Page 55 of Blood Ties
"No, why?"
Germo, hands me a news article from the paper. He refuses to be a part of the generation who gets their news from social media and television is too time consuming for him. He says he can take the paper with him anywhere and gets everything he needs to know in one go. "They found Mario's body this morning.Something about reports of screams coming from the room and after he didn't respond, the hotel manager let himself in."
"Good. We will give the news time to circulate."
"And the boy?"
"Give him a choice. He can live if he works for me or he can die in a similar manner as his father."
Germo sighs. "What if he agrees and runs anyway?"
"He won't. His mother asked for our protection and with that comes a price."
"I'll make sure to relate this back to him so he knows the situation at hand. Anything else you need today?"
"To not be bothered."
A loud knock comes to the door. Germo rushes to open it and Isaiah is standing on the other side. "Where's Miguel?"
"What do you mean? Didn't he go back to your place?"
"No. He was supposed to call Able or Cesar when he was ready to leave. He never did and his car was found in pieces a few blocks from here."
My eyes widen and my stomach twists. "And he wasn't with it?"
"Able is still looking. How long ago did he leave?"
"Nearly two hours ago," Germo responds. “He said he was going back home.”
Isaiah shifts in place. "He didn't make it very far."
Isaiah's phone vibrates and his forehead wrinkles with worry. He takes a deep breath before answering the phone, preparing himself for the worst. Something which we find ourselves doing often in this life.
"Where? Is he alive?"
My chest quickly rises and falls.
"I'm on my way. Get Dr. Mitchell on the phone. Tell him to meet us at Marcus's house. You know the address? Good."
He slides the phone back in his pocket. "My father was found twenty feet from the vehicle. He rolled down a hill and is barely breathing. The trees hid his body, so they didn't notice him at first. We need to move fast. Able doesn't know the severity of his condition yet. It doesn't look good."
My heart pounds viciously in my chest. "I'm coming with you."
Germo's brows furrow. "Are you sure you want to do that boss? He might be…"
"I'm sure," I respond too quickly, cutting him off. "I'm not staying behind when the man I love is barely holding onto his life."
The room is quiet and neither Germo nor Isaiah appear shocked by my revelation. "Let's go then. We are only wasting time standing here."
I follow Isaiah to his car after grabbing a few blankets to lay in the back. Germo grabs the first aid kit and any medical supplies he can find.
Miguel is lying in the same place he was found when we finally arrive at the scene of the accident. Only nothing about this was accidental. Someone wants him dead.
I swallow hard, laying a blanket on the ground and we carefully lift his battered body onto it and carry him to the car. His face is bruised, bleeding, and one side is covered in burns. I don't touch him much, afraid I'll break him or add to the damage.
It doesn't matter if he had tried to leave. I will do everything in my power to make sure he lives and if he does, I won't ever allow him to walk away again. "You promised me," I say in hushed tones, staring down at his limp body. "You can't protect me if you're dead."
The doctor's car is already pulling into the gate when we get back to the house. He rushes toward us, telling us to keepMiguel's head and neck supported in case he suffered from a spinal or head injury.
