Chapter 18

~Adam

I was in a deep, restful sleep with Charlotte's soft body wrapped in my arms, when my phone began to ring. I was in a state of blissful oblivion, my mind quiet and peaceful. But the ringing of the phone jolted me awake, and my peaceful state was shattered.

I reached for the phone, trying to clear the sleep from my eyes. I saw the name on the screen, and a shiver ran down my spine. It was Gonzalez.

"Hello?" I said, my voice rough with sleep.

"Adam," he said, his tone cold and flat.

"I got your little message."

I had beaten up one of Gonzalez's men who attacked me when I went to pick up Charlotte's new car. "I don't want to be involved with the mafia anymore. Why won't they just leave me alone?"

"What do you want?" I asked, my voice tight with anxiety. I could feel my heart beating in my chest, my hands trembling.

"It's about your son, Ephraim," he said, his voice calm and even. "He's been taken, he's in Russia as we speak."

My heart pounded in my chest at the mention of Ephraim