Padre

Chapter Two

Carlos stared pointedly at the warehouse. He had waited so long for this moment. 

"And you're completely certain we've got the right girl this time?" He asked his assistant. Aarav nodded. He knew exactly how much this meant to his boss. He also knew that if he had messed up then he too would end up in a ditch somewhere, just like his predecessor. 

Carlos sighed. Aarav had better have done well. He signaled to Armando who unlocked the door. Armando was 6ft 2 but he looked far taller. Think henchman, add dark hair, a t-shirt that looks precariously close to ripping, and a natural tan. A man of few words, and fewer English, he could intimidate with a glance, but if you got to know him, you quickly realized he nothing more than big ole softy. Carlos had hired him for his look but quietly respected the man. They had been friends since childhood and Carlos knew he could trust Armando with his life. 

All three men seemed to wince as the door creaked open. As Carlos peered inside, he realized that the place was a maze, and therefore took a step back to allow Aarav to take the lead. There were storage and boxes everywhere, and believe me, he did not appreciate having to squeeze past them either. After what seemed to be an eternity of weaving through this never-ending jungle, Aarav stopped in his tracks. An empty chair sat before him, with bits of duct tape strewn across the neighboring floor. 

"Where the fuck is she?!" Carlos growled. His eyes were black with anger. Aarav backed away from him stuttering incomprehensibly. Carlos marched towards him and grabbed him by the neck before pinning him a shelving unit. Aarav could see the face of Death in those eyes. "Do NOT make me repeat myself! Where is she?!" Aarav panicked, desperately looking around him for help.

"I-I don't-t kn-now!" He stammered, yelping as Carlos increased his grip. Carlos paused. He thought he had heard two yelps and one of them sure as hell hadn't been coming from this coward. He dropped Aarav to the floor and drew his gun. A Smith and Wesson which just happened to be a favorite amongst cops. Aarav clutched his throat gasping for air before crawling out of reach.

Carlos weaved his way through the mess, following the whimpering gun first. He came across a mountain of storage containers sitting on a slightly raised wooden platform. He crouched down and before him, he saw a teenager, curled up, clutching her ankle. Carlos felt a wave of sympathy, her foot shouldn't be hanging like that. She looked up at him completely petrified. 

"Hey, it's okay," he said pocketing his weapon. "I'm not going to hurt you, well, I might hurt whoever hurt you, but not you." He noticed her phone was lying next to her, glowing, and then he heard a voice come out of it. 

"Maria?! What's going on?!" Carlo sighed. He reached for her phone, and she didn't stop him, she still looked far too scared to move. He hung up the call, before slowly reaching for her. 

"You understand that I can't let you have your phone don't you?" He told her gently. "Come on, let's get you patched up." He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled out trying to be careful of her ankle. She whimpered, but once she was out, she seemed to calm a bit more. He picked her up before trying to work his way back out of this maze.