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Chapter 30

Tris, fire, No

Tobias' POV

I have been over and over all of this in my mind all day. Trying to figure out who could be behind these photos. Who could be following and watching us. But I come up empty every time. No one comes to mind. Who would do this? Who would team up with the monstrous Marcus and do this to us?

I finally gave in an hour ago and contacted my father's right-hand man, Amar. I told him to meet me at the café near what once was my father's house. Sure, I could ask him these questions over the phone and hope that he doesn't lie, but then I know I wouldn't be able to tell if he was lying over the phone. There is one thing that I learned about Amar was that I learned how to tell if he was lying. It's a very subtle tell, a sudden glance of his eye towards the right when he speaks... Like I said, it's very subtle.

" Tobias?" Amar greets me and I stand up to shake his hand like I did so many times before. No matter how deceived I feel right now I also still respect him. Obviously, Marcus was no father. Amar was closer to that for me than he ever was.

Flashback

The anger inside of me causes me to punch a hole in the wall. My breath is heavy in my chest, moving up and down quickly. I can't slow down; I can't stop so I punch the wall again. He said he'll be back. He said to have the house clean by the time he gets back. Although it might be my blood on the floor, I wasn't the one that spilled it again. Tired of the thought of spending another night cleaning my own blood out of the carpet. Picking up broken glass that was shattered and not to mention attending to my own wounds. I punch the wall again not caring about the hole, not caring about the pain that I feel. It hurts my back. The blood that has saturated my shirt is now dripping down my pants. I don't care.

" Tobias?" A gentle voice comes from beside me. I flinch at the sound of my name. I hate it. I wish I didn't have it. I wish I was never born. I wish my mother never had me. I stop, dropping my hand to the side as I turn to face Amar. " Son, you are hurt." He says, reaching around to touch my back, but I flinch and push his hand away. I know the touch will hurt more if I allow it. I see the recognition in Amars eyes." Son, please let me help you," is all he says. I trust him. I allow him to guide me to the bathroom. He sat me on the rim of the tub turning on the warm water and grabbing a towel. He begins to clean me by peeling my shirt from my wounds little by little. I don't say a word. There's nothing to say, this isn't the first time he has helped me.

" What happened this time?" He asks eventually, when the blood is more under control.

" I missed a spot on a dish." I sobbed. Like that is a reason for him to do what he did to me. I'm only twelve, I can make mistakes, can't I? What's his excuse?

" Oh my dear boy, your father never needed an excuse. He just likes to. "

" I hate my name," I simply say.

" Well then you don't have to be Tobias. You can be someone else when you're not in his house. Only use the name Tobias for him." He replies.

" I don't understand." I take a moment thinking over what he just said to me. I have a calm demeanor on my face when I realize exactly what he meant.

" You are Tobias when you are here and when you're not here you are not Tobias, you are someone else."

" So, who am I?" I asked.

" Choose a name. But be careful, you only get to choose once." He answers.

I take a moment to think, not sure exactly what to make myself. I don't want anything that is the norm like Bobby, Billy, Eric, that's just not me. So, who am I, is the dilemma that plays in my head.

" What are you afraid of?" He asked." You don't have to tell me, just count with your fingers." I unfold one finger by one, counting the number of fears that I have. There's fear of heights, there is claustrophobia, (that fucking closet), then there's hurting someone innocent, (I don't want to be like him) and of course Marcus. "Four?" He says to me, looking down at my unfolded fingers. And in my head is the confirmation." Four, it is."

That's the day I became Four and Tobias became a ghost. A ghost who only appeared in the eyes of my father. And once again, only when I feel comfortable enough and loved enough, with Tris.

End of flashback

"Amar," I greeted him. I gesture for him to take a seat across from me at the booth.

It's funny how time changes, so many times I would have preferred him over my father. I would be happy and delighted to see him. But today I feel like he is head-to-head with my father for the first time.

" How are you?" He asked.

" I've been better."

" I assume that's why you called me. What is it?" He asked with concern on his face. After all, when was the last time I needed something from him?

I slid the large manila envelope across the table to him without one word. I wait for him to pick it up and open it and pull out its contents. At first he doesn't know exactly what he is dealing with. Could I be blackmailing him? Do I have something, a last request from my father? His eyebrows crease together further when he sees that it's none of the above.

" What is this?"

" It's Tris, my daughter and me… We are being followed. I don't know who is doing it and I don't know to what extent." I straighten up in my seat, jabbing the table with my finger, showing him how upset I am about this." I will find out." That's when I see it, the small subtle tell. " You know something, don't you?" I ask. " Tell me what this is about?"

" Tobias, you know what this is. You always have known what he is capable of."

" But he's dead. I buried him. I made sure it was him. So how can this be him? I thought." I let my words trail off.

" Do you really think that just because he is dead that he can't still do this?" He asked. "You know how he is." He says. I do know how my father doesn't make threats without ensuring that he can carry them out, even if he's not the one doing the work.

" Do you know who is doing this?" I asked.

" Your father had many people willing to do what he needed."

" Do you have a name?"

" Unfortunately for your sake, I do not. However, I do know that they have already been paid, they have been told to watch you. To sit back and watch for the day that you would let your guard down. For the day that you would let this happen." He says, as he pushes one of the photos of me and Tris kissing. " I do not know how far they will take this. To what extent they were paid for."

" What should I do? How do I protect my family?"

" You should have stayed away. That was the deal. Do you see a way you can protect them? Now you have put them in danger. And for what, is it worth it?" Is it worth it? I asked myself, fuck yes, it's worth it.

" Tris and Emily are my family, I belong here with them. Emily deserves to have a father, her father. Tris shouldn't have to do this alone," I confess. I shouldn't have left in the first place; I should have stayed. I should have… To me what's done is done… I can't go back now.

" They are family. But don't you want to keep them alive?" The way that he says the word alive makes my stomach drop further than ever. Is he threatening them? If someone else is, just how far will they take it?

" What is that supposed to mean?"

" It means you may have killed them already."

" There has to be a way to stop this. There has to be a way out of this."

" My dear son, the only way out of this is if you catch him before he catches you."

" And how do I do that?"

" Think about it. You are a smart boy. If you weren't, we wouldn't be having this conversation. But whatever you do, keep your family close. Don't let them out of your sight. Because that might be all it takes for him to settle this."

Suddenly, I'm filled with worry. Emily is with Chris tonight. She is watching both of the kids. Are they safe? Tris is alone at the bakery working through the night catching up on orders. Is she safe? Are all the doors locked? Not saying one more word or even taking a second glance at Amar, I grab the pictures and I get out of my chair and rush out the door. I have to go to them. I have to protect my family.


I have no time to waste. I rush to Tris' house. I need to make sure our daughter is safe. First, I need to make sure that Chris knows exactly what is happening.

I check my watch for what is like the hundredth time. It's past 11. I contemplated on calling Tris, but I didn't want to scare her over the phone. I figured in person was best, especially for something like this.

I rush to the front door, knocking and pushing the doorbell all at the same time. Come on answer. Answer. Answer the door.

Finally, the door swings open and before me is a very sleepy, very angry Christina.

" What the hell Four." She spits out, giving me the death glare. But I don't give a shit, not right now.

" Where are the kids?" I asked, pushing myself into the house, she can't stop me.

" What do you mean? Where are the kids? It's past eleven at night, where do you think they are? They're asleep in their beds." She says with sarcasm dripping in every word that she speaks. But like I said right now at this very minute, I don't give a damn. I ignore her, questioning me, as I race up the stairs to Emily's room. It's only when I see her fast asleep with her head on her pillow that I finally relax. Just as Christina is about a few steps away from me, I rush down the hall towards her son's room. I open the door as quietly as I can, hoping not to wake anyone up. I finally let go of the breath I was holding when I see that he too is sleeping soundly.

" What the hell Four?" Christina blurts out angrily. She reaches for the doorknob, closing the door to the room as quietly as she can. When she places one hand on my upper arm, forcing me back the way I came." What the hell do you think you're doing?" She continues to blurt out.

And instead of answering her, I run my hands through my hair, pulling at the ends of the strands just slightly enough to cause me a sting. What am I doing? Right. I'm keeping everyone safe.

." I needed to see for myself," I answered.

" See what?" She asked.

" That they were safe."

" Well why wouldn't they be? They're safe in their beds asleep. Does Tris know you're here?"

Tris? Shit. I need to make sure she's Okay. I turn suddenly heading towards the front door.

" I can't explain right now. Just lock all the doors and make sure all the windows are locked and don't answer the door for anything or anyone. If something happens, call me."

" I'm not doing anything until you explain yourself. Is Tris, Okay? What is going on?"

" I'll explain everything after I check on Tris. Just for now do what I say." I close the door behind me not bothering to look back. I rushed back to my rental car, screeching the tires on the pavement as I rushed down the street and towards Tris' bakery. I have a feeling I might be too late.

I just about ran up to the front door of the bakery. Testing the door first, the door handle won't turn, it's locked. I put my hands around my face, trying to squint my eyes as much as I can to look in. There's an eerie feeling that passes through me. The bakery is quiet, dead quiet. There's not a soul in sight.

I rush around the building, there has to be a way in. I reached the back door, and I slowed my pace. The door is ajar. I slowly reach for the door, opening it, hoping that it doesn't squeak. I don't want whoever is in there to know I'm here.

Thankfully the door doesn't squeak, I kick the stand down, so it catches the door before it closes. I enter the building, cautious of every step I take. Looking around again, there is nothing but dead quiet. That's when I smell it. Smoke. My heart just about jumps out of my chest. My breath catches. I have to find her. I checked the back office first, coming up short. I checked the breakroom, again no one's there.

The roaring of the fire overthrows the quietness now. Smoke begins to fill my lungs. Wherever the fire is, I'm getting close.

"Tris, where are you?" I called out. But no answer, not a single word heard over the flames. I hear glass cracking and breaking all around me. I push myself forward, towards the kitchen. If she's anywhere it would be there.

"Tris!" I called once more. I'm thankful that this time she responded back with a moan. "Tris, love, where are you?" But all I receive back is another moan.

I lift my shirt over my nose and mouth, the air is getting harder to breathe. But I'm not leaving here without her. I look around, frantically waving, my empty hand around, wishing for the smoke to clear. And that's when I see her, Tris' limp body on the floor. Without so much as another thought I rushed to her side, kneeling beside her. The first thing I check is her breathing. It's shallow, but it's there.

"Tris," I say, wishing that she would talk to me. Say something. But she doesn't, her eyes are closed. I check her over as quickly as I can knowing that we have to get out of here. That's when I see the large gash on her head. Without thinking, I took off my shirt and pressed it against her head. She was obviously struck somehow.

"Come on, let's get you out of here." I say, knowing damn well she won't be able to hear me. My right arm sneaks under her knees, as my left hand cradles her neck. Scooping her up in my arms, I stand careful not to drop her. I work my way back towards the back door. Careful not to touch anything. The flames are getting closer now. Walls are starting to burst out with orange flames around us. I push our way out of the back door with smoke trailing behind us. A coughing spell comes up on me as I nearly lose my balance, when the first breath of fresh air fills my lungs. But I stay strong, knowing that Tris needs me now.

I hear the sirens, there not far. Help will be here soon. I place her down as gently as I can onto the curb across the street, turning around I see nothing but smoke and flames of what was once Tris' bakery.


A/N

Thoughts, concerns… Will Tris pull through? Will the bakery survive? Will they lose everything?

Find out more next week.

Revised by: FDFobsessed

Like always, happy reading everyone, stay safe and be healthy,

Trini