Page 29 of Born into Darkness

She turns her head to where our youngest is sitting on the floor. With another sob, she reaches a hand out to him, pulling him in to join our hug.

“You saw it, too?” she asks him.

“Yeah. Dad tried to hide it from me, but I found it on my own like you did,” he admits. I’m so proud of him when he immediately tries to comfort her by adding, “I found the best orthopedic surgeon in the state, Mom, and as soon as Max is back, we’ll make sure he’s the one who treats him. He’s going to be okay. I know it doesn’t look like it, but he will be.”

“His hands,” she whispers. “They weren’t trying to kill his body. They were trying to kill his soul.”

“And we will ruin them for it,” I tell her. “Max is strong. It’s not going to be easy, but he will get through this, and we’ll be there to help him every step of the way.”

“You know how stubborn he can be, Mom,” Niki adds, trying to make her smile. “Remember all the times he’d sneak out of bed so he could practice some tune on the piano? It used to drive me crazy.”

She gives a ghost of a smile at whichever memory just popped into her head. The one that hits me strongest is when he was five. He’d snuck out of bed, and the soft sound of notes being played had pulled me from sleep. I’d found him in his pajamas, little slippered feet way too short to reach the pedals, and a look of absolute concentration on his cute face. He hadn’t woken up because he had a crazy urge to play “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” or any of the other easier songs you’d expect a kid to want to play. No, our son had been trying his damndest to nail what Simona later informed me was Chopin’sNocturne Opus 9, number 2. I already knew he was gifted, but in that moment I realized just how exceptional of a pianist he was going to be. It’s one of my favorite memories of him.

“Nothing has been done that can’t be fixed,” I remind her.

“Maybe,” she whispers.

I know what she’s thinking, so I quickly cut off her thoughts with a sharp, “No,sladkaya. He is alive, and we can fix his hand.”

“How do you know that?”

I cup her face and force her to meet my eyes, and as much as it kills me to say it, I tell her the truth. “Because if he wasn’t, Lorenzo would’ve already sent me a video of it. This was a threat, and he’s going to give us time to respond. He wants us to give in to his demands. Roman sent him a message, telling him he’d have his answer in less than forty-eight hours. Look at me, baby,” I say when she starts to close her eyes as more tears fall. When they open, I stare into my wife’s beautiful blue eyes and make a promise that I will give my life to keep. “In forty-eight hours, the Amaya Cartel won’t exist and our son will be home.”

She clings to me just like she holds tight to my words, and I don’t allow myself to think about what will happen to her if we aren’t successful. She’ll always be taken care of financially, but I know my wife well enough to know she doesn’t give a fuck about money. Family is everything to her, and losing us will kill her.

“I believe you.” She whispers the words that both soothe my heart and break it. Her unwavering trust in me is everything. I can only hope it isn’t misplaced. “I know you’ll bring him home.”

She pulls Niki in closer and kisses his cheek. We share a look when she gives him a hug, both of us knowing she’s going to fight against what I’m about to tell her.

“Sladkaya,” I start to say, and whatever she hears in my voice has her gripping our son tighter.

Before I can finish my sentence, she says, “You’re taking Niki with you, aren’t you?”

I shouldn’t be surprised that she’s already two steps ahead of me, but I am. I can’t help it. I never underestimate her intelligence, but it still knocks me on my ass sometimes. I scrub a hand over my jaw and say, “Yes. We need him if this is going to work. He’ll stay on the boat, and I’ll keep several men back to watch over him.”

She squeezes Niki tighter and bites back the sob she wants to give. “You don’t have to go,” she tells him. “You know that, right? Your dad and I would never blame you for not wanting to go.”

Niki looks appalled at the idea, but Simona doesn’t see it because she’s still hugging him like she’ll never be able to let go.

“Mom, I’m going. Max would do the same for me. I’m not leaving him there with those men, not when I can help get him out.”

She lets out a tired sigh and pulls back so she can cup his cheek. “I knew you’d say that, but I had to try.”

“I’ll be okay, Mom,” he tries to tell her, but we both know she’ll be worried sick until the plane lands and she sees all three of us with her own eyes.

She finally lets him go, but it’s just so she can clasp both our hands tightly in hers. She looks between us, and my heart breaks at seeing the pain she’s in. She’s terrified, but she’s being so fucking brave and strong for us. I’ve never been more proud of her than in this moment. She thinks I’m the brave one, but she’s the real strength in this family, the one who keeps us all held together.

“You two will be fine,” she says, forcing a certainty into her words and willing us all to believe it. “You’ll be safe, and you’re going to bring Max back home where he belongs. This family doesn’t work unless we’re all together, and that means you both better get your asses home safe to me along with Max’s.”

“We will, Mom,” Niki promises her while I meet her eyes and nod.

She kisses his head once more and says, “You need to at least try and sleep. I can’t let you go with them if you’re too tired to do all your brilliant computer magic.”

He gives a small smile at her words. Niki and I have never been able to understand the musical genius side of our family, just like they can’t understand the tech side of things. Both our sons are talented, just in very different ways.

He promises her that he’ll try and sleep and then gives us both a hug before leaving to go back to his room. I watch him leave, wishing he could stay here tomorrow but knowing it’s impossible.

“I promise I won’t let anything happen to him,” I tell Simona and then pick her up and carry her to bed.

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