Ruby
��Mom, I am going,�� Everley hollered from the living room and I stood on the staircase, smiling at her. She had a small backpack slung on her shoulder.
I placed my hand on my hip and said to her, ��Did you take some light snacks along with your bottle of water?��
��Yes. I have finished my breakfast fully as well,�� she answered me.
I extended my arms towards her. ��Come and give your mom a big hug,�� I told her.
With a big grin on her face, she ran to me and I engulfed her in a hug. I knew she wasn��t going far away from me and she would return home soon, but there was a part of me feeling insecure about letting her go.
��Mom, where is Dad?�� she asked after our hug.
��Let me call him. He is probably in the study,�� I let out and took out my cell phone, dialing Vexon��s number. After he picked it up on the second ring, I questioned him, ��Come downstairs. Everley is waiting for you. Liam is already outside.��
��I am in the base of the Gladiolus. I have got some important information so I have to stay here for a while,�� Vexon informed me over the call, his voice sounding stressed.
��What about the amusement park tour you promised to go with Everley?�� I asked, lowering my voice so that Everley, who was standing right next to me, wouldn��t hear it.
��I can��t come right now,�� he announced. ��I am busy.��
��But���� before I could complete my sentence, Vexon had cut the call.
Sighing, I looked at Everley.
��Isn��t Dad coming?�� she asked, frowning.
��Let��s postpone today��s outing,�� I told her and held her hand, which she pushed away roughly.
��No! I want to go today,�� she insisted, ��Also, Liam will be there to take care of me.��
I would��ve accompanied her if I wasn��t pregnant or had Allison. But would it be okay to send her alone with Liam?
��Hey, what��s taking so long? The cab is wai���� Liam stopped midway as he got into the house and looked at us. ��What��s wrong?�� he asked and picked up Everley in his arms.
��Dad is not coming so Mom is canceling the outing,�� she answered, snuggling into Liam��s chest.
Liam smiled at me. ��Don��t worry. So what if Vexon cannot accompany us? I am there to take care of this angel. Don��t you trust me?��
Instantly, I shook my head and said, ��No, it��s not like that. I����
��Then no ifs and buts, Ruby,�� interrupted Liam, ��I will take great care of Everley.��
Should I trust Liam? I should, I mean, he is my friend and he really loves Everley. Besides, he didn��t get any proof against Vexon, so we are portraying a clean image in front of him.
��Yes, Mom, please,�� Everley almost pleaded.
I exhaled a deep breath. ��Fine. Bring her home safe and sound.��
��Yay! Thanks, Mom. You are the best!�� Everley gave me a kiss on my cheek and I watched her go out of the house with Liam.
Did I do the right thing?
___
It was already evening and Liam wasn��t picking up my calls, so was Vexon. I was watching Allison play on my bed while I continued to keep an eye on the time through my phone.
��I am really sorry I couldn��t keep my promise. I will talk to Ev and���� Vixen spoke all of a sudden, startling me.
��Vexon, don��t startle me like that,�� I said, placing a hand on my chest, letting out a sigh in relief.
��Sorry,�� he apologized with a smile, and honestly, he seemed very tired. ��See this file.�� He handed me a green file, which I took, with slight confusion.
��What should I see here?�� I inquired, opening the file.
��This is a list of people Liam arrested and slowly got promoted,�� uttered Vexon. ��I was busy because an important work in the base came up and I got this file from Mane before returning home. So, I thought we could check it together.��
��Wow. You already finished doing a background check on him,�� I said in amusement and checked the file. Liam indeed seemed like a successful cop. He caught plenty of criminals within a limited period of time. How does he do that?
Vexon went to freshen up as I continued seeing the file. I raised my eyebrows in amusement when I saw the name of Eros Walker, the most wanted criminal in the world, was arrested by Liam. He did a great job.
��So, did you find anything?�� Vexon asked, fixing his hair by standing in front of the mirror.
I mumbled, ��Liam is a great cop, Vexon. He even caught Eros Walker within seven days after he was assigned the duty to catch him. I don��t understand how he could do it because none of us ever saw Eros Walker.��
Vexon stopped brushing his hair and looked at me. ��What? How can that be? Eros Walker is a good friend of mine and I still talk to him.��
Now, I was as confused as Vexon. I showed him the picture. ��Look. This is Eros Walker, right?��
He looked at the picture as if he was scanning it with his blue orbs. ��No, Ruby. This is not Eros Walker.��
��If this is not the real Eros Walker in the jail, then who is he and how did he end up here? He even confessed to being Eros Walker and he confessed all of his crimes,�� I told Vexon, who thought for a while.
��A person does something unwillingly when that person gets forced by someone.�� Vexon started to explain it to me, ��Like, Liam is suspecting me to be the gang leader of the Gladiolus, which is why he is staying closer to us and I didn��t push him away because that would seem more suspicious. Also, I know he has something which I can use against him, so I am looking for that proof before he decides to do something dangerous to us. So, before I get proof, he harms you or any of my children, I will simply listen to his demands and abide by them. I think the same happened with this fake Eros Walker.��
��Wait, Vexon,�� I uttered, after hearing him. ��Liam is suspecting you, and this is why he contacted me, is that what you are saying?�� My heartbeat started to fasten as I waited for him to answer.
He hummed in response. ��Why, what��s wrong? Why are your hands getting cold?�� he questioned as he grabbed my hands. But hearing my next sentence, he released his warm grip from my hand.
��Vexon, Everley is out with Liam and hasn��t returned yet.��
