Ace (Book 1)

Chapter 23. Rescue Mission

"I have to find him," I mumbled.

Dad sat beside me and rubbed my back. "We will find him, Aria, but we must know who took him first. Do you remember anything about the men that might be useful? Were they Mexican?"

"They were white. I'm pretty sure," I said.

"Try to tell us more about what happened," Austin murmured. Austin knelt in front of me. "Did they threaten to kill him or want ransom?"

"No ransom. It was vengeance. All they said was they wanted vengeance," I muttered.

"That isn't good," Luis sighed. "If they want vengeance, we don't have much time before they kill him."

"How long do you think?" Abel asked.

"Maybe two or three days. A week at best," Benny said. "We need to treat this like we have less than two days, though. When it comes to vengeance, it is unpredictable. They may want to torture him, and if they do, that gives us extra time. If they want him dead, we have twenty-four hours or less."

"If they wanted him dead, they would have killed him then and there," Joey argued.

"Whoever they are, they're skilled," I murmured. I fidgeted with the necklace that Ace gave me. "They broke into the apartment through the living room window, which is insane. Ace lives on the top floor. They busted through the door and shot the place up. I spoke to Ace in Spanish, and they didn't understand it."

"Benny," Dad said. "Start hacking traffic cameras near Ace's building. Joey go with him. As a matter of fact, all of you go to the apartment and see if the men left any clues.

"Ace and I killed four of the men," I said. "They're in his bathroom still. Maybe you will be able to find a matching tattoo or something."

"Good," Austin said.

"Get rid of the bodies," Dad told Austin.

"Poof," Austin said. Austin made an explosion with his hands.

"What should I do?" I asked Dad.

The study door closed, and everyone was gone.

Dad looked at me. "You're not going to like this, but I want you to go lay down. You look exhausted. If you get some rest, it might help you remember something."

"Dad, I can't sleep." I shook my head. "Even if I wanted to, I don't know if I could fall asleep."

"You need to try, kiddo. You will think clearer if you aren't tired. You could remember something that would help us."

I sighed. "Fine, but Dad, there is something I want to tell you..." I trailed off.

"What is it?"

"Please, don't be angry. You're not going to like this, but things are bad enough as it is, and I couldn't handle it if you freaked out on me."

"Aria, whatever it is, I won't freak out."

"Ace and I were careful, but I still wound up pregnant." My voice was barely audible. I couldn't meet my father's gaze. I was afraid that he would be disappointed.

Dad sighed. "Really?"

I nodded.

"Well, I figured I would wind up a grandpa eventually." Dad chuckled. "I just didn't think I would be at the age of thirty-five."