His Queen (18+)

Chapter XLIX

THE TAKEN

I'm afraid of all I am
My mind feels like a foreign land
Sirens ringing inside my head
Please carry me, carry me, carry me home

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CHAPTER XLIX

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“HELLO,” I GREETED the familiar receptionist standing at the front desk with a small smile on my face to which she returned. “I'm here to pick up Mateo.”

“Um...” she said as the smile slowly slipped down her face. I watched her wordlessly as she began typing something into her computer which hadn't been unusual since I assumed she was just signing him out before she gave him to me. She then looked back up at me, but now with a small, confused smile on her face. “Mateo had already been signed out today,” she said, making the smile fall off my face at her words. “It's says here that he was picked up at one by a Mister Daniel Reyes,” she said, making me purse my lips because it was entirely feasible that Daniel would pick Mateo up. I had put his name down as someone who could do that afterall, but why would he do that without telling me?

It sounded weird but picking Teo up was usually a job left for me to do. He could pick Teo up but he just had never did that because it made more sense for me to do it. Plus, Teo only went to daycare on the days I had him when we were separated so they didn't even know what Daniel looked like at all.

”Could you describe him to me?“ I asked, making her confused smile morph fully into a frown once she read that there probably was a problem with the situation right now. I didn't want to worry her primarily because I didn't want to worry myself. Most likely, Daniel did have Mateo becaude it wasn't unlike him to just randomly go off with our child but at least he would tell me. I knew that for a fact.

This situation was weird and I was only panicking because I didn't tolerate weird situations when it came to the wellbeing of my child. I needed to be sure he was alright.

”He has brown curly hair,“ she said, making me nod to which she slowly became more and more relieved with herself. ”He's tall, tan skin. Brown eyes.“ Her description matched Daniel, but that was the problem. It matched many other men too and it didn't take much for anyone to easily replicate that look. ”Is something wrong?“ she asked me as I began to rummage through my handbag for my phone.

”That's what I'm trying to find out,“ I answered her vaguely before stepping to the side so other parents could speak to her while I quickly dialed Daniel's number. I hadn't taken note of how long it rang but eventually he had picked up the call and not even the sound of his soothing voice could calm me down this time. ”Daniel?“

”Amor?“ he said, sounding concerned immediately. I suppose he could tell that I wad distressed even when I tried to hide it. ”What's wrong?“

”Did you pick up Mateo at daycare today?“ I asked, cutting straight to the point.

”No, why would I pick him up and not tell you?“ he asked, making me almost burst out in tears right there and then but I held myself together and maintained my composure. In my head, I continued to tell myself that Mateo was alright somewhere. I just needed to know where. ”Araceli, talk to me. What's going on? Where's Mateo?“

”I don't know,“ I said in a quiet voice, making him stay silent on the other side of the phone for a second before he spoke again.

”What do you mean you don't know?“