Through the flames *MMG REVISION-COMPLETED✔️*

Chapter Twenty-Five: I'm Bat-Girl

An hour later, I was snuggled in a mountain of blankets and pillows, watching Peaky Blinders on Netflix.

Someone suddenly knocked on the door and I paused the episode. "It's open!" I yelled.

Jonas popped his head inside, giving me his usual "I could care less about the world. I'm just here to chill" look.

"Your curly-haired dude friend is at the door. He says it's important." Jonas said.

I frowned as I followed him out the door and to the living room, where CJ was standing.

"CJ, what's wrong?" I asked, hugging my arms and coming closer as Jonas remained by the hallway, chewing on the straw of his juice box.

CJ gave me an apologetic smile. "Your mom called my house. She said she needed to speak with you. She said it was important."

My eyes fell to the phone in his hand, which was extended towards me, and I froze.

"Well...I suddenly remembered I have to... oh no my bed is drowning." Jonas chirped cheerfully before leaving.

I hesitated, then took the phone from CJ's hand. "Stay close." I mouthed, before pressing the phone to my ear.

"...Hanna?"

My breath caught, and my other hand unconsciously rose to my cheek, where she had slapped me just days ago.

"Hanna? Are you there?"

"Y-yeah. I'm here." I breathed out.

Silence rang through us as CJ watched me closely from the small kitchenette.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I will be," I said, trying to keep my voice as emotionless as possible.

Our conversation was filled with long pauses, each of us waiting for the other to speak.

"Are you safe?" Now her voice began to sound nervous, a little uncomfortable.

I looked around the room and thought of the past few days. "Yes."

"Listen Hanna...I was thinking about what you said...that day."

My breath caught. Did she finally believe me? Did she finally believe that her daughter was kidnapped?

"I want you to come home, Hanna. So we can talk it over. Like we should have from the start."

My hand tightened to a fist by my side. No...anything but that. I couldn't go home. Not now.
If I went home, it would put both me and my mother in danger. I searched for the words to tell her, to explain everything in just a few short breaths.
Could I trust her? Would she believe when I told her that her husband was after me?

Taking a breath, I readied my response. "Can you tell me something about dad?" I blurted. Surprised silence rang through the phone as she digested my words.
She sighed, and I could hear her readjusting the phone. Was she at work?

"What do you want to know?"

"Anything."

"I'd rather not talk about him right now, Hanna."

"Mom please." I sat down on the sofa and mindlessly hugged a pillow to my stomach. "I need - I deserve to know."

She was silent for a long time, so long that I was afraid that she wouldn't answer.

Just as I was about to hang up, she spoke.

"Your father..." she took a breath. "Your father made very bad decisions. He was a bad man. He...he did things that should have gotten him locked away for good. When I met him, I only saw the danger as something exciting. But when I got pregnant with you..." My mom sighed. "By then he had climbed the ranks of his...group and became the leader. The dom." I sucked in a breath. It was true then, my dad really was in the mafia. "He started saying all this crazy stuff about a male heir and continuing the bloodline. It scared me and having a baby on the way opened up my eyes." My mom suddenly sniffled and my eyes widened. "The night I ran away, we got into an argument and I swore never to have another child with him again. Once you were born, I would - I would get surgery to become sterile. He got mad, Hanna. Really mad. He said that having a second child with another woman would be blasphemy to his pride or something like that. He said you would be his only way to have a male heir to continue his bloodline."