Page 67 of Trapped

When the car stops, I feel Officer Greyson’s traitorous hands on me again. He pulls me up and out of the car. I can’t see through the thick black material, but I can hear several voices.

“I was told I’d be compensated for my services,” Greyson says. I listen as the two men exchange money and sigh in relief when I hear the absence of Greyson.

Another hand comes to me. It’s rough, but not in the way Greyson’s touch was. I’m surprised to admit that it actually feels comforting.

“You’re going to come with me, and she’s going to stay here,” the first male voice says.

“No. She can’t,” I cry out through the suffocating hood.

The firm hand holding my arm pushes me forward as Genesis’s cries fade behind me. I hear the sound of a motorcycle in the distance. She cries louder. Another voice emerges.

“Take her back. Room 376,” the same voice says.

My feet shuffle ahead of me as I’m placed in another vehicle. I cry until I can’t anymore. I lay my head on the door and close my eyes. My throat aches and my words shake.

“Where are you taking me?” I ask.

Silence falls between us and I lie there, desperate for sleep to take me. A hand runs over my hair. It feels soft and safe. Then I hear the calm voice. It’s dark and laced with something that ignites a shudder through my whole body.

“Home,” he says.

Adrian: She’s still alive.

Silas: Keep her that way.

Adrian: You’re welcome.

Silas: Fuck you.

We’re no closer to finding Lucia than we were a day ago. Rosie and Maikel are staying in the penthouse with our mom and Olivia. They can’t remember much, just that it was a man on a motorcycle who came in the middle of the night and took Lucia. Lucia hadn’t even been with Claudia for a full day.

I walk into the suite and find Thalia lying on the bed, where Alma rubs her hair. My heart breaks at the sight of her. She’s curled up in a ball, Guapo tucked in next to her.

“Ariella and Genesis are missing,” Alma says in a whisper. I look down at the paper in Thalia’s hand. Her face is blank.

“They took her,” Thalia cries. “They took Ariella, too.”

“She’s gonna be alright,” Alma says, reassuring her, and I move to grab the note.

I look at Thalia. Her eyes are glossed over. She stares at me with a blank expression before anger replaces it. She pushes herself off the bed and stands up.

“Find my daughter!” she yells. She pushes me, and I let her.

“Find my fucking daughter, Silas! Find her, then leave us alone!”

She hits my chest, and her fists slam hard into me. I push myself forward and she goes to strike again, but I grab her hand and push her into the wall behind her.

“You want to hit me, hit me,” I say, staring into the volcanoes in her eyes. Thalia will crumble to her rage if it means she can mask her pain. Alma moves to the front of the room, her eyes wide as she stares between us. I stare down at Thalia, and she looks away.

“I’m on the verge of breaking, too, Thalia. I didn’t even know I had a daughter, and then the same day I get to meet her, she’s gone.” She softens in my grip, and her sad eyes stare into mine.

“I’m angry, and I’m sad. I’m worried that was the first time and last time I’ll see her,” I confess. I’m worried that the way my story played out with Thalia will be the way it will play out with Lucia. A mere day was my only chance to know her. I release Thalia’s arm, and she drops to the floor, letting out a sigh.

“They took my baby. They took Lucia, and now they have Ariella and Genesis,” she cries. I grab her and hold her tight. I comfort her there until I register the last thing she said.

“Genesis,” I murmur.

I never met the girl, but I know her name. I know her name very well. Genesis Fernandez. Cassiel’s hidden obsession. Not just his obsession, but also his one and only weakness. It wouldn’t be the first time Cassiel used someone else’s hardship to his benefit. That is his modus operandi, using others to get what he wants.

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