"That's pretty high, baby. You sure?"
"Yes. Big like Cass'an!"
The words hit harder than they should have.Big like Cassian. Strong like Cassian.Already, my son was modeling himself after a man who admitted to killing people. A man who ran a crime family.
A man who looked at Leo like he was the answer to every question Cassian had never known to ask.
I pushed higher, watching Leo's dark curls fly in the wind, when Marcus's voice cut through my thoughts.
"Ma'am, we need to go. Now."
I turned, registering the tension in his posture, the way his hand hovered near his hip. "What's wrong?"
"Please, Ms. Quinn. Back to the car."
Before I could respond, tires squealed against pavement. A black van screeched to a halt directly beside the playground, so close I could have touched it.
Everything happened too fast and too slow at once.
The side door flew open. Three men in black ski masks jumped out.
"Leo, run!" I screamed, lunging toward the swing.
Marcus moved to intercept, his gun already drawn. "Get down!"
The first shot cracked through the air like thunder. Marcus stumbled backward, red blooming across his chest. He fired back even as he fell, and one of the masked men crumpled.
The other bodyguard was running toward us, shouting into his radio. Another shot. He went down.
Time splintered into fragments of horror.
I grabbed Leo from the swing, his scream piercing my ears as I tried to run. But hands seized me from behind, fingers digging into my arms.
"No!" I twisted violently, kicking backward. My heel connected with something solid. A grunt of pain.
Another man grabbed Leo, trying to wrench him from my arms. "Let go of the kid!"
"Don't touch him!" I clawed at the mask, felt my nails catch fabric and skin underneath. The man howled, but his grip didn't loosen.
Leo was sobbing, his small body trembling against mine. "Mama! Mama!"
"I've got you, baby. I've got—"
Something sharp pricked my neck. A needle. I kept fighting even as my limbs began to feel heavy, distant, like they belonged to someone else.
"Leo—" My voice sounded wrong, slurred. "Run—"
The man ripped Leo from my arms. My son's terrified face was the last thing I saw clearly, his mouth open in a scream I could barely hear anymore.
"Mama! Mama!"
I reached for him, but my arms wouldn't work. The world tilted sideways. Pavement rushed up to meet me, the impact distant and muffled.
Darkness crowded my vision. Through the haze, I saw Marcus lying in a spreading pool of red, not moving. The other guard wasn't moving either.
Are they dead? Did they die trying to protect us?
Strong arms lifted me. Carried me. The van door slammed shut, cutting off the sounds of Leo's screams.
