Chapter 43: Chapter 43

Chewing my bottom lips being apprehensive for the past few days after my mother left back to Leandro's safe house, my eyes glued at the hologram covering the space in the east side wall of Elijah's office intently watching the pinpoint of her location; so close yet very far off reach. I couldn't get the picture of her all these years violated under his confinement, because of this Elijah, Alexei, Lucien and myself had to rethink the plan but I fear something big is about to hit us hard and I only hope we survive the impending blast.

"Where is she? Ma! Ma! Where is she?" The familiar booming voice of my brother in a state of uneasy frenzy fills my ear. Ok here it goes turning at the sound of the bellowed voice of Lucien who barged into the dark office, eyes frantically searching for our mother. After telling him what transpired in Elijah's warehouse and the conversation that followed of her being held captive, he flared up. Just one thing missing, I purposely forget to tell him she willingly went back to save us.

"Sonia, where is mother?" Standing in front of me still yet eyes darting about on the look out and an approaching Ella who gives me a soft smile. Crushing his hopes have got to be the hardest thing and for once I felt selfish or more of less obligated to let him relish on the joy that our mother is alive before moving on to to the worst scenerio ever spoken. I guess he got tired of my silence walking out of the room calling for her. Don't cry Sonia, don't you dare shed a tear. I encourage myself hearing the happiness laced in his voice even as his cries receives mock silence causing a pinch to my eyes. Moisturizing my lips with the flick of my tongue, I grab the remote on the table shutting down the hologram and switching on the lights before he comes back.

Ella asks lightly grazing the tip of her fingers on my arm crossed akimbo in worry. "Hey! How are you feeling?" Utterly confounded heaving a heavy sigh running my hands through my hair. "I heard about your mum. Are you okay?" Lucien's distant call reverberate once more taking our eyes to the empty doorway. She lets out a sigh. I guess I'm not the only one worried about him. "He has been worried ever since the call, where is she?" Looking about then back at me watching her expressionless almost at the verge of tearing up. "What? What happened?" She cups my face rendering me passive as memory of mother's hand on my face flashes in my eyes.

"Sonia, dov'è madre?" (Sonia, where is mother?) Storming in, he asks impatiently.

"She is not here." Sharp eyes snaps to me.

"Cosa intendi con questo?" (What do you mean by that?) He looks at me dumbfounded.

"Tornò per la nostra sicurezza. " (She went back for our safety.) His brows quirks up confused at first before a sudden knowing look covers his face morphing into a very angry one.

Seething. "You let her go back to that scoundrel!" This is why I didn't let him know at first because his scorn won't sit well if he does something rash. We needed to plan this precisely or my fears gets to be a living nightmare which I honestly want to avoid.

Stuttering, swallowing back the heavy sob in my throat. "I was, I didn't, I wanted to..." Words failed me looking stupidly at my fuming brother whose face depicts disappointment, anger and fury. Soon he began raising his voice in Italian on how careless and drastic my letting her go will cause a leverage for Leandro. I wanted to tell him that I tried to do something, anything, that it wasn't my fault and I also want her back cause she is also my mother but he didn't have it. While in the heated conversation, Alexei walks in calling on us.

"Guys. Uhm excuse me. Guys? Guys!!!" Our heads snaps to him.

"What?" Barked Lucien.

"Something is wrong here." At that comment, my heart skipped looking at him walk closer picking up the remote and shutting the lights.

"What do you mean?" I pry, my heart at the verge of combustion watching him tap his screen and soon the hologram displays on the wall again but this time with more detail. Movements and all, which was different from mine.

"So your guy Kumar or what ever," saying dismissively with a flip of his hand in the air going on with tapping furiously at his pad. "sent me something I could use to not just locate my tracking device but movements surrounding the target and the target," turning to glance at my brother and myself continuing. "Or in some cases hostage, like footprints of my tracker."

"And? Get to the point." Lucien says unendurable causing Alexei to glare at him indignant before taking his eyes back to the wall.

"The red dot is clearly your mother, the greens are mundanes going on with their life, this purple standing stagnant is what I believe are the feds guiding the witness and the white is the weasel Leandro. Look here at this red closely and observe. At 2:56PM she was right here in this part of the house suddenly at that same time probably few seconds away she got right here which is literally not possible." I see the red dot literally jump to a very far off position from initial stance. His voice breaks my thoughts. "Inhumane, so it's either she has magical powers to disappear within intervals or something or someone might have thrown her there." My heart skins inside my chest trying to dismiss the ill thoughts in my head. No, it can't be. "Now take a look at the current time, she is right here..." It got silent as we watch again as the dot begins to shake suddenly jumping to another part of the house causing a heavy wail to escape my lips and tears fog my eyes. This is all my fault, I shouldn't have let

her go that night. I could have persuaded her to stay back, to board the next flight back home. This is all my fault. I caused this to her. "and voila she disappears farther away from her initial position. Walking will have shown me her steps but this, this is not walking; I believe mummy dearest is thrown about or either the past eight year she developed magical powers." Now I couldn't help the tears that fall freely from my eyes watching the 3d image on the wall.

"He is hurting her Luc." Teary eyes, I turn to look at my brother's face hard, veins ticking as he growls watching the hologram.

"Fuck the plan. Get ready and meet me out. We are going to get her back." He says menacing storming out of the office. Nodding at no one in particular sniffing uncontrollably as my head falls forward, sounds of footsteps rouse my senses looking up.

"Ella, wait." She don't need to do this catching the determined look on her face.

"Don't you fucking say it. My best friend's mother is being tortured or beaten up like a damn punch bag by a maniac, that woman is also my mother if you might have forgetten."

Emphasizing her engagement to my brother. "So don't stop me from going. And you fucking need help before you go chivalrous on us again." Sighing at the already lost battle, I say the only word I will forever be grateful for.

"Thanks." Walking to me kissing my head she struts out of the room after my brother.

"Sonia?" Alexei calls just as I was about taking my leave. I know he wish to stop me because of orders from his brother but I can sit back and watch that man violate my mother. He just has to pay.

"You have to tell Elijah, you saw it yourself. He won't stop until I come to him. I cannot loose her Alexei." Nothing. Swiftly turning towards the door again.

"Sonia?" He calls causing me to look back at him teary eyes. "Be careful." Sweet relief washes over me rewarding him with a smile walking past the door with an unprecedented look sitting on my face.

Your babies are coming for you Ma.

***

Looking at the tablet in my hand I watch as the dot keeps jumping from place to place tears blurring my sight. He is hurting her. Why? Is this what he do all these years to her? Putting her through such misery or did he find out she knows her children are alive and she is an expectant grandmother. I didn't realise my hands were shaking till I felt a soft hand on mine causing my eyes to snap to Ella's brown orbs watching me wearily in a taut smile. Words could not be exchanged but our eyes held so much words unspoken; hers reflecting comfort and care whereas mine sombre.

"What's happening? I need an update." Diverting my mind away from scary thoughts harmful for my condition. She says au so quietly almost like in a cautious whisper. I look at the tablet once again devoiding any sort of distractions because one mistake will cost me a life time regret. Tapping the screen it zooms in watching green dots surrounding the area indicating mundane going about their norms but two peculiar peculiar purple dots are situated just

outside what I think is the door to the apartment, not moving an inch.

"We need to take these two out first." She nods.

"On it." Glancing at Lucien eyes at the rearview mirror calling for his attention who drives the black classic Mercedes benz wagon. "I will be back in a few. Be careful. Okay." Kissing my cheeks, she gets down pulling a bag from the back. If someone ever told me that Ella will one day fight alongside me, I would have laughed in their face because looking at the light brown skin girl and her dimple cheeks which wouldn't hurt a fly. Wrong. She may not be me but she is very protective of things she love, hence this very situation.

Soon after I found myself hiding behind the hallway of the luxurious apartment waiting till we heard two gun silencer and thuds, poking my head out the elevator dings revealing Lucien talking on the phone casually striding in meeting the two dead bodies ahead. Glancing at my direction, "I want you to stay behind me at all times." I nod affirmative adhering to his order as we walk towards the dead men's bodies bracing ourselves for any impending danger.

Before I could comprehend the facials of the dead men, my brother knocks down the door with his foot barging into the apartment. I could have rolled my eyes at such absurdness but the very profiles meeting my eyes got the better part of my emotions in a wild frenzy.

Leandro held my mother at gunpoint grinning like a mad man clearly waiting for us.

"Welcome, welcome, what a wonderful family reunion isn't it?" Titling his head to the side, he tsk. "Those were one of my best in the agency working for me and now you killed them. Oh well." He laugh deathly.

"The fuck." Ella yelps meeting the scene, quickly she get her gun about to fire causing Leandro to poke my mother's head harder grinning like a maniac.

"Ah ah ah, if it isn't little Miss tyrant." Lucien growls. "Awe, I'm scared. Lucien's claimed mate right? Now I feel bad I didn't get to fuck that pretty pussy when I had the chance." Lucien makes a move to attack. "You move and a bullet to her head." Kissing my crying mother's face covered in bruise.

"Mama." I cry looking at her looking at us, even with the tears she has a smile on her face; a very sad one." Let her go leandro, please. She has suffered enough."

"She hasn't suffered anything compared to what I went through watching her date my friend, choosing him over me. Watching all those years as he flaunts his precious jewel, having kids, that should be mine!!! This was all supposed to be mine!!!" He shouts causing my mother to cry harder. Every tear falling down her face made me hate him more and I just want to end it all. Pulling my gun out from the back locking dead gaze at him.

He says. "I have nothing to lose if that barrel goes off but you have everything to lose if this goes off, now I will sugsest you drop your arms down for her sake. Kick it far away."

"Darling, take three steps to Sonia." She does keeping a poker face looking at Lucien and myself before she meets Ella's face, her eyes flits to her finger seeing her ring there. She smiles looking at Lucien, then back at me stopping at his command. "Good. You have your children and your son's woman right in front of us. Pick who should take the first bullet, you have fifteen seconds to decide before I take action to my hands and have them watch you die." Sobbing uncontrollably, she watch all three of us solemnly.

"Your time start now." He announces loving the cat and mice game. I don't know what will happen looking at my mother shedding streams of tears, my brother vulnerable, angry and growling, then at Ella uncertain eyes with the pearl ring on her finger and finally the man who has a gun to his right hand pointing to my mother and another in his left hand at us. He is right, he has nothing to lose but we, I, have everything to lose.

"5, 4, 3, 2,..." Before he could get to one, I rushed to my mother shielding her with my body taking a swift 360 turn hearing shouts from Ella and my brother. I guess I am stupid or chivalrous as Ella put it but I am the one closest to save her as the odds are heavily against Lucien.

"Ti voglio bene mamma." (I love you mum."

"1."

Bang!!!

My eyes tears up blinking rapidly looking down to my stomach.