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“It’s not that simple, Finn. Vincent Saint-Lambert has built himself a little army of like-minded individuals. Ones like Carter’s father, Mack. To top it all off, he has underworld connections he can call upon to defend himself with. We are not even sure if they are holding Theo at the Saint-Lambert mansion or somewhere else.” Tom rubs his hands down his face in aggravation.
“He’s there; Vincent has some sick dungeon playground underneath the mansion. Carter mentioned going there once with Theo on an errand for Vincent. It’s a bunch of alcoves and dark pathways that lead to a main room, where the cold cellars used to be. You can access the tunnels from within the house by heading to the basement, or apparently, there’s a shed or something that disguises the entrance out in the woods surrounding the property.” Mateo’s legs finally give out, and he grabs onto the back of the seat next to him to keep standing, his breath coming out in ragged pants.
Jesus, he looks like he’s about to have a panic attack or faint. Guilt rises in my body at putting him through this. I don’t want to hurt Mateo, but I can’t see any other way of forcing Tom to turn the plane around and go after Carter and Theo.
Tom shakes his head at Mateo. “Even if we could get inside Mateo, we don’t have enough manpower in Casbury anymore or weapons to force our way in there and fight to get him out. It would take days to amass the amount needed to storm the Saint-Lambert mansion.”
“We could try, though, at least try to stop Carter?” Raegan lets out in a whisper that I almost don’t catch.
“Raegan, that would put Mia in danger.” Tom pivots in Reagan’s direction.
“She’s in danger now! She has a fucken loaded gun in her mouth, threatening to blow her brains out, Tom!” Finn shouts, then turns to me, terror overtaking his features. “Mia, please, please take the gun out. I promise you; I will go back with you to get them. Please.” Finn begs, hand extended in my direction.
Returning my glance to Tom, Mateo and Finn’s pleas start to break down my resolve to see this through. I know they’re scared. Fear is dripping off them and Raegan, but I can’t back down. If being a Stratford has taught me anything over the years, it’s that we don’t show weakness and we don’t back down. Pretty sure that’s our family motto, come to think of it.
This whole mess with packing up and running back to Manhattan to protect the Stratford princess has been just that, weakness. Allowing Vincent Saint-Lambert to run me out of Casbury is backing down. I will not allow that monster to do what his son and the other kings tried years ago to accomplish. He will not break me.
“Tom, I have Mrs. Stratford on the phone.” Drew makes his way toward Tom holding a cell phone, and even from a distance, I can already hear my grandmother shouting orders in the background.
“Put it on speaker Drew,’ Tom instructs, then takes the phone from his hand, holding it in front of him, his eyes never leaving my hand that is still clutching firmly to the gun.
“Tom, what in the hell is going on there? Drew tells me my granddaughter pulled a gun on him and is currently holding a gun on herself!” Stella shouts through the line, her voice pitched and angry.
“Mrs. Stratford, Mia managed to get a hold of Drew’s gun from his leg holster.” Tom looks towards Drew with anger and disapprovement. I have a feeling Drew is going to be fired once we land this plane. I feel bad for him, but not enough to regret what I did.
“She did what? Where is my granddaughter now, Tom?”
“Standing in front of me, listening to you on speaker phone with Drew’s gun positioned in her mouth and the safety off, threatening to blow her brains out if I don’t turn this plane around.” Tom’s voice echoes in the cabin loudly and full of rage at the situation, and for a moment, I think he forgets that he’s speaking to my grandmother.
“Mia! Mia Stratford, you take that gun out of your mouth this instant. This is unbecoming behavior for a Stratford.” Stella screams through the speaker phone, her voice so high pitched that I think she might actually be losing her prized control.
“She’s not listening, Mrs. Stratford. She wants us to turn the plane around and go after Carter and Theo.” Finn replies to my grandmother’s demand.
“Carter and Theo? What do you mean, Carter and Theo? Carter should be on the plane with all of you right now.” My grandmother questions. We hear the sound of glass shattering in the background. Well, shit, Stella’s really angry. She must be throwing shit around.
“Mrs. Stratford, Carter managed to get off the plane without us being aware before takeoff. We believe he has gone after Theo in some misguided and dangerous kamikaze rescue mission.” Tom squeezes the phone in his fist so hard I’m afraid the whole thing will shatter. I know he liked Carter. I caught them deep in conversation and laughing with each other numerous times over the last couple of days. Tom has to be feeling guilty that he didn’t predict that Carter would do this. That he would run off and try to save Theo, putting himself in further danger.
“That boy is a menace to himself and others! Tom, how far are you from Manhattan at this point?” Stella questions and we can hear staff speaking and moving around her in the background. Clark’s voice can be heard giving out orders.
Tom keeps his gaze centered only on the gun I’m still holding firmly. “No more than an hour outside of North Carolina. We didn’t realize he was gone until a few minutes ago. We thought he was resting in the cabin bedroom.”
“I see.” We can hear my grandmother pulling the phone away from herself while she speaks to someone, probably Clark, in the background.
I do not doubt that they are dispatching others to bring the irrational Stratford princess under control. I have news for them. I don’t plan on going quietly. They are mistaken if they think I won’t hurt myself to prove a point. I will do whatever I must to get to Theo and Carter. Hopefully, alive and in one piece, but I’m taking nothing off the table right now as options to force Stella’s hand.
“Mia, my darling. I love you; please take the gun out of your mouth and speak to me.” Stella’s voice comes through the phone. I hear the fear in her voice, and it brings a shock to my already overwhelmed mind.
Everyone’s eyes are on me, and the strain of holding this gun in my mouth is causing sweat to trail down my back. My grandmother’s voice, filled with fear, isn’t doing great things for my resolve. I don’t want to hurt her; she genuinely loves Isabella and me. Sometimes she shows it in fucked up ways, and she will always be power-hungry and put the Stratford dynasty above all else. But she has also been the only grandmother I have ever had. She took a scared twelve-year-old broken girl under her wing and taught her how to survive and be strong.
I owe my strength and resilience in part to Stella, who never let me sit and wallow in the darkness. She fueled all my anger and rage into becoming a stronger, fiercer, and more determined version of Amelia Hamilton. Under her tutelage, Amelia Hamilton turned to dust, and Mia Stratford rose like a phoenix from her ashes.
“Mia, get up from there and try again.” Stella’s strong voice reverberates through the gym area, bouncing off all the glass and mirrored walls. I’m currently sprawled on the blue gym mats, out of breath, tears trailing down my face at how hard this is. I can’t seem to keep up with any of these activities.
Hell, I don’t want to learn self-defense; my whole body shakes. I feel like I can’t breathe and want to puke all at the same time. My instructor is off to the side, frustrated with my attempts and probably wishing she could be anywhere else but here with me. Why can’t I just be left alone?
“My name is Amelia,” I pant out in anger, rage gripping me at yet another person judging me and telling me what to do. Stella stands before me, hands on her pants-covered hips with disappointment across her stern face.
“No, darling. There is no Amelia left. She is gone. She was weak and let her emotions destroy her. You are reborn as Mia Stratford, and Stratfords are not weak. You will get up and do it again and keep doing it until you are proficient and can defend yourself. No one ever again will get the chance to hurt you, Mia. You are a Stratford now. Do you understand what I am telling you, child?”
