Library

Maghanap

Home / Romance / After The Night In Miami / Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

Lahat ng Kabanata ng After The Night In Miami : Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

50 Kabanata

Chapter 31

Elena’s POV“Mommy, why is the TV yelling your name?”Leo’s tiny voice slices through the fog in my head . I’m curled on the couch, knees to chest, Julian’s arms still locked around me like he’s afraid I’ll disappear if he lets go . The remote is on the floor where I dropped it when the news ticker started crawling .JULIAN HAYES EXPECTING FIRST CHILD WITH FIANCÉE GISELLE ROMANO – EXCLUSIVE ULTRASOUNDI can’t look away from the grainy black-and-white image filling the sixty-five-inch screen . Eight weeks. A little blob with a heartbeat arrow. Except that blob is fake and the heartbeat belongs to a lie Giselle paid someone to photoshop.Julian’s entire body goes rigid behind me. “Turn it off.”His voice is lethal quiet. I’ve never heard it like this .I reach for the remote , but my hand shakes too hard. Leo crawls into my lap , confused, pressing his sticky fingers to the screen like he can make the bad picture go away." Mommy, what is that....?" Leo asks me, and i can't give him an

Chapter 32

Elena’s POV“Give me the phone, Elena, now .”Julian’s voice is right at my ear, calm, too calm , the kind of calm that comes right before someone starts breaking things or breaking people . I can’t move , My fingers are locked around the screen like it’s the only thing keeping me upright .“Elena, baby, look at me.” He cups my face, forces my eyes to his. “Breathe with me, In.... Out.... That’s it. Good girl, Now give me the phone.”I let him take it. He reads the message once, twice, and something inside him dies right in front of me.“Leo,” I choke out. “They have Leo.”Julian’s already moving, dialing so fast his thumb is a blur. “Ramirez, it’s Hayes. Leo’s preschool.... Someone just took my son. I need every unit you have there yesterday.”I hear Ramirez shouting orders on the other end, boots hitting pavement, radios crackling.Julian puts it on speaker and grabs my hand. “Talk to me, Elena... What time did you drop him off?”“Eight fifteen,” I sob. “I kissed him goodbye at e

Chapter 33

Elena’s POV“Get that camera out of my face or I swear to God....”Julian’s warning cuts off the second the first flash explodes in my eyes.I’m still holding Leo’s T-Rex , the red ribbon fluttering against my wrist like a surrender flag that isn’t mine . The playground gate is barely closed behind us and already the vultures are here, twenty, thirty, maybe fifty of them, screaming questions, shoving lenses over the fence .“Elena! Did Julian’s fiancée kidnap your son?”“Is the kidnapping revenge for the fake pregnancy?”“Smile for the camera, single mom!”One of them vaults the low fence, camera raised like a weapon.Julian moves so fast I only see the aftermath .His fist connects with the guy’s jaw . A sickening crack. The photographer flies backward , camera shattering on the concrete.Blood sprays across Julian’s white shirt like war paint .The crowd goes feral.Phones up. More flashes. Someone screams .Julian stands over the guy, chest heaving, knuckles already swelling .“Tou

Chapter 34

Elena’s POV “Julian, slow down, you’re going to kill us before we even get there !”My voice cracks against the windshield as the SUV fishtails around another corner, tires screaming like they feel my panic . Julian doesn’t answer. His knuckles are white on the wheel, blood still dripping from where he split them on that photographer’s face . The speedometer keeps climbing .Ramirez is in the back shouting into his radio. “All units converge on warehouse seven, port district, possible child hostage, repeat, child hostage !”I clutch Leo’s T-Rex so hard the plastic spine digs into my palm .Julian finally speaks, voice flat and terrifying . “They’re playing with us.”I swallow bile. “They want us to suffer.”He glances at me for half a second, eyes black holes. “Then they picked the wrong parents.”We screech into the warehouse lot. Floodlights everywhere. SWAT vans. Officers with rifles raised.Ramirez is out first, weapon drawn. “Clear the building! Go, go, go!”Julian kills the engi

Chapter 35

Elena’s POV“Put the gun down, Julian. You’re scaring the child.”Giselle’s voice is syrupy sweet , the same tone she used when she told the world she was carrying Julian’s baby . She’s perched on the edge of a white velvet sofa like a queen on a throne, legs crossed, champagne flute dangling from manicured fingers . Thorne stands behind her, cigar glowing . Chloe is in the corner, phone up, red live-stream dot blinking .And on the couch between Giselle and Luna…Leo.My baby is curled on his side, cheeks flushed, breathing too slow . His little chest rises and falls like he’s in the deepest sleep of his life .I take one step forward and the world tilts .“Leo,” I choke.Giselle smiles. “He’s fine. Just a tiny dose of something to keep him calm . Children get so fussy when they’re scared, don’t they ?”Julian’s gun doesn’t waver. “Touch him again and I swear to God....”“You’ll what?” Giselle laughs, light and cruel. “Shoot me in front of twenty million viewers?” She tilts her head

Chapter 36

Elena’s POV“Mommy, the room is spinning .”Leo’s tiny, slurred voice cuts through the chaos like a knife . He’s in my arms, head lolling against my shoulder , eyes half open, pupils huge from whatever Giselle gave him. I press my lips to his burning forehead . “I’ve got you, baby . Mommy’s got you .”Giselle is on her knees now, wrists cuffed behind her back, mascara streaking down her cheeks in black rivers . Two SWAT officers have her pinned, but she’s still spitting venom .“You think this is over?” she screams at Julian. “You think cuffs stop me? My father owns half the judges in this state!”Julian doesn’t even look at her . He’s kneeling beside me, one hand on Leo’s back, the other wiping tears from my face with his bloody thumb .“Shh, fox. Breathe. He’s breathing. That’s all that matters right now.”Chloe is sobbing in the corner, phone confiscated, live feed dead. She keeps repeating, “I didn’t know she was going to drug him, I swear, I just thought we were scaring her.”

Chapter 37

Elena’s POV“Mommy, why are you crying in the shower again ?”Leo’s voice is small through the bathroom door, and it rips me in half . I’m sitting on the marble floor, water pounding my back, trying to scrub yesterday off my skin . The steam is thick, but it doesn’t hide the shaking .I wipe my face, force my voice steady. “Just got shampoo in my eyes, baby. Go ask Daddy for more orange juice, okay?”His little footsteps pad away. I stay on the floor until the water runs cold .When I finally come out wrapped in Julian’s robe, Leo is on the kitchen counter, legs swinging, syrup on his chin, telling Julian how T-Rex saved the whole world last night . Julian is flipping dinosaur pancakes, shirtless, hair messy, smiling like nothing happened .But his eyes flick to me the second I walk in, and the smile falters .“Morning, fox,” he says softly .Leo waves a sticky fork. “Daddy made volcano pancakes! Look, Mommy, they have lava!”I walk over, kiss the top of his head. “Best lava ever.

Chapter 38

Elena’s POV“Mommy, why is there a red dot on your shirt ?”Leo’s sleepy question freezes every drop of blood in my body . I’m standing in the kitchen pouring cereal, Julian on the phone in the living room, when Leo points at my chest with a sticky finger .I look down. A tiny red laser dot is dancing right over my heart . I drop the cereal box, milk splashing everywhere , and shove Leo behind me.“Julian!”He’s already running, phone to his ear, eyes wild . “Get down!”I hit the floor, pulling Leo with me, shielding him with my body .The dot disappears .Julian drops beside us, gun drawn, scanning the windows .“Where?”“On my chest,” I whisper, shaking so hard my teeth chatter . “It was right here.”He crawls to the glass, peeks through the curtains . Across the street, Serena’s building . Top floor. One window cracked open.He curses under his breath. “Sniper rifle laser. She’s playing.”Leo starts crying. “Mommy, I spilled the cereal .”I pull him into my lap, rock him on the

Chapter 39

Elena’s POV “Delivery for Elena Alvarez.” The courier’s voice crackles through the intercom, cheerful , like he’s bringing flowers instead of whatever fresh hell this is. I’m on the couch with Leo asleep against my chest, his little hand curled around my necklace, T-Rex tucked under his chin . Julian is in the kitchen making coffee, pretending he’s not watching the door like it might explode ..... He walks over, presses the button . “Leave it with security, we’ll pick it up later . The courier laughs. “Can’t, sir. Signature required. From a Mrs. Serena Alvarez. Says it’s fragile.” My stomach drops straight through the floor . Julian’s eyes meet mine . He hits the button again. “Send it up.” I sit up so fast Leo stirs. “Julian, no.” He’s already moving, gun in his hand, jaw carved from granite. “We’re opening it together.” Victoria walks in from the guest room, robe tied tight, face grim. “I heard. I’m staying.” The elevator dings . A plain brown box, no bigger than a micr

Chapter 40

Elena’s POV“Leo? Baby, time to wake up.”My voice sounds wrong in the quiet room, too loud, too hopeful. I push open the rocket-ship door expecting curls and sleepy dinosaur growls. The bed is empty, Blankets kicked to the foot. T-Rex sitting in the middle of the pillow, red ribbon tied in a perfect bow around his neck like a gift. My heart stops.“LEO!”I’m running, bare feet slapping marble, ripping doors open, closet, bathroom, playroom. Nothing.Julian meets me in the hallway, hair wild, gun already in his hand. “What is it?”“He’s gone,” I choke . “He’s gone, Julian , he’s....”He’s past me in a heartbeat, into Leo’s room, ripping sheets off the bed, checking under it, behind the curtains . I follow, legs shaking so hard I fall. On the mirror above the dresser, written in perfect red lipstick:Tick tock, mija. Bring the patent files to the old Alvarez estate by sunset or he takes his last nap. Kisses, MomI scream his name again, raw and broken. Julian catches me before

PREV

NEXT

I-scan ang code para mabasa sa App

DMCA.com Protection Status