Chapter 19: Chapter 19

"Lets play a game." I suggest, sitting up straighter. Beside me, Woody stops tapping his foot and nods, agreeing with me.

"You're both too old for car games." Uncle Tobias says from the front drivers seat, keeping his eyes focused on the road. I ignore his comment because I know he's being grumpy, as usual.

"Tell us about life before I was born." I suggest, keeping my voice confident. Uncle Tobias tenses in the front seat —

"How is this a game?"

"It's like story-time." I shrug, wanting him to finally answer some of my questions. He sighs heavily and nods his head, much to my surprise.

"How did Dad meet Mum?" I ask, wanting to know Uncle Tobias' version of the story. I'd heard my parents censored version and just the thought of it angered me.

"He met her in college. She was having a difficult time at home and Jake helped her." Uncle Tobias responded, his voice neutral. I nod my head, absorbing the information.

"Trevor, right?" I said tightly, my lips set in a straight line. Uncle Tobias begins to tap his fingers on the steering wheel, his jaw locked tightly.

"Yeah, him."

I'd heard about Trevor, my mothers stepfather. All I know is that he treated Mum like complete dirt and if I ever came face to face with him, I'd de-ball him and make him eat it.

"Is there any chance he could be involved in the kidnap of your parents?" Woody suggests and Uncle Tobias immediately shakes his head.

"Trevor and your grandma moved away years ago. They didn't have anything left here for them." He explains. My hands automatically ball up into a fist as I think of my Grandma. She's a complete idiot, blinded by love and treated my mum like a complete stranger. I'm her granddaughter and she refused to give up her abusive partner in order to have a relationship with me.

"She isn't my grandma." I mutter unhappily, leaning back in the seat. Uncle Tobias glances at me from his mirror, his eyes concerned.

"Hey, you asked me the question. Don't get upset if you don't like the answers kiddo."

I know he's right. I nod in defeat, thinking about my next question.

"Why don't I have a Grandad?"

The subject has always been touchy.

"Do you mean your father's father?" Uncle

Tobias asks me and I nod in response.

"He bailed on Jake when he was just a child. He's a waste of space who hurt him over and over again. It's a good job he's not in your life, I don't know if he's alive anymore." Uncle Tobias responds truthfully.

"Is there a chance he could be involved in all of this?" I ask quietly.

"I doubt it. He doesn't have reason to kidnap Emily as well as Jake. If it is him, I'll be very surprised."

"How did Dad manage to leave the gang he was involved in? I know it was dangerous so how did he do it?" I ask. Uncle Tobias sighs and his eyes flick over to Woody who's remained completely silent.

"Don't worry about me, I'm barely listening." Woody says as he notices Uncle Tobias' wary look.

"The gang leader, Amil, tried to kill me. Luckily, your mother was there to save me but he ended up dead in the process."

"How did he die?"

"A hit to the head."

"Was it painless?" I question.

"Most probably."

"Damn it, I wanted him to feel pain." I mutter unhappily.

"His death was the best thing that could have happened to me and your father. We were both free and able to live our lives the way we wanted to."

"Do you think someone could be taking revenge for Amil's death?" I ask, the thought sending shivers down my back. There's a long pause in the car until eventually the silence becomes unbearable.

"Yes. It's very likely." Uncle Tobias murmurs, his grip tightening on the wheel. A bad feeling settles inside my stomach and I sigh, closing my eyes.

"They sure gained a lot of enemies over the years." I mumble, my head beginning to hurt from the constant over-thinking.

"We all attract darkness in this family. It's inevitable and follows us everywhere we go. We can't let it define us or it wins." Uncle Tobias says, his voice low. I nod my head, turning to look out of the window. The world passes me by in a blur and I wonder if the universe is giving us a hard time on purpose.

I know my mother lived an extremely difficult childhood and so did my father. Neither of them had the best lives but they devoted the rest of it to make mine positive. They gave up everything so that I could be happy and danger free. We were doing great for years until this happened. I miss them, so much so that I'm beginning to feel an empty hole inside my heart.

I didn't realise how much my parents meant to me until they were gone.

"Why did you call Ivory a murderer?" I ask, the question playing on my mind for a few days. Uncle Tobias inhales sharply, his eyes darkening. I turn to glance at Woody and he's also noticed the change in Uncle Tobias' entire posture.

"She sells drugs to thousands of people. Some of those people would have paid the price." He says tightly, his voice strained.

"Anyone in particular?" Woody questions, sitting up straight. It's the first time he's asked a question and Uncle Tobias shakes his head, denying it.

"No. I don't want to talk about it." He says coldly, his voice blunt.

"Since you're being as truthful as possible, why did you choose to take me in off the streets? What is the real reason?" Woody questions. Uncle Tobias' jaw locks and he slams his hands down onto the wheel, silencing Woody.

"I said, I don't want to talk about it." He says darkly. I frown at how hostile he's suddenly being —

"I thought you just felt sorry for him? Look at his face, he's like a lost puppy." I grin, signalling at Woody. He scoffs, looking offended.

"I'm not a puppy, I'm a bulldog. A scary bulldog." He growls, baring his teeth. I can't help but laugh at him and in the front, Uncle Tobias' lips twitch upwards into a small smile.

"He does have a puppy dog face." Uncle Tobias comments, earning a deep scowl from Woody.

"Do you think I could survive on the streets with a puppy dog face?" Woody explains, glancing between Tobias and I. When neither of us answers, he lets out a frustrated groan, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Woof," I bark quietly, my voice squeaky and high pitched. Uncle Tobias chuckles loudly, his head falling backwards as he laughs.

"You're not funny." Woody pouts unhappily, crossing his arms over his chest.

*****

"Ruby, Woody, wake up. We're here." Uncle

Tobias says quietly, the low sound of the car filling the silence. I let out a small groan, my neck and back aching in various places from the uncomfortable sleeping position. When I open my eyes, the sun is beginning to rise and I stretch my arms out as best as I can.

"How long have we been driving?" I ask, my voice hoarse.

"Hours, its the next day." Uncle Tobias says, his eyes drawn in and sunken.

"Jesus Tobias. You could have stopped at a service station to get some rest." Woody says, straining to peer out of the windows. I do the same and notice we're surrounded by large houses, each of them looking more grand and expensive the more we drive.

"This is where your guy tracked the location to? This place is crazy." I say, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. It's early morning and the streets are deserted. Soon enough, we pass mansions, protected by large iron gates. I frown, none of it making any sense.

"The kidnapper lives in one of these?" I ask out loud to no-one in particular. A silence falls in the car and everyone is amazed at the sight in front of us. Every house we pass is the definition of success and money.

"The house on your left, this is where we traced the call to." Uncle Tobias says, parking opposite it and killing the engine. I shuffle to Woody's side of the car, all three of us scrutinising the house. It's partially covered behind trees that disappear high into the sky. Despite their efforts of hiding the property, you can make out the shine and beauty of the white stone marble building. The entire house is protected by a thick iron fence, heavily guarded.

"The kidnapper is one rich mother — "

"Ruby."

"Sorry, my bad." I apologise, never once taking my eyes off the building. I let out a loud gasp, slapping my hand on Woody's shoulder in excitement and nerves.

"Look! Look!" I screech, motioning at the person exiting the grand doorway. All three of us snap our heads towards the person heading for one of the multiple expensive looking cars parked out front.

"Oh-my-god." I say in utter disbelief, my mouth hanging wide open.

"I was not expecting that." Woody says, letting out a low whistle. Uncle Tobias is completely frozen in place, his fists tensed up with anger and frustration.

"Ivory." He snaps, spitting the name of his sister in complete disgust.