Defending Raven (Mountain Mercenaries #7)(35)
She’d already hated del Rio with everything in her, but at that moment, knowing what he was attempting to do to her son, she vowed to see him dead.
She pulled back and took David’s little head in her hands once more. She gazed into his blue eyes and said, “The world is sometimes scary and confusing. But no matter what happens from this day forward, know that your mamá loves you. If you get lost, I’ll find you. If someone hurts you, I’ll be there to make you feel better. If you have to do something you don’t want to, I’ll still love you. All you have to do is hang on until tomorrow. One day at a time, okay, baby?”
“Okay, Mamá. What about Papá? Will he love me too?”
Two days ago, Mags wouldn’t have known how to answer his question. Today, she could answer it with confidence. “Yes, mijo, Papá loves you very much and will do whatever he can to keep you safe. You can trust him with your life, he will never hurt you. Ever.”
David nodded.
A door opened behind them, and a woman said indifferently, “It’s time for the boy to eat.”
Mealtimes were usually torture for Mags. In the past, she’d been so hungry that her stomach had physically hurt when she looked at the food on the table that she wasn’t allowed to touch. But since Dave had found her, he’d made sure she had plenty to eat. And the protein bars he’d given her that morning meant she wasn’t even hungry now.
Not that she could’ve forced anything past her lips anyway . . . not after hearing what del Rio was grooming her son to do.
Grateful for the fact that she’d be able to sit through lunch without David having to listen to her stomach growl, she stood up and held her son’s hand as they walked back into the house. It was a prison for them both, but for now, she was glad he didn’t realize it.
Leaving her son was harder than normal that afternoon. Usually Mags could rationalize within herself that she’d see him again in a few days, but after learning del Rio had been visiting the house and taking pictures of her son, and trying to fill his head with garbage, she was all the more reluctant to leave.
But of course she had no choice. Right at five, one of del Rio’s men told her it was time to leave. She held her son a little longer than usual and reminded him that he was smart and how much she loved him. She was escorted to the door, and the sound of the locks clicking into place behind her made her cringe. She wanted to turn around, bang on the door, and demand they let her son go. Pick him up and run away as fast as she could. But of course she couldn’t do that.
Wrapping her arms around herself, Mags turned and walked down the sidewalk toward where she’d left Dave that morning. He’d said he’d be waiting for her, and for the first time in forever, she needed someone to hold her. To tell her everything would be okay. To share the burden of the suckage that was her life. Usually she remained stoic about the way things were and the difficulties she endured, but with the arrival of Dave, and the hope he’d sparked within her, she was no longer content going along with the status quo. Nor could she afford to be, considering del Rio’s plans for her son.
She felt as if there was a black cloud surrounding her, and the longer she tried to ignore it, the more it would consume her. Something bad was coming. Was already here. She could feel it in her bones. Which made it harder than ever to leave David.
Turning a corner, Mags gasped in surprise and fright when she bounced off someone. She would’ve fallen to the ground, but whoever she’d run into grabbed ahold of her arms. She struggled for a split second before it registered that it was Dave who held her.
The moment she realized who it was, she relaxed, and he put his arm around her waist, plastering her against his side as they walked. He didn’t say anything, simply steered her toward a minivan idling nearby. She climbed in and recognized Ball, who was behind the wheel.
As soon as the door was shut, the car started moving.
“You okay?” Ball asked.
“Not really,” she said, doing her best to get control over her emotions and the need to be held by her husband. She jerked as she realized Dave was pulling a seat belt across her lap and fastening it. It had been so long since she’d ridden in a vehicle, she hadn’t even thought about buckling up.
He then pulled out another protein bar and handed it to her before he snapped his own seat belt into place.
“Right, how could you be all right?” Dave said angrily. “That asshole has locked up your son and only allows you to see him three days a week. And the fact that he kidnaps children from the barrios to sell them doesn’t bode well for David.”
She looked from Dave to Ball nervously, not sure she wanted to talk about what she perceived to be her greatest weaknesses—namely, that she had no idea how to save her son from a fate worse than death—in front of the other man.
“That asshole isn’t going to put one finger on your son,” Ball said tersely from the front seat. His words put her at ease. He was obviously angry, but not at her. At the situation. Mad that she and her son were being separated, and he was being held hostage by del Rio.
Anger on David’s behalf, she could deal with.
She looked up at Dave worriedly. “David said some stuff today that terrified me.”
Dave put a hand over hers in her lap. “All right. We’ll talk about it when we get to the motel.”
“Oh! And I got the tissue like you wanted,” Mags told him, starting to reach into her pocket with her free hand.