Chapter 4

I fell silent for a moment. “Where should I go?”

The call ended at the same time a message came in. An address. Short. No explanation. I read the address over and over again. An old warehouse. The outskirts of the city.

My hands trembled as I entered it into the navigation. I knew this was foolish. I knew it was dangerous. But there was no other choice.

Steven refused.

Everyone refused.

I was alone.

The car pushed through the afternoon traffic. City lights flickered on one by one, but to me everything looked blurred and distant. I kept checking my phone, hoping though I didn’t even know what I was hoping for.

A message came in.

[Don’t bring anyone.]

I replied quickly: [I’m alone.]

A few seconds later:

[Good.]

I turned off my phone and placed it on the passenger seat. My hands returned to the steering wheel, gripping it so tightly it felt like if I let go, I would collapse.

At a red light, I stared at my reflection in the windshield. My face was pale. My eyes were swollen. I barely recognized myself.

“I’m coming, Nick,” I whispered. “Wait for Mommy.”

The light turned green. I drove on.

The warehouse appeared at the end of a deserted road, standing alone like a building forgotten by the world. I parked some distance away, turned off the engine, and sat there motionless for a few seconds.

My heart was racing too fast. I got out of the car, the bag on my shoulder feeling unbearably heavy. Every step toward the warehouse made my legs want to retreat, but I forced myself to keep going.

The metal door was already slightly open. I pushed it slowly.

The smell of dampness and rust hit me immediately. A dim light flickered on the ceiling. I stepped inside, my voice barely audible as I called his name.

“Nick?”

No answer.

Footsteps echoed from deeper inside. My body tensed.

“You’re right on time,” someone said from the shadows.

I swallowed hard. “Where is Nick?”

“Relax,” he replied. “You’ll find out in due time.”

I took a breath, forcing myself to stay upright despite my trembling knees. “I came as you asked.”

“Good,” he said. “That was a wise decision.”

I stepped farther into the warehouse. Behind me, the metal door began to move.

It shut completely, locking out the sounds of the city. The warehouse fell silent again, too silent.

I stood in the middle of the room, alone, waiting. Then someone spoke softly, almost whispering, “Where’s the money?”

The voice was cold, without pressure, and that was exactly what made my chest tighten. I stood frozen beneath the dim hanging light, like a silent witness above me.

“It’s here,” I whispered. My hands shook as I opened the bag. “It’s all here.”

I pulled out the black bag. Inside was cash, eighty five million dollars. The result of selling everything I owned.

One of the men stepped forward, taking the bag from my hands without a word. He opened it and counted quickly, his eyes trained and sharp.

“Not enough.”

My heart pounded violently. “No. That’s everything you asked for,” I lied.

He glanced at his partner. They exchanged a brief look, then a hard slap landed across my cheek.

I staggered, nearly falling.

“Don’t you dare lie to us,” he said coldly.

“I’m not lying!” I screamed, tears pouring out.

“I did everything you told me. I came alone. I brought the money. Now…, now give me my child back.”

I stepped forward, but a hand shoved me violently, my back slamming into the concrete floor.

Pain spread through my body. My vision blurred.

“The deal is off,” one of them said casually.

“What?” My voice was barely audible.

“This money,” he said, lifting the black bag, “is just compensation for the delay.”

I shook my head in panic. “No… no, you can’t do this to me! Even if it’s short, it’s eighty five million! I’ll bring the rest tomorrow! Please, give my son back!”

A kick slammed into my side. The air was knocked out of my lungs. The world spun.

“Listen carefully, Mrs. Meggie,” he said, crouching in front of me.

 “Your child is no longer your concern.”

I stared at him through tears. “Where is Nick? Give my son back! Give him back!” I cried.

He smiled thinly. Cruel.

“Your son has already been prepared.”

One of them pulled out a phone, turned on the screen, and showed it to me.

The photo appeared again. Nick. Closer. Clearer. His small face was pale, his eyes swollen, his lips cracked.

“Mama…”

I could almost hear his voice.

“The auction begins tonight,” the man said as he stood.

“And with or without your money, the item will still change hands.”

I crawled forward, my hands trembling, trying to reach the screen.

“Please, I beg you. He’s my child! You can’t sell my child without his mother’s consent! You can’t auction him!”

The phone was pulled away.

“You should have brought the one hundred seventy million we agreed on.”

They walked away, carrying the bag that held my entire life. The metal door behind them slid open, then slammed shut with a deafening crash.

The warehouse fell silent again.

I lay on the floor, my body aching, my breath breaking under a sob that refused to come out.

My money was gone.

The deal had failed.

And the only reason I was still alive, my beloved Nicholas was being prepared for sale.

I closed my eyes. Tears fell onto the cold floor as one brutal truth struck me without mercy. My consciousness began to fade. Darkness crept into my vision. I lost consciousness.

Nick had become an auction item.

Tonight, my son would be sold, and there was nothing I could do, except lie broken on the floor of this warehouse, battered and helpless.