Defender's Heartbeat 2

Chapter 13

Enzo

I knew Pedro was furious with me, and he had already made it clear that he wouldn't let me go on the trip. So, I had to come up with a plan.

"Hey, what are you thinking so hard about?" Papa asked, his voice cutting through my thoughts. I made sure not to mention the trip, knowing how easily he could read me.

"About Pedro. Last time he was like, 'I'm sorry, Enzo, I didn't mean to hurt you,' and today he slapped me again," I lied, avoiding the real issue.

Papa didn't say anything. Instead, he reached out and gently touched my face with his rough fingers. I knew he was worried about me.

A few hours later, I came up with a plan. I went over to Pedro's house. He was in his office, working as usual.

"Pedro," I said, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

"I'm busy," he dismissed me without looking up.

"Can I go on the trip?" I asked, cautiously.

He gave me a sharp look. "I said I'm busy."

I started to leave, but just as I was stepping away, he called out, "Hey... hey..."

I turned around, a flicker of hope rising inside me.

"If you want to go, you can go with Manuel and two other bodyguards, but in our vehicle," he said firmly.

"But that's embarrassing. The others will laugh at me," I protested.

"Do you want to get kidnapped again?" Pedro snapped, his words pulling me back into the memories of the past. The isolated house, the dead bodies, and the gunfight on the road when some men tried to take me.

"Enzo... Enzo," Pedro's voice snapped me out of the flashback.

I sat down, feeling dizzy from the rush of memories. His question had hit harder than he realized. The trauma from that kidnapping attempt still haunted me.

"I just want to go with the others on the bus. Even my friends do that—Diego, Noah, Elijah, Mia... I mean Pam," I quickly corrected myself.

"Who's Mia?" Pedro asked suddenly, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Pam's friend," I replied quickly.

"No, you can't go like that. And you're such a brat. You don't even listen to anything. You don't care about being safe. So, no," he said firmly.

I went home disappointed, but I had a Plan B. I headed to my room, filled out the trip form, and practiced Pedro's signature for a while. It wasn't perfect, but it would have to do.

I knew I was taking a big risk forging his signature without permission. But the desire to go on this trip with my friends, to do something normal teenagers did, burned inside me. I was willing to take that chance.

I had a whole month to prepare, so I waited a week before taking the next step. On Monday, after coming home from school, I went to Pedro's house. I knew his schedule well, so I made sure to go when he was busy.

"Pedro," I said, stepping into his office. He glanced at me, clearly annoyed.

"I'm busy, Enzo," he said firmly.

Just then, his son Matteo burst into the room, holding a piece of paper. It was a simple drawing, something only a child could proudly present. He rushed over to Pedro and held it up.

"Papa, look!"

Pedro immediately removed his glasses and leaned in, examining the drawing as if it were a masterpiece.

"Wow! That's so beautiful," he said, giving Matteo a kiss on the head. Matteo beamed with pride and ran out of the room, giggling.

I felt a wave of jealousy rise up. "You're not too busy to check his silly drawing, but you're too busy when I want to talk," I said, my voice laced with anger.

Pedro

I was irritated when Enzo referred to my son's drawing as "stupid," but I also felt a pang of sympathy for him. "Okay, what do you want to talk about?" I asked, keeping my tone neutral. He looked at me, clearly surprised by my change in approach.

"They asked for a payment to this number. It's for some construction work at school, I guess," he said, handing me a paper.

I glanced at it briefly, noticing the school logo but not bothering to read it thoroughly. I was busy, and the amount wasn't significant, so I made the payment without much thought.

After I confirmed the payment, I caught a rare smile on Enzo's face—something I hadn't seen in years.

"You look happy?" I remarked, noticing the brief flicker of emotion, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

"No," he replied curtly and left the room.

I couldn't quite grasp why he'd seem happy about paying a school construction fee. But I didn't think much of it—there was always more work waiting for me.

Enzo

Over the next few days at school, I secretly stashed some of my clothes and towels in my bag, hiding them in my locker. I couldn't take everything at once, so I brought a little each day.

"Guys, I need your help," I said to my friends one afternoon.

"Sure, dude," Noah replied.

"What do you need? Money?" Elijah asked, half-joking.

"No, I want to go on the trip this time. I signed the papers and paid the money," I explained.

"So your Papa is letting you go?" Diego asked, and the others started cheering.

I knew I had to tell them the whole story.

"Yo, that's risky. Your brother will beat us if he finds out," Noah warned.

"So how are you planning to go on the trip now?" Diego asked, looking concerned.

"I'll tell Pedro that I'm not going on the trip, but I want to stay at your house. Then, the next day, I'll go to school with you and tell Pedro I'm staying at your place for three days. On the third day, we'll come back from the school trip, and I'll head home," I explained my plan.

"What about your bodyguard?" Noah asked.

"He's on leave," I replied confidently.

"You really think they won't check for three days?" Diego asked, sounding skeptical.

"They'll call me, and I'll just say I'm at your house. They've never questioned it before when I've stayed there," I assured him. Diego's dad was my dad's best friend, so I was always allowed to stay over.

"Let's give it a try," Noah suggested, and the others nodded, their excitement building as they agreed to help.