Chapter 184: A Conspiracy
"Daddy? What is happening? Why are we running away like this?"
The older man glanced at his son with worry clouding his eyes. He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he hurried toward the rear exit of the hotel, his steps fast and quiet, hugging the child close to him. Only when he stepped out through the back door, scanned the alley, and saw that it was empty — no one following, no signs of danger — did he allow himself to breathe again. His eyes then shifted quickly to his son, ensuring the boy was alright and unharmed that a quiet sigh of relief escaped his lips.
"Did she say anything to you when she locked you in the bathroom?" he asked finally, his voice low and urgent as he placed the boy into the car and quickly started to drive away.
Adir’s brow furrowed as he shook his head slowly, trying to make sense of what had happened. "No," he replied after a pause. "At first, she told me that she needed my help — said we were going to prank her friend, Adam, and I thought it sounded like fun, so I agreed. But then, as soon as I stepped inside the bathroom, she shut the door behind me and locked it. She said I had to cry, and that it would make it all more believable."
Adir hesitated, his small hands fidgeting with the hem of his shirt as he added, "I waited and even cried in a fake voice... but after a while, she stopped answering me. I knocked and called her name, but it got really quiet outside. I got scared and really started crying but she still would not respond. So I pressed the button on my emergency watch, like you told me to. I didn’t know what else to do."
The man caught his son’s hand and held it tightly, as if reassuring himself that they had really escaped the danger.
"You did the right thing, Adir," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "You did so, so well. I’m proud of you. You stayed calm and remembered what to do."
As he drove, the man’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. His mind replayed the sequence of events. The sudden ping from his phone had been the emergency signal. He’d dropped everything and run towards the hotel, bursting through the hotel lobby only to see Saira in the middle of a dramatic, chaotic scene. Her voice loud. Her eyes full of tears. People gathering around. And he had known — known — something wasn’t right.
Without a word, he’d taken the elevator up to their floor and bolted to the room. He could still feel the slam of his heart when he’d shoved open the door and found Adir locked in the bathroom. He’d freed him quickly, barely giving the boy time to register what was happening before scooping him up and turning to leave.
But they hadn’t been fast enough.
Just as he reached for the door, someone else had stepped into the room — a dark silhouette — and the lights were suddenly cut, plunging everything into pitch black.
His jaw clenched at the memory. He shook his head, trying to push the images away.