Cut Me Open

Chapter 2

Dim and cold. It was a chilly night. I shivered as I walked in an empty alley and stuffed my hands in the pockets of my coat. I felt something inside and took it out. Money. It was probably a couple hundred dollars and suddenly, I craved some coffee and some snacks. So, I took a detour to a small vintage café owned by an old, married couple. L' Avre Café. I entered the café and I was greeted by the smell of coffee and baked goodies. I smiled and walked to the counter where the owner, Mamie Louise, was and told her the usual order.

"Bonsoir, Mamie. Comment ça va?" I greeted her with a polite smile. (Good evening, Mamie. How have you been?)

"Je vais bien, mon chérie, et toi?" she replied. (Ive been well, sweetheart, and you?)

"I've been better, Mamie." I said with a tired smile she was familiar with. She gave a comforting smile and told me she would be back with my order.

I walked to an empty booth and sat by the window. Only a few cars were seen passing by as most people have already gone home. A few minutes later, raindrops started falling and less cars passed by. Mamie Louise then came with my order, A hot cup of creamy coffee and a plate of freshly baked cream puffs. I gave her a long hug and thanked her. I took a sip of my coffee and sighed happily. Relief. This café was a place I frequented ever since I was little and I thought of it as my haven, which was fitting because, in French, that is what L'Avre is. I took a bite of my cream puff and I moaned in delight. Ive practically tasted everything on the cafés menu, but the cream puffs are still and always will be the most delicious piece of heaven I have ever tasted.

After I finished eating, I ordered more for takeout and paid the bill. I walked outside and saw that the rain had just stopped. I hailed a cab and told the driver my address. I sat back in the seat and looked out the window. When we reached my house, I paid the driver, thanked him, and got out. I lived in a two-story house in a private subdivision. I got my spare key from under the doormat and opened the door.

"Papa, I'm home." I called out as I entered.

Silence. I sighed and took off my shoes and put them on the rack. I turned on the lights and went to the kitchen. I put the pastry in the fridge to save them for tomorrow and got a glass of water. I went upstairs and got changed into more comfortable clothes. In other words, an oversized black shirt and boxer shorts. I went to my father's office and sat in his leather chair. I looked at the small black box, that had recorded the video of my encounter with Soren, in my hand and chucked it onto the desk. I opened the laptop, in front of me, and opened a folder labeled 'Papa'. The folder contained many photos I took with my father and places weve been to. Amongst all the photos, there was another folder labeled 'Lily'. It contained all the evidence Papa had collected from his investigation on Soren. He filmed everything he saw when he was investigating, and the videos would be sent directly to his laptop. I clicked the last video and played it.

The video was of a man talking to Marc Jackson, the Chief of Police. That man was my father, Alejandro Delos Santos. My father told the Chief about what Soren had been doing and what he was hiding. He said that he had found a warehouse and told Jackson that they should go there and save the children. Jackson said that he needed a few days to get a court order and told my father to wait. When the court order was approved, Jackson told my father that he would meet him there at the warehouse at night. Something seemed off but my father chose not to dwell upon the thought as the only thing on his mind was the children's safety. When he got to the warehouse, the Chief was the only help he saw. My father asked Jackson where the backup was, and he said that the two of them were already enough.

When they entered the warehouse, there were a dozen armed guards pointing their guns at them and the children were nowhere to be found. Somebody had tipped off Soren. Jackson dropped his gun and walked towards the armed men and turned around to face my father. My father was utterly speechless and furious at the sudden turn of events. Seeing his face, Jackson chuckled.