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“There!” Langston shouted.
Malik had barely put the car in park before they all jumped out. “Watch my six!” Langston shouted, running to his mother, who had tears streaming down her face.
He grabbed her up, quickly removed her from the road, and placed her on her feet on the sidewalk. His mind spun, but his training kicked in as his hands touched key parts of her body that might contain strapped explosives—her limbs and her torso. As he checked, he spoke with tears in his eyes. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
“Did they strap you with anything?”
“No.”
“Did they touch you at all?” She hesitated, and his professionalism broke. “Mom!” Tears streamed down his cheeks, and she threw her arms around him.
They collapsed on the sidewalk, their cries a mix of sadness, joy, relief, and pain. After several minutes of clinging to each other, Langston finally pulled away from his mother, his expression a mix of fury and desperation.
“No one touched me. No one…” she managed to blurt out between tears.
He turned to his approaching brothers. They pulled their mother into their arms, covering her with their bodies.
“This will never happen again,” Langston assured her.
“We promise you that, Mom,” Tristan added.
Cynthia’s sobs were overwhelming. She couldn’t get herself under control because of the emotion of the reunion and the condition of the ones left behind.
Malik regarded her closely. “Have you eaten?”
“Bread and water.”
Langston’s gut knotted. “You look as if you’ve lost weight.”
“I have.”
“We need to find Lisa and Destiny. Now.”
Tristan and Malik nodded resolutely. They knew this was just the beginning of a long and grueling fight. They were ready to do whatever it took to get Lisa and Destiny back, but each of them released a sigh of relief to have regained their mother.
The foursome piled back into the car, with Langston in the driver’s seat. He peeled out of the parking lot, his eyes darting frantically back and forth as he scanned the surrounding area.
Malik addressed his mother as Tristan made a phone call. “Do you know the location where they kept you?”
“They covered my head when they took me...” Her voice wavered, and tears sprang from her eyes again. “We didn’t know what was happening. Lisa...”
Langston’s heart squeezed.
“She’s such a fierce woman. She doesn’t back down even when the odds are against her. Lisa came into the room fighting, and when they took me, she fought them again. She didn’t know they were bringing me to you; I think she thought they were going to terrorize me. Or worse.”
Cynthia shut her eyes. “I was scared to death, and all I could hear was her screaming and pleading with them to take her instead of me.” She glanced at Langston. “She was ready to lay her life down for me.” She reached for his arm and rubbed him there, the prickly hairs on his skin tickling her palm.
Langston pulled to the side of the road and got out of the car. He paced back and forth, his heart heavy and guilt crushing him with anxiety.
A door closed behind him, and a hand landed on his shoulder. “We’re getting her back.”
“What if we don’t?”
Langston stopped walking and faced Tristan.
“What if we don’t?” he repeated, his heart-shattering in the moment. “I love her. She’s the one.”
