Fallen Dreams

Ex-Con

Leo:

Aiden, Rico and I banged on the door of Aidens moms house. The air was brisk and cold, but the heat from our racing hearts kept us warm.

The door opened to a middle-aged woman in a bathrobe. "Aiden? What are you doing here? It's 2 o'clock in the morning." She whined.

"Mom, this is serious. We need your help." Aiden said convincingly.

The woman sighed. "Alright. Come on in, then." She said, ushering us inside.

We sat down on the couch and explained the story. Aidens mom was previously a cop, but needed to leave her occupation due to health issues. She drank. A lot.

When we were done explaining the story, she looked at me with an unwavering face. "Do you think she's in any danger whatsoever?" She asked.

The question caught me in surprise as I stumbled out an "Absolutely not." Her face hardened.

"And you said one of them was tall and lengthy, with a southern drawl?" She asked, forming a plan in her brain.

"Yes, ma'am." I said softly.

All was quiet for a minute until she said, " I know who took her."

I gasped. "Who?" I asked, my heart pounding.

"He... he was an ex-con who came through while I was still at the office. His name was Marcus Leblanc. After I quit my job, he... he had promised me that if I dated him, he would stop committing crime. He was quite handsome, and I was quite vulnerable, so of course, I said yes. Months later, he had broken up with me, saying that 'he couldn't love me like I loved him.' I never saw him after that. And I'm glad I didn't. I actually still have his number somewhere on my phone. We... we can call him and I can an trace the call. I have tracing equipment downstairs, if one of you boys don't mind getting it." She said, scowling.

"Thank you, Ms. Peterson." I said.

"No problem, Leo." She replied softly.

We rushed downstairs and grabbed the equipment. She dialed the number on her phone and waited for us to sit down and hook the equipment up. When we finally did, she hesitantly pressed the 'call' button.

It rang for a few seconds before she said, "Hello, Marcus."

She had set it on speakerphone. "Matilda?" The country drawl asked.

"How are you, Marcus? Still breaking hearts, I suppose?" She asked, smirking.

"Matilda, baby, I've missed you. I made a mistake breaking up with you, and I realize that." He said. Ms. Peterson looked at us and we whispered, "Keep going. No trace, yet."

"I know you miss me, Marcus. Maybe you shoulda thought of that before you broke my heart." She snapped.

"Baby, don't be mad, please. Look, honey, I've gotta go. I'm real busy and I can't talk right now, okay?" He said, obviously wanting to hang up.

"What're you doing that's so important at 2 in the morning?" She inquired.

"I'm just caught up in work, baby. When will I be able to see you?" He asked.

She looked at us right as the tracing light came on. We gave her a big thumbs up as she said, "I'm afraid that's not possible, darlin'." She said, and hung up before he could say anything. She walked over and looked at the light.

"Where's the bastard at, kiddo's?" She asked, and I instantly remember when Ziggy would call me kiddo.

"He... he's in Sacramento. That's 2 days away from here." Rico said.

We thanked Ms. Peterson before rushing into my car and pulling away.  I floored the gas pedal and we jolted forward. My friends drifted off to sleep, but I didn't een feel drowsy. In fact, my nerves were more alive than ever. I was more determined to find Ziggy than anything else. So much anger boiled through my veins, I could feel my pulse through my ears. I've never cared about anyone as much as I care about her.

Ziggy:

Two hours later, the southern man came back downstairs.

"You okay, darlin'?" He asked quietly, reaching out to me. I winced as he flicked my hair from my eyes. I glared at him and spat on his cheek.

He looked surprised, then angry as he slowly wiped it away. "You're gonna regret that, honey." He growled, and he lifted me up by my hair. I screamed in pain, and he dropped me, the chair tipping to the side. My head slammed down on the floor, stinging tears forming in my eyes.

"Stay fucking still, bitch." He snarled, reaching for something out of sight. Suddenly, I felt a stinging pain across my back. I screamed in agony, my tears streaming down my face. More slices ran across my legs, and I wanted to scream, but nothing came out of my mouth. I sobbed, pain escaping every pore until I couldn't feel anything. He kept slicing, but I felt nothing. Tears no longer escaped my eyes as I grew numb. Blackness overcame my eyes as I fell unconscious, and the breath escaped my lips as I whispered, "Leo..."