Deadbeat Mother

Gone

~Neela~

There are muffled voices around me, but I don’t know who they belong to. I turn and am thrown into instant regret. My body hurts as if I had been involved in a car accident or something. A moan escapes my lips, and the voices cease.

A hand gently touches my forehead, causing me to moan again. There’s a warm hand grasping mine, but I have no idea who it is. “What are we going to do? He’s going to come looking for her.”

“I know….I know. He will ask both of us. We will have to make sure that we’re seen or he will know that we know where she is. I’ve already had cleaners come in to get that room cleaned up. I told them to pack a bag of her items and make the room look ransacked. I want him to think that she ran away after everything.”

Something happened, but I don’t remember what it was. I go back in my memories, trying to recall whatever it is that led me here. I remember going back and forth with Natalia and Steven dressing me. The photo shoot went pretty well, so I was pleased with that.

I continue to go through my memories until it hit me. I remember everything that happened, and my body responds. I feel my breathing become erratic, and my heart is beating out of my chest. “Is…is she alright? What’s wrong with her?”

“Get over here! Get her stable!”

“I need that syringe! Get the paddles ready! She’s….” Darkness takes over.

~Mia~

Nokio got us out without being seen. I still have no idea how he accomplished that, but I didn’t bother to ask. I just wanted Neela out of there as safely as possible. We were loaded into a van and driven to some building.

The inside of the building resembled a hospital room with machines and a bed. I guess it pays to be rich; you can do anything you want at the drop of a hat. Neela hasn’t woken up this entire time, but she moans from time to time, so we know she’s still there.

When her body started to shake, the machines started to go crazy. The doctor moved me out of the way so he could get to her. I’m holding my breath, not knowing what to expect. I want her to be okay, and I want her to get away from that asshole.

The machines stop beeping erratically, and the medical staff slows their movements. The doctor takes off his gloves while looking at us. “It looks like she was panicking. That’s good, and that’s bad. It’s good because she wasn’t dying from her injuries, but her body really can’t take too many panic attacks. We need to get her somewhere calm so she can recover.”

Nokio runs a hand over her face and starts to pace the floor. I have no idea what to tell him. I don’t know where she could go and be away from her husband. We have to keep her safe, but she has no one in this world. “I have an idea.” I turn and look at Nokio. He’s staring at Neela and nodding his head. “I know who to call.”

“You have someone who will help us? How would that work though? Won’t Steven be able to find out that you helped Neela?” Nokio shakes his head while scrolling through his phone.

“Hopefully, he won’t think about approaching this person, but it shouldn’t matter if he does. I should be able to get her out of the area with their help. He shouldn’t be able to trace her or link me with her disappearance. The real chore will be keeping our cool and our mouths shut.” Nokio looks directly at me. “Can you do that?” I look at Neela in her unconscious state. I slowly walk over to her and sit on the seat by the bed. I stroke her cheek and push hair out of her face.

“For her, I’d do anything. I will keep my mouth shut. He’d have to kill me to get me to talk.” The room goes silent other than the beeping of the machines. I continue to stroke Neela’s cheek, silently promising her my loyalty until I die.

~Steven~

It doesn’t take long for the driver to arrive in front of Natalia’s place. I hop in the car and tell him to get to the Airbnb and hurry. We fly through the dirty streets of San Francisco. I can’t wait to get out of this s**thole of a city. I can control everything better when I get back home.

We arrive at the house, and I leap out of the car before it comes to a complete stop. I walk through the front door and find one of my guys sitting in a chair. He nods to me as I breeze past him. I don’t spare him a glance but head upstairs.

I get to our floor and take a deep breath. I slowly open the door, expecting to see Neela waiting for me. I went too far this time, and I have to find a way to make it work. I know she won’t go to the authorities, so I’m not worried about that. She won’t be able to do that reshoot, and that’s going to be a problem once Dad catches wind of that.

I step inside the room, and the place is a mess. It looks like a hurricane went through, clothes all over the place. I look where I left Neela lying, but she isn’t there. I look inside the restroom and the closet but am only met with more chaos. I slowly turn around in the room, wondering where the hell my wife is. She shouldn’t have been able to get up the way I left her. She must have had help.

I dial her number while I try to figure out how she completed her disappearing act. The call goes straight to voicemail. I call four more times, but the result is the same. I don’t see her, and I can’t reach her. It’s time to question those who know her. Someone has seen my wife, and I plan on finding out who that was.