His Ruthless Pursuit

This has been a long night.

I quietly sat at our table while watching Mila playing with her friends. Everyone was off conversing or dancing to the music that the live band provided. 

Everyone here fits in somewhere, except me. I don't belong here. I looked over at Mateo, and a tight and painful knot started to form in my throat. 

I don't recognize him anymore. He's the complete opposite of the person he used to be when we first met. He never told me what to do or who to talk to. 

God knows why he's doing so now.

My phone suddenly made a pinging sound so I grabbed it from where it was lying on the table. A notification popped up on the screen so I quickly clicked on it. 

I waited as my messenger app opened. I saw a message from an unknown number. I opened the message and a frown settled on my forehead. 

A picture. 

I adjusted my brightness and could finally make out what the picture displayed. My eyes went wide in shock. I left the dinner table before stumbling into a random bathroom.

My phone fell out of my hand as I knelt in front of the toilet. I started throwing up and hysterically started crying right after. 

How could I be so stupid?

I got up from the ground before I washed my face. I dried my wet skin with a towel before I left the bathroom.

I made my way upstairs before I hastily packed Mila a bag of clothes. I zipped up her suitcase before I went into Mateo's bedroom. I rushed my way over to the safe in his closet and punched in the code, which surprisingly is still my birth date after all these years. 

I grabbed the two silver glocks from inside the safe along with three clips of ammo. I strapped one of the guns to my thigh. I shut the safe before I left Mateo's closet and made my way into my own. I grabbed one of my old Birkins and carefully placed the ammo along with the other gun into it. I zipped up my bag before I fully exited the room. 

I carried Mila's suitcase all the way downstairs before I left it in the corridor. I nervously looked over my shoulders to check if anyone was watching, but it seemed as though I was in the clear. I made my way back into the living and blended in with the guests who were too drunk to even notice me. 

I went straight over to Tiago and he frowned at me. "I'm taking my daughter, and we're leaving," I told Tiago and he nodded at me. 

"Will you tell me what happened first?" He asked me and I shook my head at him. 

"Just get me out of here, Tiago, or do you want me to hail a cab in the snow with a six-year-old?" I asked him and he sighed heavily. 

"Okay, let's go," Tiago told me and I nodded at him before I grabbed Mila from Cara. I looked over at Mateo and he was in a deep conversation with Rafe. I took Mila's suitcase from the hallway before I left the house with Tiago. We left through the backdoor and he offered to carry Mila to the car. Once we got to his car he carefully placed her in the backseat before buckling her seatbelt. I climbed in on the passenger side of the car while he closed Mila's door behind her. He jumped in on his side of the car before buckling his seatbelt.

"Drive Tiago," I told him and he nodded at me before he drove out of the mini parking lot in front of our house.

"Mommy, are we leaving again?" Mila sadly asked me. 

"Yes. We're going to Mexico." I told her and she frowned at me. 

"But why, Mommy?"

"Because Mexico is where Mommy was born and raised," I told Mila and she just quietly looked down at her hands. 

"Hera-" Tiago started and I sighed lightly. 

"What, Tiago?" I asked in frustration. 

"Mexico? Really?" He replied in the same manner and I nodded at him. 

"Yes. I'm going home. Joaquín will take us in; he might hate me, but he has a good heart." I told Tiago and he just shook his head at me in disbelief. 

"You're playing with fire. If we get caught, Mateo will kill me. I'm betraying him to help you." He told me and I nodded at him. 

"Mateo would never hurt you," I argued and Tiago just clenched his jaw at my words. 

A bright light blinded our sight and ended our conversation. The car came to an abrupt stop and I checked the backseat to see if Mila was okay. Her eyes were wide in shock as she held her hand out to me. But she was okay.

"You're okay." I cooed after taking her hand in mine. "I'm right here," I added. 

"Hera- stay in the car," Tiago told me in a warning tone. He grabbed a Glock from his glove compartment before cocking it and jumping out of the car. 

The lights suddenly died out, and suddenly, everything in front of me became crystal clear. 

It felt like a bucket of ice-cold water was dumped on my head when I found a long line of men dressed in black standing in front of us. 

I recognized them. They worked for Mateo. Our own people were holding us at gunpoint. Tiago jogged up to them while aiming his gun at them. 

I completely froze up when I saw Mateo walking through his men. Rafe closely followed behind him, they both held grim expressions on their faces. 

My heartbeat increased as his eyes locked with mine. For a moment, it felt like I was trapped in quicksand, like I was slowly drowning and no one was coming to save me anytime soon. 

I quickly removed my gaze from Mateo's and was finally able to breathe again. 

"Mommy, I'm scared." Mila softly told me.

"I know, baby. You know what would help?" I asked her and she shook her head at me. "Just close your eyes and think of something nice, okay?" I asked her and she nodded at me before closing her eyes. I quickly grabbed her iPad and headphones from my bag before playing her favorite song and putting her headphones on. She quietly thanked me but her eyes were still squeezed shut in fear.

Tiago finally reached Mateo and Rafe. There was a huge gap between them and Tiago slowly let his gun down.

I watched as an argument started between them. Mateo angrily stormed at Tiago and hit him with the back of his gun. Blood started oozing out of Tiago's wound and my eyes widened in alert. I jumped out of the car before running toward them but they were standing almost a mile from where our car was parked. So it took me a while to reach them.

Mateo signaled for his men to attack Tiago, and they all started kicking him in his face and ribs. Every single one of them got a turn to hit him. 

My legs felt like they wanted to cave beneath me as I finally reached Tiago. He was lifelessly lying on the ground. 

I fell to my knees in front of him and covered him from the blows that kept coming his way. I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his chest.

I waited and waited for their blows to hit me next but they never came. I cried into Tiago's wet and bloody shirt as he lifelessly lay in my arms. My sobs filled the suddenly quiet air. I didn't dare move, I was too afraid that they would hurt him again. 

"Hera, get up." Mateo roughly demanded so I angrily glared up at him. 

"No." I blankly told him and he clenched his jaw at me. "I won't let you hurt him, Mateo!" I angrily yelled at him.

"Leave us!" He angrily told his men and they left us without hesitation. Rafe, however, stayed behind. He angrily glared at Tiago as I held onto him for dear life. 

"No! You should leave, Mateo! You've done enough!" I angrily yelled at him with tears in my eyes. "Leave!" I yelled but I couldn't even recognize my own voice. It sounded too hateful, too angered to belong to me. 

He's gone too far this time. I won't let him get away with this.