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"LOOK AT THIS MMA GRAB-ASS BULLSHIT." Johnny muttered, shaking his head as they pushed through the sweaty, overcrowded venue. The air was thick with body odor and adrenaline, making Charlie grimace. She couldn't even remember the name of the event — just that Carmen had said Miguel would be here and they needed to find him soon.
Johnny stopped a guy in a tank top, his voice sharp. "Hector Salazar. You know him?" The man shrugged and they continued walking, unimpressed. No luck.
They entered a room dominated by a steel cage, where two fighters were locked in a brutal fight. Charlie winced as one man slammed into the cage wall with a sickening thud, letting out a cry of pain. The crowd roared in approval.
She needed to focus, they were here for Miguel not the fight. Her eyes darted over the chaos until —there! Miguel, standing near the far side of the ring with a man she presumed was his father.
"There he is!" she hissed, pointing. "Where?" Johnny and Robby asked in unison, their heads swiveling.
"Twelve o'clock," Charlie said quickly, already moving toward Miguel. Johnny groaned. "Why not just say 'straight ahead'?"
Before she could respond, two burly men stepped into their path, their eyes staring down at the bold letters: FBI.
"Move," Johnny barked, trying to shoulder past them.
The men didn't budge and rattled off something rapid-fire in Spanish. Johnny's patience snapped when one of them shoved him back. Without hesitation, he swung a punch that connected squarely with the man's nose. Blood spattered, but instead of backing down, the guy roared in anger.
The crowd erupted as if another fight had broken out for their entertainment. Phones shot into the air to record as Johnny found himself tackled by one of Hector's supposed security guards. The second man lunged for him too, pinning him to the ground. Charlie gasped as one guard raised his arm to lock Johnny's neck and choke him.
Robby hesitated for only a second before acting. "Dad!" he shouted, tossing something small and red from his pocket — the leftover pepper from earlier. Johnny caught it mid-air and squeezed it hard into his attacker's eyes. The man screamed, clutching his face as Johnny scrambled to his feet and turned the tables. Now standing over the writhing man, Johnny growled through gritted teeth: "¿Dónde Hector?"
【☆】★【☆】
CHARLIE'S LEG BOUNCED ANXIOUSLY AGAINST THE CAF FLOOR as she pressed her forehead to the glass of the window. They had driven everywhere, asked everyone, but Miguel was still missing.
Johnny's voice broke the silence. "We're almost there," he said, gripping the wheel tightly. His words were meant to reassure, but even he sounded unconvinced.
When they pulled up to the address the man had given them — the one who had so casually thrown Hector under the bus — Charlie's heart pounded in her chest. Her eyes darted across the dimly lit street, scanning every doorway and alleyway. Then she saw him.
A fragile figure stood under a flickering streetlamp, shoulders hunched, phone pressed to his ear. It was Miguel.
"Oh my God," Charlie whispered, her voice trembling. Without waiting for anyone else, she flung open the car door and stumbled out. Johnny and Robby followed close behind her.
"Miguel!" Johnny called out, his voice carrying through the air.
Miguel turned at the sound of his name, his face pale and tear-streaked. The phone slipped from his hand and dangled at his side as he stared at them, frozen in place. Charlie could see the pain etched into every line of his face, and it made her chest ache.
Charlie stepped forward cautiously as Miguel murmured something into the phone — likely to Carmen — before ending the call. His lips quivered as he tried to hold back a sob, but it broke free anyway.
Johnny reached him first, pulling him into a tight embrace. "It's okay," Johnny said softly, his voice cracking with emotion.
Miguel clung to him like a lifeline, his sobs muffled against Johnny's shoulder. Charlie stood back for a moment, giving them space even though every fiber of her being wanted to run to him.
When Miguel finally pulled away from Johnny, his red-rimmed eyes met Charlie's. Without hesitation, he threw his arms around her and held on as if letting go would shatter him completely. His grip was so tight it almost hurt, but Charlie didn't care. She wrapped her arms around him just as fiercely.
"I'm sorry," Miguel choked out against her shoulder. His voice was barely audible through his tears.
"No," Charlie said firmly, pulling back just enough to cup his face in her hands. "You have nothing to apologize for."
Miguel shook his head, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I do," he insisted. "I left without saying anything—I didn't think—"
"Miggy," she interrupted gently but firmly. "You were trying to find your dad. You don't owe me—or anyone—an explanation for that." Her own tears spilled over now as she continued, "If anything, I should've known something was wrong the second you started acting off, that's on me. I should've been there for you."
Miguel's lip trembled as he looked down, unable to meet her gaze. "I didn't mean to make you worry."
Charlie smiled through her tears and pressed a kiss to his forehead before pulling him into another hug. "You're here now," she whispered. "That's all that matters."
Behind them, Johnny and Robby had quietly retreated back to the car to give them privacy. But as Charlie led Miguel toward the vehicle after their embrace finally ended, she caught Robby's eye through the window.
Miguel was like a second son to Johnny and a brother to her, but Robby was their first. And though she felt a flash of anger at Robby for his earlier actions, she couldn't help but feel sympathy for him too. The way they had hugged the boy was practically a slap to his face.
The hurt in his expression was unmistakable. Charlie froze for a moment before offering him a small smile—a silent gesture of understanding and reassurance. Robby hesitated but returned it with a faint nod.
✧ • • 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗘 𝗜𝗦 𝗪𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 • • ✧ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
boring boring chapter and you shall get Eli + Charlie next don't worryyy !!
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