THE ENGAGEMENT CAKE

The tires of Luca's black SUV screamed against the wet Chicago asphalt as we tore through the city streets.

The dashboard clock read 10:14 PM.

I sat in the passenger seat, my uninjured hand gripping the door handle so hard my knuckles were white. The pain in my burned right palm was entirely forgotten, replaced by a paralyzing, suffocating terror.

"Call her again," Luca ordered, weaving seamlessly between two delivery trucks at eighty miles an hour.

I hit redial with trembling fingers.

The phone rang four times. Then, voicemail.

"She's not answering," I choked out, a sob finally breaking through my chest. "Chloe always answers when I'm at work. Always."

Luca didn't offer empty reassurances. He simply pressed the gas pedal harder.

"Your apartment," he said, his voice a steady anchor in my sea of panic. "Third floor, right? Is there a fire escape?"

"Yes, in the kitchen."

"Does Leo know how to use it?"

"I've told him to go out there if there's ever a fire, but he's only six, Luca. He's terrified of the dark."

We skidded around the final corner, the headlights sweeping across the brick facade of my rundown apartment building.

Parked illegally in the alleyway was a sleek, black town car. Vanessa's driver.

Before Luca even threw the SUV into park, I was out the door.

"Lily, wait!" Luca shouted, but I couldn't stop.

I sprinted up the narrow, dimly lit stairwell. My apron caught on the railing, tearing the fabric, but I kept running. I reached the third floor and froze.

The door to my apartment was wide open.

The deadbolt had been completely shattered.

"Chloe!" I screamed, rushing inside.

The living room was completely destroyed. The sofa cushions were slashed. The small television was shattered on the floor. My nursing textbooks were scattered everywhere.

"Chloe! Leo!"

Luca stepped into the apartment behind me, his gun drawn, his eyes scanning the shadows with deadly precision.

A muffled groan came from the kitchen.

I ran.

Chloe was slumped against the refrigerator, clutching her stomach. Her face was bruised, and a trail of blood dripped from her lip.

"Chloe!" I dropped to my knees, wrapping my arms around her. "Oh my god, what did they do to you?"

"Lily," she gasped, gripping my apron with shaking hands. "A man... he came in asking about the clinic. About the baby."

"Where is Leo?" I demanded, my eyes darting frantically around the empty kitchen. "Where is my son?"

Chloe coughed, tears streaming down her face. "I hid him. When the door broke, I shoved him into the pantry and told him not to make a sound."

I scrambled to the narrow pantry door and yanked it open.

Crouched in the corner, wedged behind a bag of flour, was a small boy in dinosaur pajamas. His knees were pulled tightly to his chest, and he was shaking uncontrollably.

"Leo," I sobbed, reaching out.

He looked up, his big brown eyes filled with tears. "Mommy?"

I pulled him into my arms, burying my face in his soft hair, inhaling the scent of his baby shampoo. He wrapped his little arms around my neck, holding on as if he would never let go.

"I'm here, baby. Mommy's here. You're safe."

Luca stepped into the doorway, his massive frame blocking out the destruction of the apartment. He lowered his gun, his dark eyes softening as he looked at my son.

"He found me, Mommy," Leo whispered against my neck. "The bad man opened the door."

My heart stopped. "He found you? Did he hurt you?"

"No," Leo sniffled. "He looked at me. But then his phone rang. He talked to a lady. She was really mad."

Luca stepped forward, kneeling down so he was at eye level with my son.

"Leo," Luca said gently. "I'm a friend of your mom's. Do you remember what the lady on the phone said?"

Leo looked at Luca, intimidated for a moment, but Luca's calm presence seemed to settle him.

"She said to leave us alone," Leo answered. "She said they had to go to the cold place."

Luca frowned. "The cold place?"

Leo nodded. He pulled away from me and reached into his pajama pocket. His little hand was trembling as he pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.

"I draw'd a picture of the man," Leo said.

I took the paper and smoothed it out.

It was a child's crayon drawing. It showed a tall stick figure in a black suit. But Leo had drawn something specific on the man's jacket. A bright blue logo with a snowflake in the center.

Luca stared at the drawing, his jaw clenching so hard a muscle jumped in his cheek.

"Polaris," Luca whispered.

"What?" I asked.

"It's a commercial frozen shipping company," Luca said, standing up. "My family owns it. But Vanessa manages the accounts."

He looked at me, a terrifying realization dawning in his eyes.

"They didn't just take Anna and the baby," Luca said. "They're moving them out of the country tonight. And the driver dropped this."