CHAPTER 10 :BLOOD IS THICKER
1396 Words
“Run,” Damian whispered.
I didn’t need to be told twice.
We bolted. Past the bed. Past his father. Past Richard.
One of the men in suits grabbed for me. Damian slammed his elbow into the man’s throat.
“Go!” he yelled.
We crashed through the motel door and into the parking lot.
Behind us: “Get them!”
Damian grabbed my hand and we ran between cars.
“Damian, that’s your father,” I panted as we ran.
“I know,” he said, jaw tight. “And he just sold me for money.”
We reached the car we’d stolen. Damian yanked the door open.
Tires screeched. The two men were already in a black SUV, pulling out.
“Hold on,” Damian said.
We peeled out of the lot.
In the rearview, I saw Richard standing next to Damian’s dad.
His dad wasn’t chasing us. He was watching.
That hurt Damian more than any punch.
“They’re following,” I said. The SUV was 3 cars behind.
“Then we lose them,” Damian said.
He took a sharp turn. Down an alley. Through a gas station. Onto the highway.
My heart was pounding. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere they won’t look,” Damian said.
He drove for 40 minutes. No talking. Just checking the mirrors.
Finally, he pulled into a small campground in the woods. Old cabins. No people.
We parked behind a closed cabin.
Damian killed the engine. His hands were shaking.
I reached over and took them. “Hey. Look at me.”
He looked at me. His eyes were red. “My dad, Ava. My own blood.”
“I know,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
Damian laughed, but it wasn’t funny. “He left when I was 16. Said he couldn’t do the Blackwood business. Now he’s back... to finish it.”
He punched the steering wheel. “I should’ve seen it. I should’ve—”
“Stop,” I said. “This isn’t your fault. None of this is.”
Damian turned to me. “I’ve lost everything. The company. The money. My name. Now my family.”
He cupped my face. “But I still have you. And Liam. And that’s all that matters.”
He leaned in and kissed me.
Not desperate. Not fake.
Real. Soft. Like he was promising me the world with just his lips.
When he pulled back, he rested his forehead on mine. “I choose you, Ava. In every life. In every version. I choose you.”
I cried. “I choose you too.”
We sat there for a while. Just breathing.
Then my phone buzzed.
The burner.
Unknown number.
I answered. “Hello?”
“Ava,” a small voice said.
My heart stopped. “Liam? Baby?”
“Mommy!” Liam started crying. “I miss you! Where’s Damian?”
“Liam, listen to me,” I said quickly. “Are you okay? Are they hurting you?”
“No,” Liam said. “I’m with a nice lady. But I want to come home.”
Damian’s eyes went wide. He put the phone on speaker.
“Liam, buddy,” Damian said. “It’s me. We’re coming to get you. I promise.”
“Promise?” Liam sniffled.
“Promise,” Damian said. “On everything.”
“Okay,” Liam said. Then a woman’s voice came on.
“This is Ms. Clark from Child Services,” she said. “Mr. Miller, Mr. Blackwood. I’m calling because I’m concerned.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Mr. Vance filed emergency custody with those signed papers,” she said. “The hearing is in 2 days. But... I’ve read the case file. And I’ve talked to Liam.”
She paused. “Liam keeps asking for ‘Damian’. He says Damian tucks him in. Damian makes him pancakes. Damian saved his life.”
My chest ached.
“I can’t ignore that,” Ms. Clark said. “So I’m giving you a chance. There’s a supervised visit tomorrow at 10 AM. At the county center. If you both show up, I’ll recommend joint custody to the judge.”
“Why are you helping us?” Damian asked.
“Because I’ve seen enough kids get lost in the system,” she said. “And because Richard Vance scares me. Don’t be late. And don’t bring trouble.”
The call ended.
We looked at each other.
“A supervised visit,” I said. “With Liam.”
“In 2 days,” Damian said. “And we have to get there without Richard or my dad finding us.”
He started the car. “Then we plan. And we fight.”
---
The next 24 hours were hell.
We didn’t sleep. We drove. We planned.
Damian called in one last favor from an old lawyer friend. A woman named Elena. She agreed to meet us at the center. Pro bono.
“She’s good,” Damian said. “The best. She hates Richard.”
At 9:30 AM, we pulled into the county center parking lot.
It was a normal building. Playroom. Toys.
And Richard was already there. With his lawyer. And Damian’s dad.
My stomach dropped.
Damian got out first. “Stay behind me.”
Inside, Ms. Clark was waiting. “You made it.”
“Where’s Liam?” I asked.
She smiled. “In the playroom. Go.”
I ran in.
Liam was sitting on the floor with blocks.
“MOMMY!”
He jumped up and crashed into me. I picked him up and held him so tight.
“Damian!” Liam yelled.
Damian knelt down and Liam threw his arms around his neck.
“Did you bring pancakes?” Liam asked.
Damian laughed, tears in his eyes. “I’ll make you a hundred pancakes, kid.”
For 30 minutes, it was perfect.
Just us. Playing. Laughing.
Then the door opened.
Richard. And Damian’s dad.
“Time’s up,” Richard said.
Ms. Clark stood. “Mr. Vance, this is a supervised visit. You can’t interrupt.”
“I can when I have legal custody papers,” Richard said, holding them up.
Damian stood in front of me and Liam. “Those papers were signed under duress. And you tried to kill us.”
“Prove it,” Richard sneered.
Damian’s dad stepped forward. “Son. Come home. We can fix this. Together.”
Damian looked at him. Really looked.
“No,” Damian said quietly. “You made your choice 14 years ago when you walked out. And you made it again yesterday.”
He turned to Richard. “And you. You’ll never have him.”
Richard pulled out his phone. “Fine. Then we do this in court. Where I’ll win.”
He turned to leave.
That’s when Elena, the lawyer, walked in.
“Not so fast, Mr. Vance,” she said. “I’ve filed an emergency motion. With evidence.”
She held up a USB. “Financial records. Proof that you embezzled from Blackwood Corp. Proof that you paid men to assault Damian. And an audio recording.”
She hit play.
Richard’s voice: `“Take care of them. Can’t have witnesses.”`
The room went silent.
Richard went pale.
Ms. Clark took the USB. “I’ll be submitting this to the judge. And to the police.”
Richard looked at Damian’s dad. “You said this would work.”
Damian’s dad didn’t answer. He just walked out.
Richard was arrested right there.
Ms. Clark turned to us. “The judge will review this. But for now... you can take Liam home.”
I broke down crying.
Damian hugged me and Liam both. “We did it, kid. We’re going home.”
Outside, it was raining.
Damian stopped. “Ava. I don’t have a home. Or money. Or—”
“I don’t care,” I said. “We have each other. We have Liam. We’ll figure it out.”
Damian smiled. The first real smile I’d seen in days.
“Okay,” he said. “Then let’s go build one.”
We walked to the car. The three of us.
Free.
For now.
Because as we drove away, my phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
`You think this is over? Blood is thicker. And so is revenge.`
*[END OF CHAPTER 10]*
- Writer
