Donovan parked his car at the airport. Where was he planning to go?
“Where are we headed?” I asked immediately, my anxiety rising. I wasn’t going to just leave my mother behind and hop on a plane. Not now, not ever.
Donovan didn’t answer. Instead, he grabbed a backpack from the rear seat, popped the trunk, and began distributing money between the bags and the backpack, which was, to my surprise, filled with women’s clothes. I didn’t understand what he was doing, and my face must have reflected my confusion because he gave a small, breathless laugh. Sweat was beading on his forehead, his breathing heavy. “I can’t stash all the money. They’ll catch us if they find it, but this should last us a while.”
“Donovan, I’m not leaving without my mother,” I stated, gripping his wrist to stop him, but he didn’t waver.
“You’ll have to. She’s safe. It’s you who’s in danger,” he said, his lips tightening. Closing the trunk, he looked me squarely in the eyes, the urgency evident in his gaze. He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me, fervently, passionately, as if he was pouring all his emotions into that one act. “If anything happened to you, I…”
My emotions overwhelmed me, and I swallowed hard. “Nothing will happen to me.”
“No, I won’t let it,” he growled, his voice breaking.
He led me toward the airport doors, but instead of heading to the ticket counter, he veered directly to the departure gates. Had he already bought the tickets?
We reached the passport check, and I was about to tell Donovan that I didn’t have mine when he presented a single passport to the attendant. She nodded and smiled warmly at me. I was lost.
“Listen,” Donovan began suddenly, making my heart drop, “you’ll head to the city before me.” He said, throwing me off completely. “Grab the bags.”
“Is this a joke?” I managed. “What?”
“I can’t go with you; I have unfinished business here. I’ll only be a day or two behind you, but it’s dangerous for you to stay,” he said.
My bewilderment pushed me a couple of steps back, my head spinning, utterly dominated by confusion. “How did you manage the passport? What are you doing?”
The attendant, sensing the tension, shot me a suspicious glance. Donovan noticed as well and quickly ushered me to the side, away from prying ears.
“Listen to me…” He framed my face with his hands, sweat droplets tracing paths down his face.
“Who are you? How could you do all of this on your own? What are you hiding?” I wanted to shout all these questions at him, but his face morphed in sheer terror. The reflection in his eyes was one of nightmares becoming reality, and my body went rigid.
A man, larger in stature than Donovan, stepped close behind him. I could barely catch the whisper he directed into Donovan’s ear. “If you try to flee or alert anyone, your girlfriend dies. I’ve got snipers on you. Don’t test me; come with me.”
Donovan’s features contorted with fear, his complexion turning a deep shade of red and his eyes glistening with unshed tears. I’d never seen him scared. “I’ll come with you willingly, Steve, just let her go. Please…”
“That’s not how this works,” Steve retorted, gripping Donovan’s arm. His gaze turned to me, tilting his head in a swift gesture, signaling I had to follow.
I did, for just a few fleeting moments, until the airport’s doors were reached and a flood of people swarmed around us, blocking our way and making Steve uneasy. Donovan looked at me, his eyes squeezing shut for a moment before nodding. I knew I needed to run. Every ounce of my rationale screamed that I had to escape, yet, in that instant, my feet wouldn’t move. They were paralyzed, caught in a stupor of indecision about which direction to take.
I forced myself to sprint, convincing myself as I did that escaping was the best way to save Donovan, that I would be of more help if I left him than if I stayed and risked us both getting caught.
I could hear shouts calling for my capture as I jostled through the crowd, my arms pushing people aside in my desperate bid for freedom.
I didn’t stop running, not even when I reached the car park’s exit. My feet barely touched the ground with each stride. I wasn’t sure how far I’d run, but by the time I felt the numbness in my feet set in, I saw a police station. Relief washed over me, swiftly followed by a blow to my head. I crumpled to the ground, and everything went black.
***
“Wake up, sweet Celina,” a voice coaxed. My eyes felt like weighted stones as I tried to pry them open. The acrid stench that hit me as the warm air brushed against my face made my stomach churn. Saliva pooled in my mouth, and I knew I was on the brink of vomiting. As I struggled to hold my breath against the overpowering odor, he backed away from me.
A rough touch grazed my cheek, followed by a raw, stuttering shout. “Don’t you dare lay your filthy fucking hands on her!”
Donovan was beside me. I could hear his labored breathing. My hands felt trapped, bound by a coarse texture-ropes.
I was tied to a chair.
“Calm down, Donovan,” the voice sneered. “No one will touch her as long as you tell us who you sold us out to.” I forced my eyes open, seeking solace in Donovan’s gaze. My head throbbed, it felt hot, and I was sure there was blood soaking the nape of my neck-this place wasn’t hot, it was frigid. “Who did you leak the shipment details to? Hmm? You stole that intel from her uncle, handed it over to me, yet in the end, the shipment vanished. I tried not to blame you. You were my right hand, I treated you like a son, and this is how you repay me?”
Surveying the scene, a chill ran down my spine. We were in a decrepit house, devoid of furniture or signs of life; clearly, no one lived here. About 15 to 20 people surrounded us, among them was Vanessa. She looked genuinely distressed by the situation, but the moment our eyes met, her face hardened.
“I swear, I didn’t-” Donovan began, but he was cut off as a massive hand struck me across my right cheek. The breath was knocked out of me, and the ensuing pain numbed me as I slumped against the chair. “Dammit! Please, don’t hurt her!”
I didn’t open my eyes again, the sound of Donovan’s sobbing pleas for my life reaching my ears, wrenching my heart with the realization that we could die in that very moment together. “Mistake, dear Donovan! A grave mistake. You can’t simply say ‘I didn’t.’ I’m not interested in denials; I want affirmations,” I perceived out of the corner of my eye Steve gripping my face, jerking my head back and forth. “Just like your girlfriend here, ‘Yes.’ That’s what I’m keen to hear; what you did, you little piece of trash.”
“I’m sorry, Steve, you’re right, I know what happened to the shipments, but I’ll only tell you if you let her go, only if…”
“You should know better than to think it works that way…” I heard the slow, deliberate footsteps of Steve. “Hand me the scissors, Vanessa. Maybe once his little sweetheart is a couple of fingers short, he might remember who he’s dealing with.”
I started screaming, thrashing around, trying to free myself, but to no avail; I couldn’t slacken the bindings even slightly. Desperation fueled me, pushing until the chair toppled over, sending me crashing to the floor.
“We’ve got ourselves a fighter!” Steve jeered, his laughter echoing. My gaze met his, filled with a raw, abhorrent hatred, and my heart constricted tighter with each step he took towards me.
“I stole the entire shipment!” Donovan yelled, halting Steve who was poised with scissors in hand.
“Where is it?” Steve demanded, awaiting a swift answer from Donovan. Receiving none, he darted towards me, yanking my hair, pulling my head up, and pressing a familiar cold metal object to my temple-a sensation I recognized all too well, courtesy of Shawn.
This was my fate, wasn’t it?
I mean, perhaps I should’ve died that day in the car at the hands of Shawn.
Maybe they postponed my death date, so I could at least die knowing what love is.
Donovan.
His secrets and mysteries began to beckon me; I yearned to unravel everything about him.
And I did.
Here we are.
Ruing or thanking God.
I’m still unsure of what to do.
I received one last blow to the hundred that almost knocked me unconscious, I heard screams from Donovan and Steve, until I heard a distinctive one.
“FBI! Put down your weapons.”
Gunshots, blows and darkness. That’s all I know.