Ninety Six- Trust?

Ninety Six- Trust?

NATHANIEL STORM

I heard her, but refused to dwell in the shock of her confession. 
Instead, I focused on forcing more truth out of her. With enough information, she and the fool she’s working with will spend eternity paying for their gruesome crimes. 
So, I hardened the grip on her chin and asked, “You didn’t do this by yourself. Who’s your accomplice?”
“How is that your question?” she spat. “Are you going to ignore that Raya is mine? Do you really believe that insane woman is her mother?”
That easily tested my patience. It also didn’t help that my injured knee was itching for some rest. But I drew a sharp breath and remained dangerously calm.
“Miss Rosborn…” I let go of her chin. “For some reason, you want to believe a lie. Of course, you are free to believe whatever you wish. But when your nonsense pushes you to kidnap my daughter, I will not entertain any excuse.”
“Why…?” She shook her head like a hard-headed toddler refusing instructions. “Why are you doing this to us?
“Who are you working with?” I pressed. 
“You fucking idiot.” Her eyes fixed on mine. “Just because you're the real Mate doesn't give you the guts to do this to me.”
“The real Nate,” I repeated. So, there’s truly a bastard out there pretending to be me. 
“Nathaniel,” she winced. “I get it. You want to deny me so bad, I understand that. But must you punish me like this? That criminal you married isn’t worth all of this, Nathaniel.”
As she spewed her rubbish, the hope in her eyes grew. It seemed she desired to hear an answer that would delight the delusion in her sick mind. 
“Mr. Ray…” Firmly, I decided that I would no longer entertain her rubbish. “Cuff her. I’m sure she’ll be willing to confess in a different environment.”
“Nathaniel…” The confidence she kept displaying baffled me. Thankfully, Ray used brutal force to press her face to the wall, his knee wedging her back so she wouldn’t escape. That crushed her tenacity a bit.  “Don’t be stupid, Nathaniel. Doing this won’t help that woman.” Her eyes bulged with more insanity. “You’ll never see her again if you don’t treat me well.”
I scoffed. “I’m very sure you don’t know where she is. All you’re concerned with is stealing her daughter.”
“I can call that man. I can ask him,” she pleaded as Ray pushed her face harder. “He’ll tell me if I ask.”
“Hmm.”
“You’ll let me go if I do that, right?”
“What are you waiting for? Cuff her!” I hollered at Mr. Ray.
Hurriedly, he forced her hands together and used a zip tie to secure them. He then stepped away from her, and she fell to the ground like dead fish. 
“Nathaniel!” She screamed harder as Ray tied her feet together. “You fucking fool! What's your deal with that witch? What's special about her? She fucking stole our daughter from us. Why are you protecting her?!”
With locked jaws, I ignored her and returned my attention to Raya. Managably and carefully, after dropping the rod in my grip, I carried Raya, my heart pounding hard while I hoped that Sarah was not in too much pain where she was. 
Ray came to help me seconds later and soon, I was in the wheelchair, Raya perfectly nestled in my arms.
Then, the burly man flung the screaming fool over his shoulder. With one hand, he held her. With the other, he pushed my chair. 
The effectiveness of his presence made me feel slightly guilty for continuously doubting his intention, but I didn’t let my guard down. 
Until the entire truth comes to light, I’ll be trusting no one but myself, Sarah and Raya. 
When we got outside, a jeep was parked behind ours. Waiting, with impatient pacing, was Sarah’s mother. With her were three men with a build similar to Ray’s.
When our eyes met, she rushed closer, her angst not hidden. “You’re the real one, right?” Her fingers gripped mine. Her sunken eyes rested on Raya and her shoulders shivered with quiet, shuddering tears. “You’re not that evil idiot?”
“Uh…” I glanced at Mr. Ray.
“When I found you, I told my brother to contact her,” he explained.
“Mrs…”
“Just call me Ruth,” she muttered. “You found Raya.” Her face buried itself in my knees. “You found her.”
“Uhm, Ruth..”
With a quick sniffle, she raised her head and began talking as if her welling eyes weren't streaming tears. “I think we might be able to find Sarah.”
My spirit instantly soared. “How? Do you have a precise location? Do you-”
“We don’t have any of that.” She exhaled, and I wondered whether to be hopeful or doubtful. “You’ve heard about your twin, right?”
My eyes briefly flickered to Mr. Ray, who had found a tape to block the teacher's loud mouth. 
“He has been mentioned.”
“He made a deal with Rosaline. He’ll be breaking her out tonight.”
“What deal? Does it involve Sarah? Are they planning to do something terrible to her?”
“No. I’m… I’m not sure.” Her eyes squinting with slight hesitation didn’t help my frustration. “According to Rosaline, he wants to become the real Nathaniel. That way, you become him and you pay for his crimes.”
“Ah…” That was the only response I could give. But my mind was already travelling into several directions of deadly imaginations. 
“Rosaline will meet him soon. Before she escapes, my person in that prison will inject her with a nano-fluid that will help us track her location.”
“Huh?”
“I’m hoping it works well. It's the first of its kind. My friend’s lab recently concluded tests on it. The stuff’s supposed to form a chip inside her skin. Once Rosaline escapes, she’ll ask that man to take her to Sarah. My men have been positioned to follow her to that location.”
“Can we…” Most of the things she said blurred because the pain in my legs and head was getting worse. But I recognised certain information. “Can we trust Rosaline? And that nano… nano tracker?”
“We have to. Police have not found leads in days. That’s why I’m glad you found Raya.” She caressed my daughter’s hair, and in the process, her lips broke into a silent sob. “She looks so much like her mother.”
“Can I trust you?” I eventually asked when I recalled that one of the weird letters and pictures we received suggested that Sarah’s mother had a huge secret that could be connected to my dead mother. 
“You don’t have to,” she said. “Just believe that I want the best for Sarah. I know you do too. Let’s use that as a meeting point for our trust.”
“Fine.” Currently, there’s no other option. So, this plan has to work. “And the cops? Do they know about this?”
“They are sorting out some paperwork because this involves them knowingly allowing Rosaline to escape. But based on the recordings from the prison visits, they have notified units all over the city to take note of that man's identity. Well…” She peeked at me. “Since he supposedly looks exactly like you, that shouldn't be hard.”
“I see.” Before coming here, I was overpowered by the mighty sorrow and hatred for my inability to protect Sarah. But now that this plan is in place, a tiny part of me is relieved. “First, Raya needs a safe space. The hospital is the best bet. Mr. Ray, please get the director of St. Thompson on the line.”
“Not Evtrom?” he clarified.
“No.” The woman before me stood straight. “Evtrom is not safe. Is Amir in that hospital?”
“Yes. He was also transferred there.”
“Move him to St. Thompson.” I can’t tell how far my father would go to satisfy his evil intentions. “We’ll dump that teacher with the cops on our way.”
“Who’s she?” Sarah’s mother asked. 
“She kidnapped Raya.”
“What?” She stormed to the woman who had accepted her fate. Brutally, she pulled the teacher’s hair. “You’re working for that man, aren’t you?”
“Mmm mmm,” mumbled responses were all the woman could give. 
“Useless.”
As for me, as I hugged Raya and ensured she could feel my presence with every breath she took, I looked up at the gloomy skies and prayed to God that by this time tomorrow, our family would be complete.

\~~~

Note

I feel like I've been writing a lot of notes every two chapters these days. 
But this is me, apologising for being distant for many days. In between falling sick, preparing for my master's study and the desire to keep writing, I fell into a terrible writing slump. I couldn't find the grit to complete a chapter. 
Or maybe my soul isn't ready for the end of this story, 
Whichever it is, I'm really, really sorry for not updating. 
I hope my shortcomings are forgiven.