If You Get Out Alive
1266 Words
ARABELLA
Maximillian brings a phone out of his pocket and gives it to me.
I dust my knees getting up.
"Stay on your knees," his voice is higher than usual.
Sicko.
I get back down.
The phone shakes in my hand.
I try to type, to remember Liam's number, but for some reason my brain refuses to function.
What do I even say?
Hey, I've been kidnapped by a psychopath who wants my father dead.
Hey, why weren't you there?
Is my father giving you a hard time?
None of it feels right.
I've been staring at the screen for over three minutes.
He goes back to the chair.
"Five minutes."
The phone slips from my hand. He shakes his head as I scramble to pick it up.
I take a deep breath and dial.
It rings once. Twice. Three times.
Voicemail.
No response. Try again.
Voicemail.
My chest tightens with fear.
Have my parents really done something to him?
"Time up," he says after observing me for one long minute.
"I didn't get through."
He scoffs. "And you think I care."
He takes the phone from my hand. His fingers brush mine and I flinch.
He smiles. The smile only makes my fear worse.
"He's not answering?" he asks. "How unfortunate."
"Did you do something to him?"
"If I'd done something to him, Ara, you wouldn't be wondering. You would know."
I sigh. Of course he is right.
"You should go shower. It seems you haven't."
My mouth falls open.
I have never been spoken to like this in my life.
Who does he think he is?
I get to my feet. "How dare you…"
He places his hand on my shoulder. I can feel the force.
"Why? You are not used to hearing the truth?"
"You will pay for everything you have done, I promise you."
"That depends on if you get out alive."
All the air in my lungs vanishes.
I am panting.
He doesn't say anything else. He just walks out.
I sit on the chair, trying to inhale as much air as I can while convincing myself—he is just trying to scare me. He won't kill me.
He can't.
I repeat it over and over but I am unable to calm down. A small voice at the back of my head tells me:
He is a psychopath.
Psychopaths can do anything.
I go to the shower when I calm down a bit.
He is lying. I have never had an odor in my life.
Even as the water goes down my skin, I can't get his words out of my head:
"That depends on if you get out alive."
---
...........................................................................
MAXIMILLIAN
Maximillian sees Sofia on his way upstairs.
"It's late," he says.
"Jason called. He will be arriving in the morning and he wants to meet you by seven."
Maximillian has always been wary of this cousin of his.
For some reason, he can't get himself to trust him.
After all, he is the son of his mother's only sister—the one who disowned her when she married his father.
Maximillian sighs.
"What does he want?"
"A batch shipment to Spain."
"We don't run shipments to Spain. You should tell him off."
"I know," Sofia replies, biting her lip. "He insists that the pay is impressive, and he would discuss the other details with you when you meet."
Spain is complicated for Maximillian.
Spain is where his mother's family still lives.
And he just wants to avoid that zone completely.
"What is he up to?"
She shrugs. "I don't know. You should talk to him first and decide."
He nods. "What else?"
Sofia's eyes drop to the tablet. "Arabella, she…"
He lifts his eyebrows. "Why? Do you pity her?"
"No." She shakes her head. "Not at all. I am just thinking about you. What if you are unable to use her to your advantage, and Victor decides to use her against you?"
"I know what to do. Just watch her."
She nods. "Yes."
"She is not a hard nut. Victor will come crawling when he sees what his precious daughter has become."
She nods again. "I understand."
"Goodnight."
He walks up the stairs.
Sofia stands there watching him leave.
She hopes he is able to break away from his resentment and enjoy life again, just like when they met seventeen years ago.
---
...........................................................................
LIAM
Liam stands on the sidewalk outside the Garcia estate, replaying Victor's words in his head: "You are useless."
He wants to punch something. Anything. He wants to feel his knuckles split open because at least that would be some sort of punishment for not getting to Arabella on time.
When he gets home, he plugs his phone into the charger, then goes to the shower.
He tries to wash away the frustration he feels.
He wasn't there for the girl he loves when she needed him. Now he doesn't have the slightest clue where she might be.
Is she fine?
For the first time in a long time, he feels useless. He hates the fact that Victor Garcia could see through him.
He gets out of the shower, climbs onto his couch, takes his phone, and begins to go through the messages.
"I'm leaving. I'm walking toward the ivory gate. Please, come get me."
"I'm coming. Stay there. I'm eight minutes away."
Eight minutes.
He was eight minutes away and he couldn't even make it.
His truck chose that exact moment to break down. After months of running fine. After hundreds of drives. It died when she needed him most.
He should have been faster.
He should have run harder.
Twenty-three missed calls. All from her. All from last night, before her phone died too.
More texts.
"I'm at the ivory gate. Where are you?"
"Liam?"
Another one.
"I'm scared. Please come."
His throat closes.
"Please… it's been twenty minutes. Where are you?"
Then nothing.
He thinks about the box. Found in the mud near the gate. She wouldn't have dropped it unless something—
He dials the number of the only person he can think of.
His cousin, David. David works at a garage across town but knows people. Knows the streets. Knows how to find certain things and people when he needs to.
David picks up on the fourth ring.
"Liam, it's almost midnight."
"I need your help."
"Bro, you good?"
"No. Arabella's gone."
No one speaks for a second.
"Gone like… gone where?"
"Someone took her. Last night. By the ivory gate. Someone driving an Audi RS7. It's obvious from the tire prints. I need to know who drives an Audi RS7 in that neighborhood. If they were there last night."
David brings his voice down. "Bro, that's near the Garcia estate. Do you know how many Audi RS7s roll through there? Half the city's rich people live on that hill."
"I know. Just… ask around. Please."
Another silence. David's voice changes. "You really love this girl, huh?"
Liam closes his eyes. Sees her face. Hears her voice in his head, her laughter.
"Of course, bro."
"Alright. I'll see what I can find. But Liam—if this is connected to her father's business… it might be too dangerous to find her."
"I don't care about that right now. I will appreciate any information you can get."
"Okay, okay, I got you, bro."
He hangs up.
For the whole night, Liam is unable to sleep.
Although he hadn't slept the previous night either.
Whenever he closes his eyes, he sees her screaming and asking him to come get her.
- Writer
