Mend (Care Duet, #2)

27 | mend reunions

(unedited. please comment mistakes)

"I JUST DON'T understand... you want me to take you to Vincent's place?" Anton asked Adrik who had repeated himself over and over again. Anton was usually great at being told something once and never having to question it. He didn't know what was going on with him.

"Yes," was all Adrik said.

"You keep saying yes, but you're not telling me why. Do you need me to get backup on stand-by?" Anton asked.

Suddenly, the baby began wailing. Adrik's heart dropped at the sudden sound as he looked down at Marina. Her face was turning red and her tiny fists were trailing. She was a newborn baby, he had no idea how to take care of someone so young. He read countless of books, but to actually be in the moment was completely different.

"Check her diaper or something," Anton advised. The nurse had gifted him a diaper bag that was full of things for the baby. He saw it as her way of trying to compensate for losing Avelina.

Adrik reached to the backseat and grabbed it. He opened it up and fished for diapers and wipes. Just as he had everything prepared, he adjusted Marina to peek into her diaper where he found that she was still as clean as day.

The nurse mentioned that she may feel some colic pain, but he wasn't sure if that was the reason she was crying or if she was just hungry. He put the diaper and wipes back into the bag and looked for a bottle. Luckily for him, it was already made. He opened the cap and carefully placed it in the baby's mouth.

"Can newborns drink from the bottle? I thought they needed to be breastfed. Speaking of which, where is Avelina, sir?" Anton questioned.

"She was taken from the hospital," Adrik answered. He didn't know whether or not newborns could drink from the bottle or not, but it wasn't like he had much of a choice. Marina latched onto the nipple of the bottle and began to drink, quieting her tears.

"What? By who? Vincent?" Anton questioned. Adrik turned to him with a deadpanned look.

"You are annoying me," Adrik said, repeating the words he once heard a young girl telling her little brother at a grocery store one time when he wouldn't stop talking.

"My apologies, sir," Anton stated.

Adrik turned back to his baby. He felt like a failure. Not only did he promise to always protect Marina, he once told the same thing to Avelina. He was supposed to protect her. He should've known it would be a trap. He felt it in his gut something was wrong, but he knew Avelina would never take no for an answer. So, he went, leaving her vulnerable and alone—without his protection.

Marina opened her big eyes to gaze directly at Adrik. He could feel his heart skip a beat as she continued to drink from the bottle. He only wished Avelina was there, experiencing all the outpouring of love that drained from his heart at the sight of their beautiful little girl.

"Drive faster," Adrik demanded.

Anton stepped on the gas and speeded down the road. Adrik made sure to hold onto Marina as tight as possible as they jerked back in a rush.

With Anton speeding, they were able to make it to Vincent's place in no time. Ever since Avelina refused to go back to Brazil with him, he got a second home built in New York to keep tabs on her. He hadn't been there for a long time, but the moment he got wind of Avelina's pregnancy, he rushed back and only God knew how long he was staying.

Just as Adrik stepped out of the vehicle and onto the driveway of Vincent's, guns were immediately drawn at him by Vincent's men. When they saw the baby in his hands, there was a bit of hesitation on the guards faces, but they still held their weapons up, ready to fire at any given order.

Adrik turned to shield Marina as much as he could. Anton quickly got out the car with his own weapon, ready to fire at Adrik's order.

One of the guards who, at first, seemed occupied with a phone call, slid his phone into his pocket and ordered all his men to stand down in Russian. Adrik watched as they all slowly lowered their weapons. The guard made his way over to Adrik where he nodded his head over to the house. There was tension gathering around them as they headed into Vincent's home. Adrik had his men kill their men, probably destroying families and brotherhood. However, Adrik didn't feel guilty in the slightest. An eye for an eye. Every person they killed from his mafia, he made sure to return the favor. They marched into his home, outnumbering the guards he always kept around, and destroyed it. They had everything coming to them.

Anton followed behind Adrik the entire way as they were led to Vincent's office. The moment the office door opened, guards lined up the entire room. They probably assumed Adrik was going to murder Vincent right where he sat with that smug look on his face, but that wasn't the case at all. Mainly because he knew Avelina would never forgive him.

One of the guards walked up to me and patted me down for a weapon. Once I was clear, they did the same thing to Anton. They took his gun and placed on the desk in front of Vincent with a curt nod.

With the simple wave of his hand, his guards walked out of the room and shut the door behind them. Adrik noticed the way his eyes linged on Marina—his niece.

"Where's my sister?" Vincent asked finally pulling his gaze away from the baby who had fallen back to sleep, completely oblivious to all that was happening around her.

"I do not know. I'm here because Avelina is missing," Adrik stated, getting straight to the point. Vincent's smug look quickly fell from his face.

"I have an idea of who has her, but I do not know her," Adrik explained. Just as the words left his mouth, one of the guards returned with a baby car seat.

Vincent pointed at Anton, and the guard quickly handed it over before backing back out of the room. Adrik was grateful. He couldn't move too much with Marina in his hands, and the car seat was perfect for her to sleep more comfortably. He grabbed the car seat from Anton and placed it beside him before placing Marina inside of it.

"Who?" Vincent asked.

"Camilia," Adrik said, thinking back to what Miss Paola's daughter said. Vincent froze as his brow rose.

"Repeat that," he said.

"Camilia."

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Vincent yelled. Marina woke up crying, her face suddenly scrunching up and turning red. Adrik sighed as he went to pick her back up. He had to rock her in his arms just so she could quiet down and begin to fall asleep again.

"I can hold her for you," Anton said, holding his arms out for her. Adrik was very protective of his baby girl.

"Do you even know how to hold a newborn?" Vincent asked. Regret came across his face as she turned away. He didn't mean to voice any type of concern.

"I do. I have plenty of siblings," Anton said. Reluctantly, Adrik handed Marina over to Anton who instantly smiled with her in his hands. He was rocking her just like Adrik was doing, allowing to slowly fall asleep.

"Who is Camilia?" Adrik questioned.

"She's big. One of the biggest loan sharks in the world. Camilia is a fierce bitch, and I only know this because I know her," Vincent said. He let out a loud sigh as he stood up. "I was young when she changed. After my father's death, she became someone unrecognizable. One thing about Camilia is if she wants to ruin your life, trust me when I say that she will let nothing get in the way of it. You think I'm bad? Just wait until you meet her."

"Who is it?"

Vincent shook his head. "My mother. Camilia is my mother."

—
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