Beautiful Mistake (Mistake #1)

by Laiza Millan

  Emma didn't realize she was crying until she chuckled, the wetness dropping to her cheek. "Oh wow."

  This is... this is so odd, he's not even down on one knee, but who cares when he's proposing to her! But oh wow...

  She was speechless.

  "This is going to sound so fucking cliché," Drake laughed nervously, leaning back and standing up. "But I don't care anymore."

  Oh shit.

  Everyone around them was starting to notice them, yet neither Emma nor Drake even cared.

  Drake swallowed hard, taking her hand as he slowly bent one knee and let his other knee drop on the floor.

  Oh goodness, Emma is starting to freak out...

  He took a box from his pockets and opened it, revealing the most simple yet beautiful silver ring she has ever seen.

  "There's no one else there, Emma. You're it." Drake shrugged, looking completely at ease. Though, the shaking of his hands told her the opposite. "Will you marry me?"

  Emma covered her mouth, muffling the sounds of her embarrassingly nervous cries, "Drake... I don't know what -"

  "Say yes." Drake suggested playfully, finally appearing nervous. He even bit his bottom lip, a gesture that told her she was anxious.

  After a few more seconds of silence, she swallowed hard and tried to get her breathing to a normal steady pace. "Drake, I... I mean, you don't -"

  Ring! Ring!

  "Damn it!" Emma cursed, her phone ringing and vibrating against her thigh. She took it out to click 'Ignore' but noticed she was missing ten calls from Jenna and a text.

  Drake, who was looking upset and disappointed, noticed the look on her face. He quickly stood up and placed his hand on her cheek, "Emma? Emma what is it?"

  Emma stared at her phone, "I don't.... I don't know. It's Jenna; she called me ten times and left a text message that doesn't really make any sense!"

  She stared up at him, wanting to give her his answer, but to her utter surprise, he shook his head.

  "It's okay, Emma." He gently said, trying to give her a smile. "Call her back, it might be about Aidan."

  Emma shook her head, "But -"

  Ring! Ring!

  "Answer it!" Drake insisted with a sigh, shoving his hands inside his pockets. "That way we can continue on."

  Emma stared at him for a few more seconds before nodding in defeat. ""Okay."

  She swiped her phone open and dialed Jenna's number. Right after the first ring, Jenna answered.

  Emma was greeted with the sound of Jenna's hysterical cries.

  "They had guns - and Jason and I couldn't do anything and oh - Why didn't you answer your damn phone! They left with him -"

  Emma stiffened, "What the hell are you talking about, Jenna?"

  "Drake's phone went straight to voicemail and oh - He's gone!"

  "Jenna, calm down!" Emma groaned, as Drake frowned at her. "Who's missing? What are you talking -"

  "AIDAN'S MISSING!"Jenna shouted; her voice hoarse. "They kidnapped him!"

  Emma gasped, her stare glued to Drake as she tried to process everything.

  "Emma?" Drake snapped, suddenly alerted and worried. "Baby, what's wrong?"

  When she stood up, Drake gently grabbed her arm.

  "No!" Emma cried out, "Let me go!"

  "What's wrong?" Drake asked, his voice shaking.

  "It's Aidan!" Emma cried out, the tears that were once meant for happiness, was replaced with fear.

  Drake dropped her arm, feeling scared all of sudden. It was as if his whole body was paralyzed the moment she uttered those words to him. It's about Aidan, yet what about him?

  "Someone took him, Drake!" Emma continued to cry out, pulling his arm as they rushed towards their car. Not even caring that other people were still staring at them. "Someone took our son! He's gone!"

  As if he was finally brought down to reality, Drake blinked and immediately rushed to follow her. "It's okay, love. We're going to find him."

  He doesn't exactly know who 'they' are, but he certainly has a hunch with who the suspects are; and he is going to kill them, even if it means throwing him back to the cells.

  Chapter 24

  .

  Someone took Aidan.

  Someone fucking took Aidan!

  What kind of sick assholes think it would be a brilliant idea to take a child from their parents? Not to mention parents who happen to be Emma Collins and Drake Rogers?

  Drake quickly grabbed Emma's wrist and pulled her to him. "Emma stop -"

  She felt his hand tightened, causing her to violently stop. Whirling around in anger, she placed her hand on his chest and roughly pushed him away from her. "Let me go, Drake!"

  Drake stumbled, gawking at her in surprise and hurt.

  Sorry, but right now her mind is set on saving Aidan. Making sure Aidan is back safely on her arms instead of whoever the hell took him.

  She rushed to the driver side of the car and pulled on the car door, only for it to remain unlock. With her frustration and panic increasing with every second, she tried to open the door again and screamed, "Drake, give me the keys!"

  "No!" Drake snapped back, rushing towards and pulling her away from the driver side, "You're not fit to drive, just let me do it."

  Emma was feeling hysteric, "Hurry up! Just give -"

  Drake took Emma's face with his hands and gently murmured to her, "Love, calm down. You're going to have a panic attack if you keep this up."

  Emma's breathing remained uneven and heavy as her gaze focused on Drake's determined face. His sharp blue eyes staring back at her, as she felt his thumb lightly brush her cheek while murmuring softly to her to stay calm.

  Inhale.

  Exhale.

  Breathe.

  Yes, that's it...

  Breathe...

  Fuck, he's right.

  Emma continued to stare at him, trying her best to keep her heart from leaping off her chest.

  "You know we're never going to find him if we panic like this," Drake continued to whisper, wiping the tears from her face with his thumb, "We're going to find him, okay?"

  Emma swallowed hard, and nodded.

  He's right. If they are going to find Aidan, the best way to do it is to clear their mind. The more their mind is filled with possible scenarios, the more they will panic.

  "I love you," Drake murmured, gently kissing her on the lips before guiding her to the passenger door. "But I'm going to drive. Your hands are shaking; there's no way I'm letting you drive like this, whether you like it or not."

  Emma shook her head, "But -"

  "Enough." Drake sighed, gently placing her on the passenger seat. "You might cause an accident! I'm sure Aidan wouldn't appreciate us arriving to his rescue looking like zombies - all bloodied up and shit." He teased, trying to ease his woman's tension.

  It worked, because Emma let out a nervous laugh.

  She gave Drake another kiss before closing the door, watching as he quickly rushed to the driver's side. She buckled her seat belt and swallowed hard, her heartbeat increasing even more when Drake quickly turned on the car.

  "We're going to find him, Emma." Drake repeated, "I'll find him for you."

  There's no damn way anyone is going to take their son away from him. He barely just got Emma and Aidan as a family, he is not about to lose them all in one day.

  "Where do you think Aidan is?" Emma asked, trying her best to remain calm for Drake's sake.

  She knew that he was the one who told her to remain calm and get their thoughts in order, but she can tell he is just as scared as she is.

  His knuckles turned white from tightly clutching on the steering wheel as he drove. The speed of his driving was definitely illegal. They're so damn lucky no police is around them at the moment; but right now she has to remain calm, so Drake himself can keep his own cool demeanor also.

  "I don't know, Emma." Drake muttered, after cutting off a slow driver. "But don't worry, we'll get him back."

  "I'm calling the police. Maybe Jenna already calle
d, but I'll do it again." She was already getting her cell phone out of her purse. "I'm calling them right now -"

  "They're useless." Drake scoffed, pushing the gas pedal so they can drive faster. "They're so damn slow, and they'll investigate the case which can take forever. They'll just do a damn Amber Alert, which we know the public doesn't really pay attention. All that shit can take days for results...days we can't even afford. We need Aidan back with us now. I know we should leave it to the police, but fuck that, Emma. We're looking for him now."

  "I know, Drake, but they still need to know. It's better than nothing." Emma snapped, knowing Drake's stubbornness was going nowhere. She slide her phone open and entered the number. "I have to do something right now to occupy myself."

  She works at a damn private law office as an assistant, she should have done this right away... But her mind at the time was clouded with fear of her own son's safety.

  No mother should ever go through this. At least now, Drake and herself are focused and they're attention is to bring Aidan back home.

  .

  .

  .

  "What the hell happened?" Drake growled, after kicking the door opened.

  He told himself he was going to remain calm, but the moment he kicked the door open, he lost control. He rounded at a devastating-looking Jenna, his fingers itching to throw something out of anger.

  "You promised us that you were going to watch Aidan!" He turned and shot Jason a look of disgust. "You're bloody pathetic! Both of you!"

  Jason wrapped his arms around Jenna and shook his head, "Drake, we had no choice, we -"

  "What the fuck does that mean?" Drake roared in outrage, his face painted in red as his fury and fear escalated.

  "We were threatened by gun point!" Jason tried to reason with him, "I'm so sorry, we should have done something! But two of them had a gun pointed at Jenna and I, and -"

  "You're damn right you should have done something!" Drake continued to yell, "You should have done what any man would have done and protect your fucking wife and an innocent child!"

  "I'm s-so sor-sor-sorry!" Jenna cried out, her voice breaking as she tried to talk. Emma and Drake could barely understand her.

  "Being sorry won't bring my son back, you useless bit -!" Drake roared even louder, a vein popping from his neck as his voice strained from the pressure.

  "Drake!" Emma interrupted him, grabbing his arm. "Stop it! This isn't helping!"

  He whirled around to release his anger out on her too, but stopped. His gaze spotted Aidan's teddy bear on the floor, as if it was roughly thrown there and forgotten.

  "Aidan," Drake could only muster, as he focused on the teddy bear.

  Emma followed where he was looking and let out another sob. She turned back to face Drake and tried to get him to pay attention to her instead of the stuffed toy.

  He was losing it.

  "Drake," She whispered gently, "Listen to me."

  The wildness in his eyes began to dimmer as he listened to her voice.

  "It's their fault, Emma." Drake cried out, his voice breaking as his shoulder slump. "It's our fault also because we shouldn't have left Aidan."

  "Don't." Emma gasped helplessly, feeling as if her insides are tearing apart by seeing him like this. She knows what he is feeling right now; he feels like blaming himself. She doesn't blame him, she feels the same way.

  But this isn't helping.

  He threw himself at her and tightly wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her body closer to his. He buried his face on the side of her neck, releasing his stress and anguish. "He's gone, Emma. Aidan's gone. Oh fuck! Our son is gone!"

  To Emma, it was like déjà-vu, except their roles had reversed.

  There's something about seeing a man cry that always made her heart soften with pain. Except he isn't like any other man and she's feeling the exact same agony.

  She took his head and pulled him away from her neck until his eyes opened up to hers. "Remember what you told me? Calm down, right?"

  Drake blinked, but didn't say anything.

  "Do not be hypocrite now," Emma said, kissing the tip of his nose to soothe his growing anguish. "The local law enforcement is tracking my phone with my permission. We came here to ask Jason and Jenna what happened, not to blame them with anything. It's not their fault, Drake; stuff like this happens all the time. We just happen to be the unfortunate ones."

  He stared at her, letting himself process her words.

  Emma dropped her forehead to his, closing her eyes. "Drake, I know this is horrible timing. But damn it, I lo -"

  "I know." Drake hushed her, covering her lips with his.

  Emma frowned, but didn't finish her sentence.

  Drake swallowed hard, giving her a quick kiss on the lips before straightening up. He turned back to the other couple, but didn't bother to apologize. "What did they look like?"

  Jason spoke for Jenna, knowing she still couldn't form coherent sentences. "All three of them had masks. It was one of those masks where their face is covered except for their eyes. Two of them happened to be men, based on their structure and voice. The third is a woman who has a slender figure."

  "Do you recognize their eyes?" Emma asked, hopeful. "Or even just a tad bit familiar?"

  "No. I honestly wasn't even paying attention to their voice because of how scared we were." Jason shook his head sadly, "I'm sorry, Em. They were all wearing shaded glasses, cloaking their eyes from us."

  "Fuck." Drake muttered angrily, "They must be people we really know then, if they're scared we're going to recognize their voices and eyes."

  "Did they say where they're going?" Emma asked, placing a hand on Drake's arm again to stop him from continuing.

  Jason shook his head, "No."

  "Yes." Jenna eagerly said, her sobs subsiding much to their benefit. "While the other one had Jason on the ground, the other force took Aidan away from my arms. They said that they warned you something like this was to happen and to meet them at the location."

  "What location?" Emma asked, confused. She looked at Drake and was surprised to see the recognition on his face. "Drake?"

  The location.

  Damn it.

  He dropped his head, his gaze staring at the ground. It's like the past decided to come back and haunt him. As he thought before, the fates must really hate him, because right when things are starting to become better for him, stunts like this is pulled.

  "It's our code." He muttered quietly, closing his eyes at the wave of fear washing over him again.

  "Code?" Emma turned his body around so he was fully facing her. She took his face and tried to ease the worried lines forming on his forehead. "What code?"

  He lifted his head up and sighed heavily. His eyes looked defeated, which alerted Emma even more. "I know where they are." He then glanced at Jason and Jenna, and gave them a tight nod. "I'm sorry."

  Without waiting for their reply, he grabbed Emma's hand and rushed outside back to the car.

  "What is going on?" Emma asked, once they settled in. "Drake, what is it?"

  "The gang, Emma. It's so damn obvious; I should have seen this coming. They just won't leave me alone." Drake quietly said, after they entered the freeway.

  He continued to push the gas pedal until the speed limit passed ninety. He doesn't care that there's a high possibility the highway police might catch him. He wants that, so they can follow them. "Is your phone still being tracked?"

  "Yes." Emma said, her voice revealing the fear she's feeling. But she trusts him. "I thought you said the gang is done for?"

  He stayed quiet.

  "Drake?" Emma questioned nervously, shifting her body so she can face him. "I don't... I don't understand. You are no longer part of them, right?"

  Drake felt as if an invisible fist punched his heart.

  Her voice not only revealed her fear, but he can also detect a bit of betrayal. He should have told her about the threats he had been receiving. He should have told her about his suspi
cions on Richard and Ian. He should have told her everything.

  Now they're paying the price because of his indiscretion.

  "I'm so sorry, love." Drake said, taking her hands with his. "But you can never truly be away from a gang once you're a gang member. No matter how many years or how much you get beaten up to leave."

  .

  .

  .

  "What are you saying?" She whispered, after a few minutes of stunned silence. She gently pulled her hands away from his grip, and stared out the window.

  He glanced at her and swallowed hard, "You helped my case, remember? You helped by telling my lawyer that I was forced into it. You gathered evidence like text messages and call records, and even went to the extreme by following me, without even me knowing. You recorded what you were witnessing while I was being threatened and beaten."

  "I should have stopped them." She remembered that night. "Even though you were such a huge asshole to me that time, I knew since our senior year there was something going on. So when I noticed you started behaving unlike you, I followed you."

  "Stalked me." Drake teased, his best to ease the tension.

  "For the record, I didn't personally gather the texts and calls... Your own lawyer did, thanks to me. But this was after I found out you were more than likely going to prison. I knew that your lawyer was trying, but I gave him that extra push to persuade the juries and judge that you were forced and threatened to be recruited." Emma reminded him, "The video I recorded was before all of this. I really wanted to face you and talk to you that time about us, but I couldn't. You hated me. Instead, when I saw you, you were with your so-called friends, so I hid."

  "Perfect timing then." Drake let out a force laugh. "I never hated you, Emma. I couldn't, even if I tried to."

  She bit her bottom lip, reluctant to ask the next question. "Are you... Um, are you still in contact with any of the members?"

  His grip tightened on the steering wheel.

  "Drake?" Emma worriedly ask, letting her hand gently rest on his arm.

  Drake hesitated for another second before sighing in defeat. "I think so."

  .

  .