32. On lock down.

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"Baby girl, what happened?" I heard Kristen's voice behind me, and I quickly threw my arms around his neck, crying my eyes out, hoping to find solace and comfort.

Marco, Maurice, and Kyle stood behind him.

"I... I don't know, one minute he was with me, and the next he was gone," I wheezed out, holding on to him tightly.

"I'm here, baby girl. Take it easy. We'll get him back. I'll make sure of it," he said, determination laced within his voice.

"Who would want to do something so cruel?" I questioned, calming myself down upon Kristen's reassuring words.

"He'll be back before you know it, princess... Do you remember speaking to anyone or seeing anyone suspicious?" he questioned after some time.

And I shook my head vigorously. We were so caught up in having fun; we forgot about everything around us.

After my baby brother Antonio had gone missing, I had contacted the police, then contacted Mom and Dad, in which they got home as quickly as possible. Then I contacted Steff as Kristen's phone was unreachable.

The police had done some investigation and would contact us as soon as they had a lead on the case.

Dad was upstairs trying to calm Mom down, while I was downstairs trying not to collapse from a heart attack. We were both vulnerable.

"What happened to you?" I inquired after seeing Steff's swollen blue eye as he sauntered in.

I narrowed my eyes, looking between the two. You leave them in a room for a second, and they try to start a war.

"Oh, this? I got in a fight with some dude trying to hit on Ariel," he replied, and I could tell he was lying. He was always a bad liar.

"Of course, you did," I responded, letting him know I didn't believe anything he just said.

I looked at Kristen, and his face was as clear as crystal, not a single sign of anything. His face was completely neutral, which had a worried expression just minutes ago. Of course, he was trying to hide something.

Then I saw Maria walking in, and I ran to her. "Maria, I'm so glad you're here," I whispered, hugging her as if my dear life depended on it.

I could feel her tense before she spoke. "I just heard what happened. I'm so sorry, Anna," she sobbed.

"It's not your fault, Maria. It's not as if you were the cause of this," I managed to croak out.

"I'm just glad you're home safely," I smiled weakly.

"I was out with some friends. I'm sorry I wasn't there, but we'll get through this. Don't worry," her expression mirrored mine, and I could tell she meant every word.

She then walked over to Kristen. "Thank you, Kristen, for comforting Anna after seeing what a mess she's in," she hugged on to him tightly.

If I hadn't been worried about Antonio's well-being, I would have been pissed at Maria for hugging Kristen, but I guess it was nothing more than a friendly hug.

I looked away when I saw Mom and Dad coming down the stairs. Her eyes were puffy and swollen, while Dad, on the other hand, looked like he was about to cry. But if I knew any better, I'd say he had been holding back, trying to be strong for both of them.

"I'm glad you're back home safely, Maria," Mom said, smiling sadly at her.

"Yeah, I just heard the news. How are you feeling?"

"I... I don't even know anymore," she broke down again, while Dad held her.

My heart sank just looking at my mother crying her eyes out. My eyes began to water again when I felt a hand securely snake around my shoulders. I felt calm and knew exactly who it was.

"I didn't know you had company over, Anna?" I heard Mom question. Dad must be really sick for him not to notice boys in the house.

I stood up from where I sat and introduced them to Kyle, Maurice, Marco, and Kristen, leaving out the part about Kristen and me being together as it didn't seem like the right time.

"I had requested Vicky to stay home. She was not feeling well. Will you and Maria be able to prepare something to eat on your own or have takeout just for today?" Mom looked at us with distress.

"Of course, Mom. Will you guys be okay?"

"Yeah, tomorrow's a new day. Antonio will be back by then. I need to save my strength for when he returns," she smiled with confidence and determination, heading back up the stairs with Dad by her side.

"I need to take this," Maria waved her phone up in the air and headed for the kitchen.

I didn't even want to imagine the sight of my poor baby brother, helpless, hungry, and with nowhere to go. I shuddered at the thought of something so despicable happening. I didn't even want to think beyond that point.

Tomorrow would be Monday, and I definitely had no reason to be going to school while Antonio was still missing. I smiled sadly at the thought of me bringing him to school.

"There you go again, overthinking everything. I don't want you doing anything irrational. Promise me you won't," Kristen whispered in my ear from behind, still holding on to me.

"I can't promise you that, Kristen. That's my brother we're talking about. I can't stop myself from wanting to do everything within my power to have him with me again. I'd do anything nonsensical to protect the ones I love," I responded, grimacing towards the end of my statement.

"You leave me with no choice but to have you on lockdown until we manage to bring Antonio back," he told me and stood up from my spot.

"Over my dead body will I sit around and watch while Antonio's out there, exposed to God knows what!" Did he really expect me to be okay with what he just said?

"Bella, I meant what I said, and that's final," he spoke, leaving no room for discussion. You'd think he was a grown-up instead of a teenager talking back to me as if I was his child.

"Let's see how that goes, Kristen," I dared him, not backing down.

"Your father and I came to a conclusion. I didn't want to get you involved, but he and I thought it was best for you to stay at home and increase security," he looked me straight in the eye and said.

"Excuse me? And you thought it would be best to conclude that without me? I'm not a child, Kristen. You can't order me around or do whatever you please with me. It's my life, not yours, so butt out and stop making decisions for me!" I yelled, aggravated at him for putting me in that position.

Running up the stairs, I ignored him following me, shutting the door before he could get anywhere near. I needed to calm down, and Kristen wasn't helping my situation at all.

I crawled into my bed, hoping to fall asleep, but I kept twisting and turning. Ten minutes passed, and I was still unable to sleep. Then, I felt my bed dip. His voice sounded pained, instantly making me regret my actions from earlier.

"I'm so sorry, Bella, but I just can't let you get involved. You're too precious to me. If only you knew exactly what was going on. You have no part in this, neither does Antonio. I've never had to go through losing someone important to me, but knowing you're in danger is enough to drive me insane. I promised myself to always protect you, and I will stop at nothing," he whispered, thinking I was asleep, while gently raking his fingers through my hair.

"Even if I have to die to ensure your safety."

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Here's another chapter guys, I do hope you enjoyed it!

I'm really sorry for the long wait guys😔 I saw your posts and I just knew I had to post a chapter today!

And I have to say thanks for all the motivation, you guys have always made my day, thank you!🤗😃🤗😃🤗

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