Chapter 5 - THE CHASE
The boardroom walls seemed to close in on me. The air grew thick, suffocating.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I lied, my voice shaking despite my best efforts.
"Of course you do," Marcus sneered, stepping closer. "A boy. Born about seven months after you faked your fiery little exit. I let you live because you stayed quiet. You stayed out of our way. But if you try to take my company, Mia, I promise you, I will make sure the state takes your boy away. An unfit, impoverished mother? Child Protective Services would have a field day."
Before I could respond, the door handle clicked. Marcus immediately backed away, smoothing his tie. Julian walked in, glancing between us.
"Everything alright here?" Julian asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Perfect," Marcus smiled. "Just welcoming Miss Miller to the firm." He walked out, leaving a toxic chill in the air.
"What did he say to you?" Julian demanded the second the door shut.
"Nothing. Just intimidation." I grabbed my briefcase, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Julian, I have to go."
"Go? We have to review the Weber transcripts."
"I can't. I'm sorry." I pushed past him, practically running for the elevator. I had to get to Leo. Marcus knew about him. If Marcus knew where we lived...
I didn't wait for Julian's protests. I hailed a cab outside the building, dialing my babysitter frantically. No answer. I called my mother's hospital room. No answer.
Tears stung my eyes. I urged the driver to go faster. We pulled up to the rundown brick building in the South Side. I threw a twenty at the driver and sprinted up the three flights of stairs.
I threw open the door to my apartment. "Leo! Mrs. Gable!"
The apartment was empty.
Panic, raw and blinding, seized me. I tore through the small rooms. Leo's backpack was gone. His jacket was gone.
My phone buzzed. It was Mrs. Gable. "Mia, honey, I'm so sorry. Leo insisted on going to the hospital to see your mother. I couldn't stop him, he just took off. I'm heading there now."
"I'm on my way."
I ran back down to the street. It was raining now, a cold, miserable Chicago downpour. I couldn't find a cab. I was about to run the twelve blocks when a black town car screeched to a halt beside me.
Julian rolled down the window. "Get in!"
I didn't have time to argue. I climbed in, soaked and trembling. "St. Jude's Hospital. Now."
"What's going on, Mia? You're terrified." Julian was staring at me, seeing right through my walls.
"Marcus threatened me," I sobbed, the truth tearing out of me. "He threatened my family."
We arrived at the hospital in record time. I sprinted through the sliding doors, Julian right on my heels. I ran to the cardiac ward, bursting into my mother's room.
My mother was asleep in her bed. Sitting in the chair beside her, reading a comic book, was an eleven-year-old boy with messy dark hair.
"Leo!" I cried, falling to my knees and pulling him into a desperate hug. "Don't you ever run off like that again!"
"Mom, I'm fine," Leo mumbled, embarrassed but hugging me back. "I just wanted to see Grandma."
I held him tight, burying my face in his shoulder. But as I pulled back, I saw Julian standing in the doorway.
Julian wasn't looking at me. He was staring at Leo.
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Leo looked exactly like Julian did in high school. The same dark eyes, the same strong jaw, the same stubborn set of his shoulders.
Julian's briefcase slipped from his hand, hitting the linoleum floor with a deafening crack.
