My parents are going to die and their blood will be on my hands because I failed. They devoted their life to keep me safe and protected and now, I can't repay the favour. I feel like a complete failure, a failure who's going to be an orphan in the next fourteen days.

"Where will I go? Will I live with you?" I mumble, placing my head in my hands. Beside me, Uncle Tobias rests his hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"We'll find them kiddo. Don't lose hope yet."

I know I should believe him but I don't.

*****

"Has your father taught you how to use a gun properly?" Uncle Tobias asks me, placing one down onto the kitchen table. I glance at the silver gun and nod my head slowly.

"You don't look so sure. . . " he says skeptically.

"I can shoot a gun, my aim is not very good though." I grimace, remembering the time I almost shot Dad. His face was pretty priceless though, I wish I got it on camera.

"I'll teach you." He says firmly, sitting down on the seat. He takes the gun in his hand and starts to take it apart.

"What are you doing now?" I ask, intrigued. I take a seat beside him, pulling my knees into my chest. I steal his bowl of pasta from him and begin to chew it as I watch him unfold the pieces of the gun.

"I'm going to clean it. It hasn't been used in a while," he explains quietly. I nod my head, watching in silence. Eventually curiosity gets the better of me.

"You were also in the gang, right? The same one as Dad?"

Uncle Tobias pauses, his hand hovering in mid air. He brings it up and runs it over his face.

"Yes."

"Wow, I wasn't expecting you to be truthful about it."

My response earns a glare from him.

"It was one of the biggest mistakes of my life."

"What else do you regret?" I ask quietly, grateful to have him be honest with me. I'm not a stranger to having the people around me fabricate the truth because they think I can't handle it. Most of the things I know about my parents, I had to find out for myself. Part of me wishes they told me everything so I could use the information to find them. I can't help but feel like the kidnapper is digging up the past, punishing my parents for something they did as teenagers.

When I look up at Uncle Tobias, his eyes look haunted, pained. He blinks a few times to pull himself out of it and I sigh, knowing he won't tell me the truth. Whatever it is, it's too painful for him.

"Are you ready?" He asks me, clearing his throat and successfully changing the subject. He slides the gun across the table so that it's sitting directly in front of me.

"Holy shit, of course I'm ready." I grin, feeling excitement build up inside my chest. I quickly shovel the last of the pasta in my mouth and carefully take hold of the gun. Uncle Tobias stands up and reaches for his black leather jacket, pulling it on.

"Dad won't be happy about this." I say, unable to wipe the smile off my face. He was never keen on teaching me and I had to practically force him to show me the basics. Uncle Tobias chuckles quietly under his breath, reaching for his keys.

"Your father isn't here and you need to learn to protect yourself."

I nod my head, passing the gun between my hands. The cold metal feels cool against my skin and I smile at Uncle Tobias —

"I couldn't have said it better myself.”