The Perfect Gift

“This is a small carrier,” he explained. “It’s mostly used by militia and military. There should be plenty. And if not, we will go from there. Right now, this is our only choice.”

Maybe he was right, maybe going through that mess was the worst thing we could possibly do. If the other guards hadn’t even made it there yet, it would be hours before we could get to Casey. Hours in which anything could go wrong and hours that would pass while my wife and child sat terrified inside the suite, waiting for someone to help them. And what if something happened? What if they needed help and we didn’t try to get there any faster? I could never live with myself if I made the wrong decision and it cost me my family. That was something that I couldn’t even start to imagine, a fear so deep that my mind refused to let me think about it. So, seeing as Mateo had been through situations like this before and he knew the area, I decided that going along with whatever he thought was best was the right thing to do at that moment.

I nodded my head and looked out as we sped through the streets and out of the city. Right on the edge of the metropolis was a small airfield with older helicopters parked in the tall grasses. As we approached the gate, Mateo rolled down his window and nodded at the guard. The man with the large gun peered into the car and stared at me suspiciously. Mateo spoke to him quietly and they opened the gates for us. When we approached the small shack at the front, Mateo and I jumped out and hurried inside. He spoke to the man for me since I didn’t speak fluent Spanish, relaying my requests and offering to pay double when he seemed uneasy. As soon as the money was offered, he shook his head and yelled to the pilot in the background. We watched as he jogged out to the helicopter and began preparing it for flight. It was obvious that the owner had told him to make haste as he threw the contents of the chopper on the ground and readied it as fast as his hands could move. I handed over the cash to the owner and raced after Mateo, jumping in the chopper and buckling in. They pushed headphones on me so I could hear them talk and I held on tightly as the blades began to turn above us.

As the helicopter took to the air and moved into the city, I could see the droves of people moving toward the hotel. There were thousands of them carrying signs and protesting the political division within their worlds but all I could think about was Casey and Seth trapped in the top of the hotel. I had spent my entire life emboldened by the fact that I was a lone wolf, capable of any and everything on my own. My independence had been the most important aspect of my life but now, as I flew toward fate, I realized that independence meant nothing to me. I no longer felt like a lone wolf but instead like the alpha, protecting his family, keeping them close, and making sure they were safe. I wanted to have Casey and Seth by my side for the rest of my life where I could always ensure their safety. They were the only things in my life that I cared about anymore, even beyond the company and way beyond my independence. In all reality, this situation was the first time I had ever felt completely dependent on someone else to lead me in the right direction. I threw my boldness to the wind, as I didn’t want to make the wrong choice and have the consequences affect those dearest and closest to me.

We circled around the block and hovered over top of the hotel. I could see people spilling out onto the rooftop, waving their signs and tending to their injuries. The place was swarming with protesters running from the police and they had broken through the stairwell blockades that lead straight past the suites that Casey and Seth were in. My heart was beating heavily in my chest as we touched down, immediately jumping from the helicopter and making our way toward the door. I turned back to Mateo as he listened to his earpiece, nodding. He grabbed my arm and pulled me close, yelling loudly over the crowds and sound of the helicopter behind us.

“The other guys are on their way,” he yelled. “Let’s get to the suite and try to get them out.”

I nodded my head and pushed my way through the crowd of people and into the stairwell. The place was packed full of people, some injured, some hiding, but all in a chaotic state. I took a deep breath realizing that the only thing standing between me and my family were these people and though I felt for them and their plight, they were the enemy in my eyes. I pushed forward, breaking through the crowd, pushing people out of the way, and stopping for only a moment as I wrestled past those who wanted to heckle us. Mateo was behind me keeping the path clear as I shoved and pushed one step at a time. As I hit the landing where the door to the suites sat wide open, a man in a ski mask jumped in front of me. He squared up in front of the door not wanting to let me by. At that moment, Casey and Seth’s faces flashed through my mind and I ran forward plowing into the guy and rolling through the doorway. I stood up and reared back, punching him in the jaw and pushing him into Mateo.

The guy stumbled backward, grabbing his face and trying to get his footing. He looked up at me, anger flashing in his eyes, but before he could come back at me, my bodyguard grabbed him by the shoulder. The guy spun around and looked up slowly, standing a good foot and half shorter than the guard. Mateo shook his head at the man and watched as he put his hands up and ran back into the stairwell. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the reaction

he had, though I didn’t blame him since my bodyguard stood at about seven feet tall and was wider than three of me put together. It was kind of strange to think this giant man was so calm and collected in times like these. He nodded his head toward the suite door and I looked, letting out a deep breath as I noticed that the door was still there strong and secure. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the card, hoping the security systems were still intact. As I swiped the card and turned the handle, I smiled, pushing the door open and peering inside. I turned back to Mateo.

“Stay here, protect the door until the others get here,” I said. “I’m going to grab them and we can get out of here.”

He nodded his head and turned his back to me, crossing his arms and standing guard as people flooded from one emergency exit to another. I crept into the apartment wanting to be safe in my approach in case anyone had gotten in and was holding my wife and child in a dangerous manner. I looked around the living room but it was empty. I hurried into our room but nothing was there except our half-packed luggage. Slowly, I turned the corner and looked into Seth’s room but again, the place was empty. Immediately, dread filled my stomach as I walked over to the glass and looked down at the drawings Seth had done. His crayons were still all over the floor and his picture wasn’t finished.

“Casey,” I yelled in panic. “Casey where are you?”

I looked around the room for any sign of where they might have gone. Everything was just as I had left it before we went to lunch. There was no sign of a struggle, no panicked exit, nothing. As my eyes moved across the space, they landed on the bathroom door, which was closed. The light was shining through the crack underneath it so I ran over and started pounding on the door. After pounding for a moment, I stopped and listened, trying to figure out whether they were in there or not. I didn’t hear a single sound so I jiggled the doorknob and started pounding again. Either they were in there and hurt, or they were so scared they didn’t know what to do. Just the thought of them being alone and hurt sent panic through me and I pounded harder against the door. Exhausted, I let my arms hit my sides and I leaned my forehead against the door. Maybe they weren’t in there at all.

I turned to go get the guard, thinking he could take the door right off the hinges. As I stepped forward, I heard a whimper that echoed into a scream coming from the inside of the bathroom. It was Casey and she was absolutely terrified, her scream showing something was not right at all.

Chapter 28: Casey

My hands were shaking so hard I could barely even hold onto Seth. The phone still wasn’t working and I had no idea where Dex was or if he was even okay. I could hear the crowds of people yelling and running through the halls and up the emergency stairwells. The sounds of sirens echoed through the entire building and an alarm had been triggered inside the hotel. Lights flashed above the bathroom door and Seth grabbed onto me, frightened by all the sounds. I wanted so badly to calm my son, to make him feel like everything was going to be okay but I couldn’t wrap my head around what was going on enough to calm even myself. It had been hours since all of this started and we were still hunkered down in the bathroom listening to the protesters trample through the hotel. Muffled gunshots rang out below us and I wondered if people were dying or were they rubber bullets like they used in the US during riots? This had to be the worst situation I had ever been in and all I wanted to do was hear the sound of Dex’s voice, feel his comforting arms around us, and get our little boy to safety.

We sat very quietly, listening to all the sounds around us, wondering when those sounds would get closer and if they did, what I needed to do to get us out safely. In reality, the bathroom seemed like the right choice but I had ultimately cornered us, not leaving any space to make a run for it. Part of me thought about leaving the bathroom and venturing through the crowds trying to get to safety but I knew that the sight of a woman and child wasn’t as strong during these kinds of events as they would be back home. These people were angry and though I understood their plight, I couldn’t help but see them as the enemy keeping me and my son from safety. I listened carefully as the sound of fighting out in the hallway rung out and I grasped onto Seth hoping it would quickly end and move on. However, as the fighting ended I could hear the click of the front door, someone was inside the room. Footsteps echoed all around us as someone searched the space, looking for something or someone. I heard the person yell something out but between the alarms and the sounds in the hall, I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

Seth began to whimper and cry. I pulled him close, trying not to give away our hiding space. We ducked down in the tub, finding solace in the porcelain sides, listening as the footsteps grew closer. Suddenly there was a loud banging noise on the bathroom door and I covered my mouth to stifle a scream. The person banged for several moments and Seth pressed his face against my chest. When the banging stopped, I took in a slow quiet breath, hoping they would just leave. But as my shoulders began to relax they knocked loudly again, scaring Seth and me half to death. Tears flooded my eyes as I sat completely unable to do anything. I could see the shadow of the person’s shoes under the crack in the door and I sat very still. As he continued to bang on the door, I could no longer hold it in and Seth whimpered loudly as I let out a scared and frustrated scream.

“Leave us alone,” I screamed incoherently.

The banging stopped and a voice shouted over the alarms. “Casey? Casey, it’s me,” Dex shouted. “Open the door baby, it’s okay. I’m here.”

I kissed Seth on the forehead and set him down, scrambling from the tub. I grabbed the door handle and flung it open, tears flowing down my cheeks. I dropped to my knees balling as Seth climbed out and ran to my side. Dex dropped down and wrapped his arms around the both of us, squeezing us tightly and letting the emotion take over. We sat there in each other's arms for several minutes, letting the reality of safety set in. Seth wrapped his arms around Dex’s neck and refused to let go. Dex’s hands were shaking and I could tell how nervous and scared he was. He buried his face into our son's neck, a small tear flowing down his cheek.

“I’m so sorry,” he cried out. “I never meant to put you guys in this situation. I would have never brought you here if I knew this was going on. I promise I am going to get you guys out of here. We have a helicopter waiting on the roof and the jet is ready to go on the runway. Please forgive me for this, I would never put you two in harm's way, ever.”

“I know,” I said, pulling his head toward mine. “Just don’t leave my side, please. Stay with us. I was so scared that something might have happened to you. I couldn’t even start to imagine what I would do without you.”

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you, too,” I replied, closing my eyes and feeling the warmth of his touch.

“Come on,” he said standing with Seth still wrapped around his neck. “We need to get out of here.”

I shook my head yes and grabbed my cell phone, checking my pockets to make sure I had all our information. As we walked out into the living room we could hear the gunshots out in the streets. Things were getting worse than they already were. These people were no longer protesting and were now fighting for their lives. Screams could be heard out in the hallway as people raced in and out of the stairwell. I looked around the room, trying to find our things.

“What about our stuff?”

“Leave it,” Dex yelled over the sirens. “It’s just stuff. It can all be replaced, you can’t.”

I stopped for just a moment and realized what kind of man Dex had grown into. As he stood there reaching for my hand, cradling our son in his arms, and pushing us to safety, I knew that Dex was not the man I met six years before. Instead, this Dex was strong, brave, and didn’t give a damn about anything but me and our son. He truly loved us even more than I already knew and because of that, I trusted him whole heartedly with our lives. I reached out and took his hand, following behind him to the door. When we reached the hallway, there were six large bodyguards waiting for us. I nodded my head at them and smiled, knowing they were there to get us out of this situation in one piece.