Your Call

Chapter Twelve

Memories last a lifetime; you create them with people you cherish. Friends, foes, people alike, or even some that have ruined you. Memories for me all turned into disasters only a great few stuck. Mateo being placed into my arms a happy grieving smile placed onto my face. He looked like him, for such a small child he had such life and beautiful features to him.

The wailing and passing it right over to me, I cried happy tears, the company of everyone around me. My heart growing full. No one could expect the horror of the day they are ripped from your grasp. The smallest memory's you cling onto. Your heart breaks, it shatters even at the thought of losing it again.

    The next two weeks I spent were rough, a flight back home to New York, being bombarded with missions and endless questions. I sat at a computer screen for what felt like hours, locked away in my room. No one had come to bother me thankfully.

I spent some time going through social media, for possible parents, pictures that could lead me to Mateo. I falter my mind drawing blanks, I fixated my glasses to the bridge of my nose. With no new leads or areas that could potentially help me.

There was a trying phone call I had to make, I opened a draw in my desk, my hand grabbing an old flip phone. "Fucking shit", I grumble I walked out of my room. "Good evening Miss, how are you?" Mrs. Wright's familiar face greets me. I slowly push the flip phone into a back pocket.

"Hello, Mrs. Wright I'm good thank you just need to clear my head". I mention with a small smile. "Be home soon, dinner should be done within the hour. Marco requested everyone be there". I nod listening to her smaller yet fragile voice.

I head for one of the family cars, and begin driving to a deserted part out of town. The tires screech once I come to a stop, I shakily grab the phone, dialing a number I hadn't seen in years. The horror flowing through me.

"Hello?" The older voice spoke and my heart inevitably drops. "Where is he Cole", I ask and I heard a slight pause. "Where is who?" He asks and I chuckle. "Mateo, where is Mateo."

Cole De Luca, Mateo's biological father. "Calling me is risky Mariana when he is still looking for you". He chimes, his very coy voice made my skin crawl all these years later.

  "Well when you are twelve and have to protect someone you do what you can. It's not like you can say you ever protected him". I spoke, he laughs on the other side. A sadistic sickening laugh. He had ruined my life taking everything from me. But he did give me one gift. Mateo, that was the greatest gift I've ever received.

   "You think I haven't? Disrespecting me when asking for information isn't going to get you anywhere. I know where he is and he's safe, away from you fucking freaks". I froze and my heart sunk, he's known where Mateo went.
 
  "How have you had access to him all these years and I haven't?! I've been searching for so long". I stress running a hand through my hair. "Because you aren't looking in the right places and you couldn't even begin to. Calling me isn't going to get you anywhere. You know where he is deep down you just can't accept it." Cole pauses before continuing.

   "It's been right in front of you the whole time, have a good night Mariana. Using a burner phone in the middle of New York can get you killed". The call ends and I hit my steering wheel. "Fuck!" I scream I open the window, taking out the SD card and throwing the phone. Watching it shatter into millions of pieces. I begin driving away, thinking about what Cole said.

   How could it have been right in front of me this whole time? The drive home was dreaded with a quick throw of the SD card out the way. I pulled into the driveway with a heavy heart. Adrian stood outside, cigarette stashed in his mouth. He looked rough, after being hurt and almost killed.