The shadows, normally still around Aiden, slid closer to Jake. “Don’t do it,” they whispered in his head.
“Did you see that?” Raphael shouted, jumping up so fast his chair fell backward.
“See what?” Aiden asked in an exasperated tone.
“Those shadows just moved.”
Aiden shook his head, rolling his eyes. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“The shadows moved. Could the ancient prophecy be true?”
Jake sat up in his chair. “What’s that?”
Aiden scowled. “It’s childish nonsense.”
“Maybe not so childish.” Raphael looked scared. “Indulge the boy. Tell him.”
Heaving a sigh, Aiden pushed his plate away. “The prophecy says that one day the shadows will come back to reclaim their realm. A very long, long time ago, the four of us elements banished the shadow creatures to the otherworld. Needless to say, they weren’t very happy about it. Long ago, humans believed in ancient gods and the shadows convinced the humans that if they helped them escape, they would be rewarded.”
“Did they do it? Did they help them escape?”
“No, of course not. But the shadows told the humans that one day they would return to save them from the elements. We destroyed the civilization of course, so there’s no human record to prove it, but apparently Raphael has childish nightmares about their return.”
“Did Marcus help too?”
Aiden’s eyes narrowed. “Why the interest?”
Jake widened his eyes to look innocent. “It’s a story. Mommy used to tell me stories all the time. I miss them.”
“Well, soon you will be reunited with you mother and she can tell you stories to your heart’s content.” Aiden stood up. “Someone bring Antonia.”
Antonia had been nervous all morning, and Jake worried Aiden would sense it and become angry with her. Jake searched her out in the other room and covered most of her thoughts with his power. He had no idea if it would work, and he worried what Aiden would do to her if he realized what Jake had done, but it seemed worth the risk.
Thirty seconds later, she hurried into the room, lowering her face to hide the fear in her eyes. Now Jake was really worried and readjusted his power so Aiden could only sense the words she spoke.
“Antonia, I need Jake to be ready to go around twelve-thirty today. At that time, have all of his things packed and taken to the car. We will leave as soon as we are done with our errand.”
Jake’s stomach twisted. Not again.
Antonia bowed her head and nodded. “Si, Señor Aiden.”
“Jake, you may go for now.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Señor Aiden.” Antonia’s voice shook.
Jake froze next to his chair, his fear for her turning his feet to stone.
Aiden grinned with a wicked twinkle in his eye, amused that she dared to address him. “Yes, Antonia.”
“May I take Señor Jake outdoors to play this morning? He’s a little boy and he needs fresh air and time to run.”
Aiden chuckled. “He’ll get plenty of fresh air this afternoon. Besides, it’s hot outside.”
“I will make sure he’s back in time to shower and be presentable before your outing.”
The silence that filled the room was deafening.
“What about you, Jake?” Aiden asked. “Would you like to go outside to play with Antonia?”
Jake glanced up at her, unsure what she was doing. She never dared approach Aiden with anything. “Yes, sir.”
“Very well, then.” Aiden waved his hand. “But don’t be late or you will regret it.”
“Gracias, señor.” Antonia nodded.
Jake moved toward her, careful not to go too quickly and rile Aiden’s anger. When they entered Jake’s room, Antonia’s hands shook as she grabbed his backpack. “We shall leave now.”
“Okay.”
He was curious what she was up to, but prepared to wait. The blanket he’d put over her thoughts kept Jake out as well. If they discussed her plan, there was a good chance they would be overheard.
Antonia picked up his pack and held his hand, leading him from the suite to the elevator bank. When the doors open, she pulled him inside, her grip tightening and making his fingers tingle. He looked up at her, but she kept her eyes on the numbers over the door, her mouth pinched in a tight line.
The doors opened to the lobby and apprehension tumbled in Jake’s tummy. None of this was right, but he trusted Antonia.
The air was hot and sticky when they left the hotel. They walked down the street, through the crowd of people. Jake’s feet dragged, the crowd reminding him of Jackson and what he’d have to do this afternoon. His stomach twisted and he thought he was going to throw up.
“Jake, we must hurry.” Antonia’s pace picked up the farther they got from the hotel. Soon Jake had to run to keep up, hoping he didn’t barf on the street.
“Antonia, wait.”
She halted, tears in her eyes. “We must hurry. We don’t have much time.”
“Where are we going?”
“You must trust me.”
He had no reason not to but couldn’t figure out what she was up to. This was so unlike her it made him anxious.
She waved to a passing taxi and the beat up yellow car pulled to the curb. Opening the back door, she pushed Jake onto the backseat, climbing in behind him. “To the airport, please.”
Jake’s heart lurched. “Where are we going?”
She took his hands in hers, her chin quivering. “I am saving you.”
His mouth dropped open. “What? How?”
“There is a plane that leaves in the next hour, but we must hurry if we are to make it in time. It is our only chance.”
“But Aiden… if he finds out… he’ll…” Fear screamed in Jake’s mind.
“That is why we must hurry. We must be on the plane before it leaves. It is our only chance.”
He wanted to be far, far away from Aiden, but Aiden knew everything. “He’ll find us,” he whispered, wishing he wasn’t so afraid.
She shook her head. “No. I will use different names. He will not find us. No more talk for now.” She turned to the front, still holding his hand.
The drive to the airport was short but long enough for Jake’s terror to build. Could she really save him from Aiden? Did he allow himself to hope?
The taxi dropped them off at the curb and Antonia entered the airport, her hold on him so tight he didn’t think anything—not even one of his storms—could pull him from her. She stopped at a machine and entered a credit card, tapping the screen furiously, mumbling prayers under her breath. The machine spit papers out and Antonia’s fingers fumbled to pull them from the machine.
One fell on the floor, and Jake bent over to pick it up. He handed it to her, looking up into her anxious eyes.
“Antonia, we don’t have to do this.”
She knelt in front of him, a tear falling down her cheek. “It is the only way I know to save you.”
“If he finds out…”
Pulling him into a hug, she buried her face in his hair. “Then we shall make sure he doesn’t find out.” Still kneeling, she pulled him back and looked into his face. “You are Tony Rodriguez. You live in Monroe, Louisiana. You are six years old. I am your Aunt Barbara and we are going to visit your grandmother in Houston. Now repeat.”
She was really doing this. His voice shook as he chanted. “I’m Tony Rodriguez. I live in Monroe, Louisiana. I’m six years old. You are my Aunt Barbara and we’re going to Houston.”
“Why are we going there?”
“To see my grandmother.”
“Good boy.” She kissed his cheek before she stood up and took his hand. They headed to a long line of people waiting to go through machines. Jake looked up at her, gnawing on the inside of his cheek with worry.
“This is the security checkpoint. If we can make it through this line, we are safe.”
The line moved slowly and Jake eyed ev
ery man around them suspiciously. He couldn’t believe it could be this easy. What should he do if Aiden showed up? Or Raphael?
Antonia stood in front of a podium and handed her papers to the man in the uniform. Jake’s hand turned cold and clammy. Mommy had always warned him that men in uniforms were usually enemies. This man glanced over the papers, then eyed Jake up and down with a frown.
“What’s your name, little guy?”
“Tony.”
“Tony what?”
“Rodriguez.”
“How old are you?”
“Six.”
“When’s your birthday?”
He tried to keep his eyes from widening. Antonia hadn’t told him that answer. “July.”
The man grinned. “You just had a birthday, huh? Did you have a party?”
Jake’s breakfast rose in his throat. “No.”
The man looked at the papers again, then from Antonia to Jake.
“So you’re going with your mom to Minneapolis?”
Sweat broke out on Jake’s neck. “No, sir. This is my aunt and we’re going to visit my grandmother in Houston.”
He cocked his head. “Why do you have blond hair and your last name is Rodriguez?”
He didn’t know what his question meant. “My dad had blond hair.”
“Had?” The man shook his head. “I’m going to have to have you step aside, ma’am.”
No! Jake screamed into the man’s head.
The guard jerked, his eyes widening.
You will let us in.
The order was so harsh, the man shook.
Jake stood on tiptoes and whispered to Antonia. “What does he have to do?”
“Hey, that guy’s not looking so well,” a man in line behind Jake said.
Antonia’s eyes were wild with confusion. “He has to stamp our tickets and make a line through them.”
Stamp our papers and put the mark on them. Do it now.
The man in the uniform stabbed his stamp onto the tickets, then marked through them with his pen.
Hand them to my aunt and forget about us.
He handed the papers to Antonia and turned to the next person in line.
Antonia crossed herself.
They took off their shoes and put them in bins to run through a machine along with Jake’s backpack. Jake was nervous until they made it through the line and out the other side.
Antonia took his hand again. “We must hurry. We only have thirty minutes.”
They half ran down a hall, stopping at an area with lots of chairs. A long tube extended from the building attached to a plane. It was much bigger than the ones he’d flown in with Aiden “Is that our plane?”
“Si.”
She sat in a chair, tugging him next to her. His nerves had him jumpy and he fidgeted. She covered his hands with hers. “You must be still. For just a little longer. If we are too nervous…”
He nodded, trying to sit quietly.
She leaned over to his ear. “What did you do to the security man?”
“I told him to let us through.”
“I didn’t hear you say it.”
I said it in his head.
Her eyes widened and her rosary beads jingled. She cupped his cheek and searched his eyes. “Are you a demonio? You do not look like one.”
Maybe he was part demon after everything he’d done. “I don’t know. Aiden and Alex said that I am a mix of elements. My father was air. My mother is fire. Does that make me a demon?”
“Mi dios.” She crossed herself.
The images of the dead bodies flashed into his mind. “Aiden makes me do terrible things. Terrible, terrible things. I don’t want to do them anymore.”
She kissed his cheek. “I know. This is why I must save you, mijo.”
“I would never hurt you, Antonia.”
“I know this, mijo. You are a good, sweet boy.”
He wrapped his arms around her neck. “I love you.”
“And I love you.”
She wiped the tears from his cheek and gave him a warm smile. “When we know that we are safe, we will find your mother.”
He squeezed her neck tight again, choking on his tears. “Thank you, Antonia. Thank you.”
She pulled him back and smoothed his hair. “A boy belongs with his mother.”
A voice crackled on the intercom overhead. “Now boarding for American Flight 7027 to Houston.”
Antonia smiled. “That is us.” She rose and Jake followed her to another line. A woman next to a door took the tickets and let the people into the tube.
There were only four people in front of them when two men in a police uniforms hurried down the hall in their direction. Jake tried not to watch, instead facing forward.
Two more people left in line, handing over their papers. Jake’s heart raced making his breath come in short bursts. He glanced down the hall.
The guards cut through the chairs, determination on their faces.
Antonia handed their tickets to the woman and the machine beeped twice.
Almost there. Almost there.
One of the men wrapped his hand around Antonia’s arm. “Excuse me, ma’am. We’re going to need you and the little boy to come with us.”
The other guard stood to the side, his eyes on Jake.
She tried to break free from his hold. “No! We are on this flight. We need to get on this plane.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but we need to question you in a suspected kidnapping.”
“What? There is a mistake.”
“Jake, you’ll need to come with us too.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jake’s voice rose in panic. “My name is Tony. This is my aunt.”
People gathered closer, watching with curiosity.
The guard to the side stepped forward and gripped Jake’s arm as the first man pulled Antonia from the line.
Terrified, Jake unleashed his power. He had to save Antonia. “No!” Jake screamed. A strong wind whipped through the long hallway. The man holding Antonia’s arm dropped his grasp and reached for his throat, his face turning a purplish-blue. The other guard’s eyes bulged and the veins on his neck popped out. People in the crowd gasped for air, some falling to their knees and to the ground.
Antonia squatted in front of Jake. “Stop! You’re hurting these people, Jake. You must stop!”
Jake held his tight fists at his side. “They’re going to hurt you. I won’t let them hurt you.”
“You cannot hurt these innocent people for me.”
He stopped the wind and listened to the sounds of choking and gasping.
Antonia took his hand. “Run!”
They ran through the terminal as fast as Jake’s legs would stretch, but as the people began to recover, they pointed and shouted. Antonia pulled Jake into a restroom.
Shaking, she covered her mouth with her free hand. Her rosary beads dangled from her fingers. “We must think. We need a plan.”
Jake looked up at her, clenching his fists. “I can use my power.”
She shook her head. “No! You must not. Your power makes you more like Aiden than like your mother.”
Tears filled Jake’s eyes as fear replaced his anger. “But he’ll catch us.”
She leaned her back against the wall and closed her eyes. “Sí.”
“No.” His anger billowed inside him, making him glow.
Instead of her usual fear, Antonia’s eyes filled with love. “Do not give him this. He wants you to use your power for bad things.”
He swallowed the lump of fear in his throat. “Saving you isn’t bad, Antonia. Saving you is good. I love you.”
She squatted in front of him, clasping his hands in hers. “You are right, Jake, saving me is not bad. Wanting to save me is done with love. Love is the most pure gift of all. But you are clouding it with anger and hate, and it will destroy you.”
“I don’t know what else to do if I can’t use my power,” he sobbed. “I can’t let them hurt you.”
She dug into her purse, pulled out a handful of money, and reached for his shorts pocket.
He tried to back up, shaking his head. “No! No!”
Tugging gently on his arm, she brought him closer and stuffed the bills into his pocket. “Hush, mijo. Hush. Listen to me.” She grasped his shoulders, tears streaming down her cheeks. “When they find us, you must run. Do not wait for me. Do not look back. Run. Do you understand?”
He shook his head, trying to catch his breath through his tears. “No. I can’t.”
Her grip tightened. “Do you love me, Jake?”
“Yes! You know I love you!”
“Have I ever asked for anything from you?”
“No,” he whispered. The mark on his chest was icy cold and it seeped into his insides.
“Then do this for me. It is the only thing I will ask of you. If you love me, you will give it to me.”
“Please, Antonia. Don’t make me do this. Please.” He clung to her, knowing that if he ran, Aiden would kill her.
“It is the only way.” She stroked his cheek. “Do you know why I tried to take you away?”
“Because you love me?”
“Yes, very much so. You are the little boy I never had. But I tried to take you away for another reason. I wanted to save your soul. You are a good boy. A sweet boy. Do not let your abuelo turn you into the demonio that he is.”
Jake sobbed, knowing she was right. But Aiden would kill her. Because of him.
“Remember when I met your mother? In Albuquerque?”
He nodded, trying to catch his breath.
“I promised her I would watch over you for her. Promise me…” Her voice cracked. “Promise me that you will tell her that I did the best I could.”
He nodded. “I promise.”
Her hands tightened on his face. “Love is the most powerful thing in the world, Jake. More powerful than any evil. Remember this.”
He nodded barely seeing her face through his tears. “I’ll remember, Antonia.”
Sirens blared overhead and shouts echoed in the hall outside the restroom.
“Be brave for me.” She stood and looped his backpack over his shoulders, buckling the clasp over his chest, her fingers lingering on the strap. Then she stood and led him to the restroom exit. They made it ten feet before the guards spotted them. Antonia dropped his hand and shouted. “Run!”
Redemption (The Chosen #4) Page 23
