Page 99 of Wanted
“You love her caveman son more than anyone in this world ever could,” I told her.
“I think it goes both ways.” She put aside the empty box of strawberries. Alex was listening in on our conversation. He watched us with curious eyes. “I know it might sound backward to people on the outside, but I can’t live without him in this country. Look at my mom… Aris protects me, and he will do the same for our daughter. I can’t do it on my own. I haven’t learned it any other way.”
“You’re a resilient woman if you managed to stick by my brother back when he was fucking anything that walked,” I told her. “You took all of our BS. The collective family bullied you for years, and you never faltered. I admire you, and I feel ashamed for us. You don’t give yourself enough credit.”
When we finally arrived at the palace, it was half an hour later than expected. Alex reassured me that he had messaged his dad about being late. The security guards didn’t do a thorough search on our vehicle because the car ahead of us, my very own harem of bodyguards, had threatened them with guns.
Fylox pulled into my street, and he drove to the end of it where Aris and Valentina resided without my brother these days. Valentina stepped out of the car, carrying her Fraises Au Chocolat boxes. I joined her to see her get in the house safely.
At first, she appeared curious.
Then she dropped her tiny bag and the boxes of strawberries. I started to worry. Her eyes were wide, and her lower lip trembled.
“What is it?” I inquired, taken aback by her sunken posture.
“Where is Aris’ car?” she asked, stuttering.
I replied, “What do you mean? It’s probably in the garage…”
Frantically, she shook her head. She stomped towards their garage. Once she arrived, she stood on her tiptoes to peek inside. “Aris doesn’t park the car in the garage when he has to step out early. He knows that the sound wakes me up.”
I turned, searching for Alex’s comforting gaze.
“Where is Aris?”
ACT THREE
KAMILA
I observed as Valentina crumbled in front of everyone in the middle of my house. Her father stood opposite her. Travis explained, “He’s been taken to the Queen I hospital.”
“What happened to him?” I inquired. All I could think about was my little niece. “Everything was fine when he left the restaurant.”
“There’ll be a toxicology report soon. The scene of the accident is on lockdown, and it will be for a couple of days. The Prince of Katantia has been attacked, and the palace won’t let it slide,” Travis claimed. He ran a hand through his hair. The wrinkles on his face were more prominent today than ever. I attributed it to his pregnant daughter and her helpless situation. If she hadn’t stayed with us, she’d have been in the car accident with my brother. “Another car crashed into his, but there are also reports that Aris was speeding too much. The man in the other car was nowhere to be found. Obviously, the car’s totaled.”
Valentina blurted out, “I don’t care about the car! What about him? When will he be with me again?”
“I’m sorry to tell you this, but he’s out of commission,” I told her as calmly as possible. Fylox and Jordan sat together in front of their secret laptops on the other end of the room. They whispered things among each other. Their solemn faces made me nervous. There were guns on my coffee table, but I tried to ignore them. I shuddered, just stealing a glance at them. “He won’t be with you for some time.”
As a collective, we decided to keep Aris’ critical condition from her. He had broken bones; we didn’t yet know how many. The glass hadn’t cut him much, but he had suffered two-degree burns. There was one third-degree as well that the surgeons were attempting to fix. Since we didn’t have news from the doctors, Travis suspected that the impact was too heavy for Aris not to have some sort of brain injury. He would most likely end up in a coma, but we couldn’t say for sure.
Mandy resurfaced at the doorframe. She was in the kitchen with Weston, keeping him busy. My brother had retreated into his head, distant and cold. She said, “We’re finished. The food’s in the oven. Weston would like some time alone now. Would it be okay if we left?”
“Of course,” I responded. “Are you sure you don’t want to eat with us?”
Mandy swallowed. “I don’t think he’s in the mood to eat. He’s still in shock.”
I nodded.
“Valentina, do you want to stay here?” I asked.
“I want you to take me to the hospital,” my sister-in-law demanded. Her eyes were empty. She constantly moved, her arm wrapped around her belly. “This is useless. I need to be by his side. He needs to feel us there. It’ll make him heal faster.”
“No, it won’t,” Fylox replied matter-of-factly.
“SHUT UP!” Valentina hissed. “Please, take me to the hospital?”
Mandy approached her friend, whispering something to her that nobody could hear. Valentina lowered her head. She started shaking.
