Page 44 of Tormented Angel

“Which place would that be?” The anticipation is killing me.

“Sweden. I’ve always seen really beautiful photos of it, but I really think photos can only capture so much beauty. You know?”

As she’s speaking, I look over her entire face and understand exactly what she means. Some things are just better in the flesh, quite literally.

“Then we’ll go. I’d say we’ll be able to leave in a few days.”

“That soon?”

“Yes, I should have everything wrapped up by then.” At least, I think I should. The last thing I want to do is make a promise I can’t keep.

“I can’t wait.” Mona leans close against me, and I wrap my arm around her, snuggling her to my chest.

We sit there for a few minutes before she ultimately scoots a little closer against me. I press my lips against the top of her head, and I know she knows just how much I care. I love this woman, and I don’t think I’ve ever loved another. I know deep in my gut that I will do whatever it takes to keep her and the girls safe.

One way I know I can do that is by taking out my mother. As much as my siblings and I tried to refrain from making this decision, we’re unfortunately out of options. She’s going against us, and now we’re going against her.

***

I’m in bed, lying next to Mona. She’s snuggled up against my side, with her leg over mine and an arm draped around my stomach. My phone rings on the bedside table, so I reach over and grab it, seeing it’s Paulo. He’s one of the people who guards my home that I’ve had out on the streets in a desperate attempt to search for my mother.

“Paulo, if you’re calling this late, it must be good.”

“I found your mother, sir, and I was able to capture her.”

My heart begins beating intensely, and I inhale sharply before I speak. “Where do you have her?”

“On the west side of the city. I’ll send you the address. I did move her underground because…”

“Because why?”

“I’m about to be blunt here, sir. She wouldn’t shut the fuck up. If I kept her where I had her, it would only draw attention, and then the police would show up at some point.”

The police might show up, sure, but they’re in our pocket, and that’s why we haven’t really had any issues with them. Even if they came to wherever Paulo was, all he would have to do was mention our name, and then they’d leave him alone.

“Text me the address, and I’ll be there soon,” I tell Paulo and hang up the phone. I place the phone back on my bedside table, and Mona stirs awake.

She stretches slightly and yawns. “Nazyr, what’s going on?”

“Ssssh,Med. Go back to sleep. I need to go handle something for work,” I tell her and press a soft kiss on her forehead.

She pulls the covers back up and nods in a half-asleep manner. I get out of bed as quietly as possible and glance back at her. She’s already back asleep, so I head into my master closet and put on a fresh suit. As soon as I’m finished with that, I grab my phone and head out of the bedroom, straight for the front door.

Sure enough, I already have a text message from Paulo, so I head to the address he sent me. It’s only a ten-minute drive, which is a lot closer than I originally anticipated. The roads aren’t too busy this time of night, so the lack of traffic helps me get there a few minutes early.

I pull up to the address Paulo sent me, and it’s a small townhome. It’s not quite as regal as the one I live in, and it’s on a rougher side of town. This house might’ve been built in the early 2000s, if that. I park in front of the building and then walk up to the door, knocking four times until the door opens. Sure enough, Paulo’s on the other side. I shuffle inside the home quickly, and he shuts the door behind me.

“So, what happened?” I want to know every nitty-gritty detail about how he found my mother. I also need to figure out if he told any of my siblings he found her.

“I was on this side of town. I know your mother would come to see a woman down the street from time to time. I… I had people keeping tabs on her. Alejandro informed those of us who came here from Mexico that we needed to keep a good eye on your family. I wanted to make sure I was doing that, so I went above and beyond. Sure enough, she was trying to get to her friend’s house when I intercepted her.”

“Good job. So, whose house is this?”

“It’s the house I’ve been renting since I’ve been in Grozny.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes,” Paulo answers honestly.