Chapter 12

12

GWEN

I drag my feet behind me as I walk from the bus stop to Mia and Gio's after-school program. The only thing on my mind is the countdown to my next shift. I have three hours to get them home, shower, change, and get to work. Maybe Nana is right. I don't have enough time. I am working myself into an early grave, but if I don't work, no one will, and then all of our lives will be on the line.

The sound of children laughing makes me smile, erasing the tired expression that Gio will surely see the minute he looks at me. I approach their teacher, a smiley young woman with honey-blonde hair, thick black frames, and an unlimited collection of rainbow dresses.

"Hey, Mrs. Taylors, I'm here for Mia," I say, smiling as I look around for her blonde curls.

Mrs. Taylors looks at me with a confused expression. "Ms. Sharp, didn't you send your friend to pick Mia up?"

My heart skips a beat, a cold wave of panic washing over me. "No, I didn't send anyone," I reply, my voice trembling slightly. "What friend? Who picked her up?"

Mrs. Taylors' face pales. "A man came by about an hour ago. Last night, he was added to the system to be on the approved pick-up list."

I look at her with wild eyes. "What?"

"Yes, he is under the friend category and uploaded everything needed to be an official pick-up."

"I'm sorry, can I?" I ask, reaching out for her tablet, dread settling in the pit of my stomach.

"He said his name was Mason," she answers, her eyes wide with concern. The name sends a shiver down my spine. Mason, the leader of the mob my father owes money to. The man who wants me to be his. He wasn't supposed to know I have a child. He wasn't supposed to know where we moved to.

I stare at the photo and ID that were uploaded into the pick-up system. His straight, thick, black hair is pulled into a man bun with two thick braids in the front. His black eyes, which look like the pits of hell, glitter, and his lips are curved into a knowing, lazy smirk that makes my body feel like ice.

I try to steady my breathing, my mind racing. "Yes, of course, I remember. It's just mom brain," I manage to say, my voice barely above a whisper. "Sorry for the panic."

Mrs. Taylors nods, a wave of relief washing over her features as she digs in her pocket. "He told me to give you this if you forgot he was doing pick up. He said that as your new boyfriend, he wanted to take some things off your plate, and I thought that was the sweetest thing in the world."

I give her a tight smile. "I know, he's the best." She hands me a neatly folded note, and I unravel it so quickly I almost give myself a paper cut:

"Meet you at home, Pretty Girl."

I rush to the opposite building where Gio has his gifted classes, my mind racing a mile a minute. Mason wouldn't hurt a child. He's trying to scare me, but I bet he doesn't know I have two children because Gio is in a gifted part of the school with a completely different system.

I sprint towards Gio's classroom, my thoughts a blur of fear and anger. Mason has Mia. I have to get her back, but first, Gio. I have to make sure Gio is safe.

As I reach Gio's classroom, I see him sitting at a table, hunched over a book. He looks up and beams when he sees me, but his smile fades when he notices the panic in my eyes.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" he asks, his voice small and worried.

His teacher, Mr. Henderson, a man with pale skin and dark brown eyes, approaches me with a worried look. "Ms. Sharp, is everything okay?"

"Yes, yes," I frantically nod, walking towards Gio's backpack and putting away any materials I find that are his. I pause, my mind racing ahead of me, and I look at him cautiously. "Um…by any chance, did a man named Mason come here and try to pick up Gio?"

Mr. Henderson tilts his head to the side, furrowing his brows. "No, not today, at least."

"Okay, good," I nod. I was right. He doesn't know about Gio, only Mia. "Can you put him on the do-not-pick-up list? "

"Certainly," Mr. Henderson agrees, following me to Gio's cubby. I grab his jacket and smile at Gio, handing it to him. "Are you sure everything is okay?"

I put on my most convincing smile as I reach my hand out to Gio. "Come on, Gio," I say, trying to keep my voice steady. "We have to go. Now."

He grabs my hand, and I quickly lead him out of the building. "Mommy?" he questions, almost falling over his feet as he runs to keep up with me.

I bend down and hoist him onto my hip as I rip my phone out of my pocket.

"Gio, Mommy needs you to listen very carefully." I open the Uber app and put Kelsey's, my best friend since birth, as the first stop and then my address as the second.

"We are going to get in this Uber, and you are going to Auntie Kelsey's and stay with her tonight, okay?"

"Mommy, everything is not okay."

"Mommy will never lie to you," I say carefully. "But I will make sure everything is okay. Trust and believe that I will always protect you and your sister. Okay?"

He nods. "I trust you, Mommy."

The Uber pulls up to us, and I slide both of us inside. "Twenty extra dollars if you step on it."

The driver nods, and I don't even look at him as I call Kelsey. Her voice rings joyfully through the phone, "Hey, girly pop!"

"I need you to take Gio for the night and maybe even longer," I say in one breath. I look out the window as the car speeds down the highway .

Her voice gets serious as she speaks, "Gwen, what's wrong?"

I whisper harshly into the phone, hoping Gio isn't listening too closely, "Mason has Mia."

"Shit. Do you know where?" she questions, and a ball of salt builds in the back of my throat.

"No, I don't," I say. "We'll be there in two minutes. Be downstairs."

I hang up, trying to keep myself from crying or vomiting. Gio reaches over to my lap and places his small hand in mine. I look at his big, bright blue eyes, and the image of Mia flashes into my mind. I keep telling myself Mason won't hurt a child, but the more I say it, the less I believe it. What if I never see her again? My chest tightens, and for a second, I think of Nik. A wave of nausea makes my skin tingle. What if he never meets his daughter? He'll never forgive me.

The car pulls up to Kelsey's apartment complex on the outskirts of DC, where she moved after I moved to be closer to me and not make me go back to Mason's territory for no other reason than payment. I look over at Gio. "Be good."

He nods, and Kelsey opens up the door with a fake smile on her face.

"Hey, buddy," she exclaims, but worry infects her eyes when they meet mine, and I look away.

"Keep Gio safe," I whisper, looking straight ahead.

"With my life," she nods, closing the car door.

I look at the driver in the rearview mirror, my eyes like steel. "Drive. "

As the car accelerates, my thoughts spiral into a whirlwind of panic and fear now that I know Gio will be safe. Mason has Mia. How did this happen? What does he want with her?

I close my eyes, trying to steady myself but seeing only Nik's face. What if when I tell him about our daughter, I have to tell him that our little girl is gone? I swallow hard, forcing back the tears.

The car weaves through traffic, the city lights blurring into streaks of color as we speed toward my house. I rip out my wallet, throwing the twenty-dollar bill onto the passenger seat.

"Thank you."

I don't even wait for the car to completely stop as I rip open the door and rush up the steps to our house. I hear cartoons the minute I open the door, and a wave of relief washes over me until I round the corner.

Mason is hunched over on the floor with Mia, a Barbie doll in one hand, and a gun poking out of his waistband. He still has the same long black hair braided into a man bun, just like how he would wear it in high school, making his chocolate brown hair look black. Intricate black tattoos run up his arms, and a raven's wing peaks out from underneath his black shirt on his neck.

Mia sees me first and runs up to me with a wide grin, singing, "Mommy, look what Uncle Mason got me!"

Mason's black eyes turn to me with a wide smile, and he shakes his Barbie in his hand. His slick Irish accent drenches me in a cold sweat.

"Welcome home, pretty girl. Long time no see."