CHAPTER 8 : CAUGHT
1378 Words
The car engine outside got louder.
“Get up, Liam,” I whispered, shaking him. “Baby, we have to go.”
Liam rubbed his eyes. “Mommy? Are we playing hide and seek?”
“Sort of,” Damian said. He already had the duffel bag and Liam’s medicine. “Put your shoes on, kid. Fast.”
The headlights swept across the cabin windows.
“Back door,” Damian said. “Now.”
We ran. Into the dark. The lake was behind us, trees in front.
My heart was pounding so loud I thought they could hear it.
“Freeze! Police!” a voice shouted from the front.
Damian grabbed my hand. “This way.”
We made it to the tree line. Branches scratched my arms. Liam was crying quietly.
“Sir! Stop or we will fire!”
Damian stopped. He turned around.
“Ava, take Liam and keep going,” he said quietly.
“No,” I said. “I’m not leaving you.”
“You have to,” Damian said. “For him.” He nodded at Liam.
Sirens. More lights.
Three officers came through the trees. Guns drawn.
“Damian Blackwood,” one said. “You are under arrest for violation of eviction notice and contempt of court.”
Damian raised his hands. “I’m not resisting.”
“Damian!” I cried.
He looked at me. “Run, Ava. Please.”
But I couldn’t. My feet were stuck.
An officer grabbed Damian’s arms and put cuffs on him.
“Let go of me,” Damian said, but he wasn’t fighting. He was looking at me. “Take care of him.”
They put him in the back of a police car.
I stood there, holding Liam, watching the car drive away with the man I... loved.
The word hit me like a punch. I loved him.
“Ma’am,” another officer said. “We need you to come with us too. There are questions about custody.”
I clutched Liam tighter. “Am I under arrest?”
“No,” the officer said. “But we need to take a statement. About the boy.”
I had no choice.
At the station, it was cold and bright.
They separated me and Liam.
“Where’s my daddy?” Liam asked, crying. “Where’s Damian?”
“A safe place, baby,” I lied, holding him. “Just for a little while.”
A woman in a suit came in. “Mrs. Miller. I’m Ms. Clark from Child Services. And this is Mr. Vance’s lawyer.”
Richard.
He wasn’t there. But his shadow was.
“We have concerns,” Ms. Clark said. “Mr. Blackwood has no custody. You have no stable home. No income. And you signed a fraudulent marriage contract.”
“It’s not fraudulent,” I said. “We love each other.”
The lawyer smiled. “Love? The contract says 6 months and $500,000. That’s not love. That’s trafficking.”
My blood went cold. “Don’t you dare—”
“Mrs. Miller,” Ms. Clark cut in. “Until the court date in 4 days, we are placing Liam in temporary foster care.”
“No!” I stood up. “You can’t take him! He’s sick! He needs his medicine!”
“We have the medical records,” the lawyer said. “He will be fine.”
They took Liam.
I screamed. I fought. Two officers had to hold me back.
“Please,” I begged. “Please don’t. He’s all I have.”
Liam was crying. “Mommy! Mommy!”
And then the door closed.
I collapsed.
---
I don’t know how long I sat there.
The door opened. Damian.
No cuffs. Hair messy. Shirt wrinkled. He looked broken.
“Ava,” he said.
I ran to him and hit his chest. “They took him! They took our baby!”
Damian pulled me into his arms. “I know. I know. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“I did this,” I sobbed. “This is my fault.”
“No,” Damian said fiercely. “This is Richard’s fault. This is mine. Not yours.”
He knelt down so we were eye level. “Listen to me. We have 4 days until court. We are going to get him back.”
“How? You have no money. No lawyer. No—”
“I have something better,” Damian said. “I have the truth.”
He stood and pulled me up. “Come on. We’re getting out of here.”
“Out? How?”
“I made a deal,” Damian said. “To get released. Bail.”
“What deal?”
Damian didn’t answer. He just drove.
We didn’t go to a hotel. We went to a cheap motel on the edge of town. Paid cash.
Inside, Damian finally looked at me.
“I signed something,” he said. “To get out. To be with you for the court date.”
“What did you sign?”
“A confession,” Damian said quietly. “That the marriage was fraudulent. That I paid you. That it was all a business deal.”
The room spun. “You... what?”
“If I didn’t sign, they would hold me for 30 days,” Damian said. “And you’d lose Liam for sure. This way, I’m free for 4 days. We can fight.”
“You lied in a legal document,” I whispered. “You could go to jail.”
“I know,” Damian said. “But I’d rather go to jail than lose you. Than lose him.”
He cupped my face. “I’m so sorry, Ava. I got us into this.”
I shook my head. “Don’t. Don’t apologize. We’ll fix it.”
“How?” Damian laughed bitterly. “I have $400 left. No company. No house. And I just admitted to fraud on paper.”
“Then we tell the real truth in court,” I said. “That we fell in love. That you’re the best father Liam could have.”
Damian looked at me like I was crazy. “Judges don’t care about love, Ava.”
“Then make them care,” I said.
We sat in silence.
At 2 AM, Damian’s burner buzzed.
He answered. “Who is this?”
A pause. “I can help you,” a voice said. “But it will cost you.”
“Who are you?” Damian asked.
“Someone who hates Richard Vance more than you do,” the voice said. “Meet me tomorrow. Alone. Downtown diner. 9 AM.”
The call ended.
“Don’t go,” I said immediately. “It could be a trap.”
“It could be our only chance,” Damian said. “To get evidence against Richard. To prove he’s unfit.”
He looked at me. “I have to go, Ava.”
I nodded. Tears falling. “Then I’m coming too.”
“No,” Damian said. “If something happens to me, you need to be safe. For Liam.”
He kissed my forehead. “Sleep. I’ll be back by noon. I promise.”
I didn’t sleep.
9 AM came. 10 AM. 11 AM.
No Damian.
At 12:01, the motel door burst open.
Not Damian.
Two men in suits.
“Mrs. Miller,” one said. “Mr. Vance would like to see you.”
My stomach dropped. “Where’s Damian?”
“He didn’t make it to the meeting,” the man said. “But we have him.”
He held up his phone. A photo.
Damian. Hands tied. Blood on his lip. Sitting in a chair in a warehouse.
The text below said: `Come alone. Or he dies.`
I looked at the men. “Where?”
The man smiled. “The old docks. Warehouse 17.”
He tossed me a key. “One hour. Come alone. Or we send this to the police.”
They left.
I stood there, shaking.
Liam was gone. Damian was gone.
I had $400. A burner phone. And one hour.
I grabbed my bag.
I was going to Warehouse 17.
Alone.
Because I chose him too.
*[END OF CHAPTER 8]*
- Writer
