Chapter 7 - The Desperate Escape
"Drop your weapon, federal agent," my mother ordered, her eyes completely devoid of sanity.
Marcus slowly placed his gun on the floor and raised his hands.
Julian laughed nervously and quickly retrieved his pistol.
"You really thought you could outsmart us, Mateo?" my mother sneered.
"You are sick, Mom," I said, holding Lucía tightly behind me.
"I am pragmatic," Mercedes corrected me sharply.
"Sterling paid a fortune for the house, and Julian's wealthy, barren wife desperately wants a newborn baby."
The horrifying truth finally hit me with full force.
They were not just going to kill Lucía; they were going to steal my child and sell it to Julian’s wife.
"You will never touch my baby," Lucía whispered fiercely, clutching her swollen stomach.
I noticed a heavy oxygen tank resting on a cart just inches from my mother’s feet.
I looked at Marcus and gave him a subtle, desperate nod.
"Hey, Mercedes," Marcus said loudly, drawing her attention.
"You know federal agents wear body cameras, right?"
My mother instinctively glanced at Marcus’s chest.
In that split second, I kicked the rolling cart with all my strength.
The heavy oxygen tank toppled over and smashed directly into my mother's shins.
She screamed in pain and dropped the heavy rifle.
Marcus dove across the room, tackling Julian through a glass medical cabinet.
"Run, Mateo!" Marcus yelled, grappling with my brother on the floor.
I grabbed Lucía’s hand and pulled her out into the dark hallway.
Alarms began blaring throughout the illegal clinic as we sprinted toward the exit.
Lucía was crying out in pain, her early contractions starting due to the poison they had given her.
"Hold on, my love, just a little further," I encouraged her.
We burst through the back door and ran into the rainy alleyway.
I practically carried her to Marcus's idling SUV and helped her into the back seat.
I jumped into the driver's seat and slammed the accelerator, leaving the clinic behind.
"Where are we going?" Lucía asked through heavy, pained breaths.
"To a safe motel outside the city," I replied.
"We need to hide until Marcus can bring the real authorities."
We drove for an hour until we reached a rundown motel completely off the grid.
I carried Lucía into a dingy room and locked the heavy deadbolt.
I finally felt a fleeting moment of safety.
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Then, my burner phone buzzed with an incoming video message.
It was from Sterling, and the thumbnail showed Marcus tied to a chair with a gun to his head.
