Page 127 of Hidden Memories

Chapter Thirty-Two

PRESENT

The truck bouncesover the uneven dirt road, each jolt rattling through me, but I barely notice. My focus is on the back of Gabriel’s truck. He knows where Damon is heading. Where my son is going.

Beside me, Santi grips the wheel like it’s the only thing keeping him from unleashing his wrath. His focus is razor-sharp, but when he feels my eyes on him, he wraps his hand over mine offering silent reassurance.

“We have to get to him, Santi…” I’m not sure if I’m speaking tohim or myself.

Santi doesn’t answer but he pushes the pedal down harder on a straight stretch of road.

The road narrows, trees thickening on either side. My pulse quickens when an estate comes into view, hidden behind tall iron gates and a sprawling wall. It’s a fortress—opulent and menacing, with a long driveway leading to a massive stone house at its center. Damon races his truck through the main gates that close slowly behind his vehicle.

Gabriel screeches to a halt, barely missing a collision with the gates, now too narrow for his truck.

When Santi brakes, we stop so hard that the seatbelt cuts into my chest. But nothing matters to me. Nothing but Theo. Instinctively, without a moment to think about what the hell I’m going to do when I get on the other side, I sprint like hell, Santi on my heels. We barely slip through the remaining sliver in the gates.

Gabriel climbs out of his truck, scanning the area with practiced precision. Anton is out, too, already moving, his weapon ready as they make their way to the gate and Gabriel barely contains his anger at my decision to get inside.

Santi and I push ourselves into a hedge to one side, hiding ourselves out of sight. Damon’s truck still moves up the long, sweeping drive.

Then I catch sight of Anton and Gabriel through the wrought-iron bars.

Gabriel barks. “Reinforcements are still fifteen minutes away, and it isn’t exactly SWAT joining us first. That was a stupid move…”

I grit my teeth. “What was I supposed to do, sit in the truck and watch this horror like it’s a drive-in movie?” I don’t know what overcomes me but I don’t want to talk. Just act. “I’m going in.”

Santi grabs my arm. “Kat… I’m sure people in there are armed. This is potentially the Mafia we’re dealing with.”

Through the iron bars, Gabriel’s glare could cut through steel. “Listen to yourself, Kat!” he snaps. “You arenotgoing in there.”

“All they want is the damn flash drives…” I protest.

“They want blood!” Gabriel bites.

Adrenaline surges in my veins. “We didn’t have a choice.”

My eyes dart to Damon’s truck, now stopped and parked near the house. He pulls Theo out of the cab; the sight is a dagger to the heart. My son’s thin arms still punch out as Damon leads him toward the front door.

I can’t think. I can’t breathe.

“Figure it out,” I say, already moving.

I’ve watched thrillers before where children get kidnapped. And in those, it seems the parents, in pursuit, develop both an unhinged vendetta and a deluded sense of their capabilities. It turns out, those movies aren’t fiction.

As Damon drags Theo into the house, my legs want to give out, but my heart roars with one clear truth– I cannot, will not, let them take my son. Fear is a wild animal clawing at my insides, but it’s drowned by raging fury.

I need in that house. I can’t let them have Theo.

Santi grabs my arm. “Kat, wait. We need to be smart.”

“There’s no time for smart,” I snap, shaking him off. “He has my son!”

Santi steps in front of me, blocking my path. “Listen to me. If we rush in without a plan, they’ll take both of us, and Theo will still be in their hands. Just give it a minute.”

He’s right. My hands tremble, my pulse pounding in my ears, but I force myself to stop.

“We wait for Gabriel to cover us,” Santi says, nodding athis brother, and in an instant, Anton and Gabriel disappear, two ghosts evaporating into shadows, leaving us with nothing but the sound of our ragged breaths.

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