Chapter 11 - The Van Outside the School
We had kept Matthew out of school while Grace arranged new identities and protection. On the fourth day, he asked to see his teacher. He wanted his spelling book, his class photo, and the little plant he had been growing on the windowsill.
I promised we would get them safely.
Omar planned the trip with two security cars and a police escort. We were halfway to the school when a dark van cut across the road and forced our lead vehicle onto the shoulder.
"Down!" Omar shouted.
The rear window shattered. A man in a gray jacket ran toward our car, reaching for the back door.
I pulled Matthew onto the floor and covered him with my body.
Omar hit the attacker with the car door and drove him back. The second guard tackled another man near the curb. Sirens rose in the distance.
The van sped away, but not before its passenger window dropped.
Camila stared at us from the back seat.
She did not look surprised.
She looked disappointed. Her expression was almost bored, as if the whole thing were an inconvenience that had gone on too long. I understood then that she did not see Matthew as a child. She saw him as a loose end.
At the police station, Matthew sat beside me with a blanket around his shoulders. He was shaking so hard his teeth clicked.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I should have kept you safer."
He shook his head. "Mom said grown-ups make promises when they're scared."
I had no answer.
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A detective brought in a recovered phone from one of the attackers. The last outgoing message was addressed to Camila.
It read: THE BOY IS STILL WITH HIM. NEXT TIME, WE TAKE HIM.
