Chapter 31

Chapter 31
The Knife in the Air

The knife spun.

Too slow. Too fast. Both at the same time.
I saw my own scared eyes shine on its blade.

I pushed Caleb down. I covered his small body with mine. My arms spread wide. My body shook. I knew I could not stop steel with skin and bones. But I tried.

Then,
Clang.

The knife hit metal. A soldier had lifted his rifle. The blade struck the barrel, then dropped to the floor. The sound was loud, sharp, like church bells in a fire.

Chaos exploded in the closet.

Boots rushed in. Shadows filled the doorway. Guns raised. Voices shouted orders.

“Get her out!” one soldier barked.

Hands grabbed me. Strong, Cold. They pulled me up. Caleb was torn from my arms.

He screamed. The sound ripped me open. I fought, clawed, begged. My nails scratched gloves, but the soldier did not let go.

“NO! HE STAYS WITH ME!” My voice broke, raw and sharp.

On the floor, Maxwell roared. Blood covered his face. His body twisted against straps. Medics tried to hold him down.

“Don’t touch them!” he shouted. His voice was broken.

He tried to rise. He could not.

Caleb stretched his little arms toward me. His cries filled my ears. Louder than the alarms. Louder than everything. His fingers curled, reaching. But the soldier’s grip was iron.

And in the middle of it all, Adrian stood.

Tall. Calm. His scarred face lit red under the flashing lights. His one good eye stared at me. He did not flinch when rifles pressed against him. He did not move when soldiers slammed him into the wall.

He only smiled. That broken smile.

And then he laughed.

Low. Rough. Cruel.

“You think they’ll save you, Judith?” His voice cut through the noise. “You did not escape. You only changed cages.”

His words hit like knives.

He was right.

These men were not police. They moved too fast. Too clean. Too trained. They did not belong to me. They belonged to someone else.

“Move her! Now!”

The soldier yanked my arm. Pain shot through my shoulder. My heels scraped the floor as they dragged me.

Sirens screamed. Smoke burned my throat. I gasped for air that did not come.

“Where’s my son?!” I screamed. “CALEB!”

No answer.

Maxwell was gone. Adrian was gone. Caleb was gone.

The hallway blurred. Guns. Boots. Strangers. My body was dragged down stairs. Through broken doors. Into the night.

Cold air slapped my face. My chest heaved.

A line of black SUVs waited. Dark. Silent. Like wolves. Their windows were tinted, empty eyes watching.

“Inside,” a soldier ordered.

“No!” I twisted, kicked, screamed. “Not without my son! Not without him!”

Gloved hands pushed my head down.

They threw me inside.

My knees hit hard leather. Pain shot up my legs. My hands searched, desperate, but found nothing.

The door slammed shut.

Silence.

I hit the window with my fists. No sound came back. Only my heartbeat.

Then the other door opened.

Maxwell stepped in.

Bruised. Bloody. But standing. His shirt torn. His chest heaving like fire lived inside him.

His green eyes locked on me.

“Judith,” he said. His voice was low, urgent.

I froze. My back pressed to the seat. My body shook.

“What is this?” My words broke apart. “Who are they? Where is Caleb?”

Maxwell’s jaw tightened. He looked at the window, then back at me.

“They have him safe,” he said.

Safe.

The word cut me.

“Safe?” My voice turned sharp. “You don’t know that! You let them take him!”

He grabbed my hands. His palms were hot, rough. He held too tight. His eyes burned into mine.

“Judith. Listen to me.”

I tried to pull away. But something in his voice made me stop. For one breath.

“They’re not the enemy,” he said. His voice was steady now. Heavy. “They’re mine.”

The words hit me like ice.

Yours.

Mine.

The soldiers. The SUVs. The guns.

Maxwell’s.

“You…” My mouth went dry. My stomach dropped. “You planned this?”

“No!” His grip grew tighter. Desperate. “Not like this. Not Adrian. Not Caleb. But I had to be ready. I had to protect you.”

I tore my hands free. My chest burned.

“Protect me?” My voice rose. “Or control me?”

He flinched. The truth showed in his eyes.
The SUV engine started. The city lights disappeared. Night covered everything.

I rested my head on the cold glass. Tears ran down my face.

But all I could hear was Caleb’s cry. His small arms reaching for me.

Gone.

My son was gone.

And the man beside me, the man I thought I knew, was now a stranger.

I whispered to the window, “I don’t know who to trust anymore.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Maxwell’s hand close into a fist.

Like he was hiding something.
Something I was not ready to know.
The silence inside the car grew heavy. Each second felt like a stone on my chest.

Outside, the streets flashed past in a blur. But I could not see them. My mind stayed with Caleb.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to break the glass. I wanted to run until I found him.

But I was trapped.

And the worst part was knowing,
the real danger might not be outside this car.

It might be sitting right next to me.