𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡

𝟖 | 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠

"So," Otto began the conversation, "who was the frog prince, chasing you?" Both of us were sitting in his car, driving to Beatrice O'Donnell's house. Under other circumstances, I would have surely laughed at the nickname that my friend gave to poor Leo, but not now. Not when my mom was maybe in danger.

There was an emotion that controlled me all the way to our destination and kept me from gushing into the baby's cry. It was...fear. The feeling of fear, screaming inside my chest that something is wrong. Fear that Leo would find me again, and so the only way to find out what has happened to my mom would slip through my fingers like the sand.

I was hoping my silence had made it clear that I don't have any intention of answering Otto's questions anytime soon. I was too worried to talk about Leo. And it was not like he deserved to be talked about. No. He didn't deserve to steal any of my precious time. However, Otto had to explain things differently because he remarked:

"All right, I'll ask about him later." One look was enough to tell him what I thought of it, and so my friend quickly changed his mind. "Or never." With contentedly lifted corners of my mouth, I let him do his job, which was driving. Otto snorted and whispered quietly:

"I only asked, so there was no awkward silence." From these words, neither of us spoke till we arrived at my mother's house. I had sworn to myself that when I'll calm down later, I'm going to thank him for his effort to help me and make it easier. I'm sure he would love me to order him food or something. He was such a great friend that I didn't deserve to have.

With shaking hands, I've opened the car door before the vehicle could stop completely, closing them with a loud bang. I knew this will make Otto angry, but at that moment, I didn't really care about anything but finding my mother.

"BE CAREFUL, THIS IS A FRAGILE JEEP NOT A FREAKING MONSTER TRUCK!" Otto yelled, but even that didn't make me stop and apologize. I admit that it was tactless of me, but I had other worries, which were eating me alive.

I was surprised to find the main door open. Please be there, mom, be there, I prayed, but my prayers were not answered. The house was as quiet as a graveyard. The little hope it was all because of the late evening hours vanished as soon as I broke into her bedroom.

She was gone.

I didn't understand why. Where did she go? Why didn't she let me know? Maybe she left a message somewhere...

I started searching – I rolled out all the drawers, looked under the bed, in the bathroom... trying to pay attention to every detail and... nothing. The clothes and toothbrush were in place. No message. What if... she didn't leave voluntarily? What if she was the reason for my father's sudden departure and strange behavior? It wouldn't be the first time that mobsters have used the loved ones, only to punish their men for their mistakes.

A voice came through the hallway.

"Ria?"

I really wished it belonged to my mother. But it was just Otto.

"Ria, goddammit, say something!" he shrieked. "Oh, here you are," he said, taking place right beside me. "What the..." Otto didn't have the time to finish his sentence because I pushed him aside, completely controlled by fear, not capable of thinking straight. Apparently, I did it too harshly because he didn't try to follow me. I wish he understood that I didn't have time to be gentle. Beatrice was gone, and I was not willing to stand here, do nothing and wait for her to reappear – dead or healthy.

I knew that the only way to find out what really happened was to go back in time. Perhaps, one camera recording will be enough.

Unusual discomfort hit me in the living room, making me think if this was the same room where my mother and I were usually watching movies and eating a bunch of sweets together. This room seemed kind of desolate and strange to me. I didn't even smell my mother's nice perfume, which was mostly all over the house. As if she disappeared from this planet.

Above the TV, there was a painting with a nice landscape. At first glance, it was like any other decoration. However, there was something atypical about it. A hidden camera which father gave there for my mother's protection. Only he and I knew about it. I thought it was stupid to watch her like that when she had no idea. That's when I shouted in his face, saying he's behaving like a psychopathic ex-husband. And behold, now this little device seemed to me like the salvation of God. It was the only way to know the truth.

Her study room also remained intact. I sat down at the table and shoved the recording from the camera into the computer.

"Fuck!" I cursed as a password request appeared on the black screen. What password?

I tried almost everything. My parents' wedding date, our address, a few common favorite songs, even my name... After all the wrong attempts, everything I could do was only laugh at myself. Am I really that stupid? Since when do mafia use names of their relatives as their passwords? I pulled my hair in frustration. I do not intend to give up because of a few letters or numbers.

Wait...something's going on, I noticed.

Yes, something was really happening. But it was nothing good. Another frame popped up on the screen, announcing that I had exceeded the trial limit. What limit? Is there such a thing? My father really thought about everything when it came to safety, I muttered irritated and supported my head with hands.

"Are you kidding me?" I yelled with frustration, zooming at the text in front of me. I had five minutes to guess this stupid password, otherwise, the recording would be deleted from the camera once and for all.