CHAPTER TWELVE

I and Ian had fallen into a steady pattern over the last few months. Ian would pick him up on Friday nights and would have him all through the weekend, take him to school on Monday morning, and then I pick him up from school and we repeat. I just got off from work and began making my way through traffic to Mikael's school. When the gates were in my sights, I was met with quite the surprise, Mikael was standing at his school gate holding the hands of a total stranger in a black suit. Everything about him screamed danger, and my boy was in the middle of it.

I knew he was waiting for his car to come around and I had to act fast, I pulled out my pistol from my glove compartment and drove towards him but stopped two blocks down from the school. When I joined the FBI as a full staff, I had taken several self-defense classes just in case, and well here we are. I waited until he looked forward and no longer considered my car a threat before I got out slowly with my gun tucked in the back of my jeans. I snuck up behind him and kicked him hard in the back of his knee, sending him down to his knees, I quickly pulled out my gun and pointed it to the back of his head.

"Put your hands behind your head. Who are you?" He chuckled lightly and placed his hands behind his head.

"You sure you know how to use that thing, cupcake?"

"Shut up and answer the question."

"Well, if you must know. The kid's daddy pissed off my boss some time ago and he wants revenge."

"Who is this person?"

"Come on, you know I can't tell you that. So, you just hand over the kid and walk away."

"How did you get them to release Mikael to you?"

"How do you think we did it, princess?"

"Mommy, can we please just go."

"Ah, you're the kid's mother." I struck the back of his head with the butt of my gun, knocking him out, picked up Mikael and after strapping him in his car seat, I sped off. I didn't know how long it will take for the guy to wake up or how long it will take for his teammates to find him but I needed to hurry.

I blindly fumbled for my phone and called Ian, thankfully he picked on the first ring.

"Arizona, is everything okay?"

"You tell me. Who the fuck did you offend!?"

"I don't quite get you."

"Well, a man just tried to kidnap Mikael and he said you offended someone some years back."

"Where are you?"

"Driving home."

"No, don't go home. It might be a trick, a plan. Go to the office, I'll pick you up."

"Okay."

"Arizona?"

"Yes…"

"Please be safe."

I hung up and threw the phone to the passenger seat and sped up. It was a wonder that I wasn't pulled over or ran a red light, even at that, I could swear that I was going way past the speed limit. I drove into the parking lot of my office building and not long after, I saw Ian's black Benz pull up beside my car. He got out and walked to my side, trying to look around me to see if Mikael was okay.

"How are you guys?"

"As good as can be. What are we going to do now?"

"You guys are coming with me."

"Sorry, what?"

"You can't go home, Arizona. They've most likely figured out who you are to me by now and they will be after you. You have to stay with me till your place is secured, a team is already working on that."

"But what about…"

"We need to move now, Arizona, we don't have all day. We'll pick up your things on the way. Don't worry, your apartment is currently flooding with cops, we're going to be fine."

"Fine, but I'm not done."

I and Mikael transferred to Ian's car after I had appropriately parked and locked mine, and then he sped down the familiar road to my apartment. True to his words, there were cop cars outside my apartment, and thankfully their sirens were off and my neighbors weren't usually home this time of the day. The last thing I wanted was to begin answering questions that even I did not know the answer to. Ian waited in the car with Ian while I rushed into the building and packed all the things I and Mikael would need for an indefinite stay with his father.

I had three heavy bags packed and asked one of the guys with the FBI vest to help me down to the car. We were on the road once again, this time to his apartment. The atmosphere was tense, I guess we both knew there were things I wanted to say, uncomfortable things I wanted to ask but I didn't know how to ask them. Or maybe, he was the one with the uncomfortable things to say.

"What do you want to ask me, Ari?"

"What?"

"Don't play dumb, it doesn't suit you. What did you want to ask me?"

"Well, we could start with the obvious question. Who were the people who tried to kidnap Mikael and why?"

Ian swore under his breath and I noticed that his grip on the steering tightened significantly. I sat with my fingers crossed and prayed that he gave me an actual answer and not try to divert or sneak away from the question.

"Arizona, its classified information."

"Classified information that endangered the life of my son has to be declassified, Ian. It is the least you owe me after all that happened."

Yep. I know it was a low point but I was out of options. The only one left was to guilt-trip him, and pray that it works.

"Arizona, please don't do this. You don't have the clearance for this information…"

"I'm his mother, that gives me enough clearance."

"And I'm his father, I am well able to protect him…and you."

"Then just tell me, your secret is safe with me, Ian." Ian was silent for a while before he began speaking.

"They are from the Russian mob."

"What?!"

"You need to calm down, Arizona. You don't want to wake up Mikael."

"Of all the fucking people to offend in the whole of Russia, it just had to be one of the most dangerous people. You couldn't maybe offend the priest or the pastor, or…maybe not offend anybody at all?!!!"

"Calm the fuck down, Arizona, or you will just have to fill in the gaps and complete the story your damn self!!!"

That shut me up and managed to wake up Mikael, he opened his eyes and looked around the interior of the car. I smiled as I watched him from the rear-view mirror as he noticed that the posh interior wasn't Mommy's car and he began to tear up. I turned around so he could see me and held his tiny hand.

"It's okay, baby. I'm here."

"Hey, Mommy."

"Did you sleep well?" He shook his tiny head at me repeatedly with a small frown on his face.

"It's okay baby, we'll be home soon."

I realized too late what I had said, and maybe it was just me but it felt like Mikael understood it too because he smiled his megawatt smile at me and began playing and fumbling with his seatbelt. I faced front and saw Ian looking at me in the rear-view mirror, I quickly looked away before I began to entertain thoughts that I didn't have any right entertaining. It was moments like this that happened to me that I had to remind myself that Ian, Viktor, and everything we shared was all in the past now. I didn't have a problem with Mikael seeing Ian's house as home because the truth is that it is, just the same way my small, FBI and cop infested, now the high-risk apartment is his home too. But it could never be my home, even though the thought was tempting, I like to believe I have more value for myself than that plus Tatiana dearest will give me an earful and then rip me to shreds.

"Arizona, I just want to…"

"Apologize?"

"Yes, I know it is three years too late and I left on a bad note…I'm sorry."

"I know why you're doing this. You just want your conscience cleared of all guilt; you want to sleep well knowing that you've been forgiven."

"Arizona, you have to understand that I had no choice."

"You had a choice, Viktor. You had a choice to at least break up with me or give me the closure that I needed."

I saw him flinch when I called him by his undercover name, it was a low blow, I know that but just ask me if I cared that he got hurt at this point.

"Arizona, I loved you, as a matter of fact, I never stopped loving you and it was never my intention to hurt you the way I did. And if I had known that, I would have found a way."

The silence that followed his confession was so loud that it was deafening. Right now, I just wished his house would just appear right in front of us. How far was his house anyway?

"We are just around the corner from it."

It was like he read my mind, or do I still have that unhealthy habit of thinking aloud?

"Yes, you do. Home sweet home."

Ian rolled the car to a stop in front of this beautiful wooden house, it was a simple house but beautiful nonetheless.

"It's really beautiful."

"Yes, she is."