“Yes, it is my wife and my child,” I said with a nod.
“It is a very dangerous time for us here in Venezuela,” he said, typing on his laptop. “I am sorry your family has to go through this. This city is usually such a lovely place to visit.”
“I was unaware of what was happening,” I said. “I just want them to be safe.”
“Not a problem,” he replied, looking up at me. “We have dispatched a team over to the hotel. They will be stationed at the elevator and any other entrances that lead up to the suite. I have also taken the liberty of calling Mateo. He will be escorting you to your meeting and wherever else you need to go while you are here.”
“Thank you,” I said, nodding my head at the large man standing in front of me.
I signed the papers for the services and headed back to the car, Mateo in tow. We jumped in and headed through the streets of Caracas, noticing several groups of people along the way. They were all holding signs and headed in the same direction. My chest felt tight and I wondered just how bad things could get. I had seen many protests in New York but I knew they were completely different in other countries, especially out here. I knew that violence was prevalent and many of the people carried weapons. I tried to take a deep breath and remember that Seth and Casey were safely tucked away in the hotel and that the security would be arriving at any moment to make sure they stayed that way. It was difficult, knowing how much I loved them and how vulnerable they were, especially this being their first real trip out of the country.
When we pulled up at the offices to sit down with my partner, I rushed inside, not wanting to waste any time. Joe had everything set up and I assured him I had sent security over to the hotel to protect Casey and Seth. He began going over the details of the deal, which the seller had completely changed since the last time I was here. It was incredibly frustrating since he was taking advantage of my time away with my family. This guy thought he had us over a barrel but there was no way I would agree to his terms. I knew he wanted to sell and he thought he could pull one over on my partner, not realizing I was the one who made the decisions. I glanced over at Mateo who was answering his phone, a look of determination crossing his face. I put down my pen and looked at him as he approached.
“I need you to see this, sir,” he said, handing me his phone.
I looked down at the screen and watched the video playing. There were thousands of people marching through the streets, chanting and carrying signs. There were police on the other side with large weapons and riot gear, striking fear into my heart. I watched to the end, recognizing the domed shaped building they were surrounding.
“When was this from?” I asked, handing the phone back to the guard.
“Sir, that is a live feed,” he said. “They have gathered at the foot of the hotel. The police are surrounding them but my people say they are expecting a standoff. Things have escalated quicker than we could have foreseen. It is getting very dangerous out there. Here in Venezuela, the police shoot first, they don’t ask questions like in your country.”
I rubbed my face with my hands, realizing this situation just got dire. I picked up my cell phone and texted my pilot, telling him to pick us up in the helicopter on top of the hotel. How did I not see this beforehand? How did I miss an extremely dangerous situation unfolding around us without seeing the danger in it all? Caracaras was in bad shape. It was like a powder keg surrounded by flames and from the looks of it, it was about to blow. I flipped to the call screen and dialed the airlines, letting them know we would be leaving as soon as possible so get the jet ready and I would call back with a destination. Everyone seemed to already be expecting the response, as news of the uprising had spread through the city like wild fire. I didn’t know what the political issues were but the protestors were angry and the police were ruthless, a mixture that promised nothing but disaster right at the feet of Casey and Seth.
“Where are you going?” Joe said, watching me stand and gather my things. “We have to give word for this deal.”
“I’m leaving and I’m taking my family to safety, I suggest you do the same thing,” I said abruptly. “Joe, it isn’t safe here. Your life is worth more. As far as the deal goes, it’s off.”
“Hey, wait!” he yelled after me.
“Tell the seller to go fuck himself, we’ll take our resort somewhere else,” I hollered over my shoulder as Mateo showed me out of the office and to the car.
The driver took off immediately but it didn’t take long before he hit traffic. I looked out the window and watched as hundreds of protestors marched past, screaming and waving their signs. On the outskirts of the blocks, I could see armored vehicles rolling forward and armed police in riot gear readying themselves for a fight. I was pretty sure the vision of men in gas masks holding rifles would be burned into my mind forever but I didn’t care about me, I just wanted to get to Casey and Seth as fast as I possibly could. I pulled out my phone and pressed Casey’s number, holding the phone to my ear. It rang three times and went to voicemail. I hung up and dialed again, getting the same response. I flipped over to the hotel’s web page and called their front desk but I got nothing more than a busy signal. Frustrated, I tried Casey’s phone again but got nothing.
I tossed my phone across the car in anger, not knowing what to do. I guessed the only thing I could do was get there as fast as I could. Casey and Seth were my life, they were everything that I always wanted and I had finally gotten it. I loved those two more than my own life and as I thought about their sweet faces, regret started to surge through my chest. I
never even thought twice as I cruised around the world, landing deals, seeing the sights, and going places. I never considered whether the places I was going were safe or not. But now, with a family, that should have been my first question. The world wasn’t a friendly place anymore and I was blinded by my luxury hotels, security, and cars, not even thinking about the fact that the world continued outside my little bubble and often not in a safe and secure manner.
Now, with Casey and Seth in my life, I had a responsibility to make sure they were safe and comfortable. I had the responsibility to look into these things before I packed them up and rushed them across the world. This was my first real test as a father and I felt like I completely failed. I walked my family directly into harm's way and didn’t even realize it until it was too late. The hotel was surrounded by angry people and angrier military and Seth and Casey were trapped on the top floor. The entire place was made of windows and there was only one real way out unless she drug Seth down a hundred flights of stairs. At that moment, I let the fear hit me straight in the heart. I felt completely vulnerable and helpless. I couldn’t do any more than I was already doing but it should have never come to that. I should have seen this coming and never come here in the first place. That asshole seller knew what he was dragging me into and when I got back, I would make sure he never sold that property to anyone. You don’t mess with the Canton family.
I took a deep breath, trying to push the fear out of my mind but it was no use. Losing Seth and Casey would be worse than losing my own life. I would be done, there would be nothing left of me. These two people were my life now and my heart and soul were invested in them. I looked up at Mateo who was listening to his boss’ instructions through his ear piece. When he hung up he looked over at me with a startled face.
“The security haven’t been able to get anywhere close,” he said. “We will have to take this matter into our own hands. The good news is, the stairwell is behind locked door from the bottom and the elevator will only work with your key, so they should be safe if they stay in their room.”
“Should be?”
“These protesters are not going to play nice and neither are the police,” he said. “When the police start moving forward, the protestors will go anywhere they can to find safety, breaking down doors, taking over businesses. I’ve seen it before. I’m being honest with you. The only thing we can do is get there and get them out.”
I nodded my head, not feeling any better at all about this situation. The helicopter I called wouldn’t be there for at least two hours. In two hours, it might be too late. We rolled through the city, getting closer as my stomach churned with fear.
Chapter 26: Casey
Things looked like they were starting to get out of hand. I watched in shock as police officers attacked protesters in the street, throwing them down and handcuffing them. There were fights breaking out everywhere and it was so jumbled that I couldn’t even tell who was who anymore. Large armored vehicles could be seen in the distance rolling toward the hotel, men in riot gear with large guns perched on top. Sirens were blasting loudly all over the place and the city’s emergency alarms were blaring from the speakers hanging off poles all around the city. I could see the merchants packing their things and running for cover, realizing this was no ordinary demonstration. Helicopters flew past the windows, shaking the glass, and playing recordings in Spanish aimed at the protesters below. Seth looked down as a man stood in the center of the street waving his flag high in the air as officers ran straight toward him with guns pointed in his direction.
“Seth,” I said, calling his attention to me so he wouldn’t see the man be tackled. “That’s a beautiful drawing. You are getting better and better at this every day.”
At the sound of shots ringing out in the streets, I grabbed Seth from in front of the window and set him on the couch, handing him his tablet to play with instead. It was getting too dangerous down there to keep watching from the windows, so I flipped on the news and kept tabs on the situation from there. The protesters were angry but the police seemed angrier and I watched as they began to clash in the streets. The situation looked like it was getting worse and worse. Fear flooded through my chest and I picked up my phone and dialed Dex. The call wouldn’t even go through and I growled, realizing the system must be flooded with calls. I watched the television, flipping back and forth between stations, reading the subtitles as fast I possibly could. As far as I knew the security never showed up but there was no way I could take the elevator downstairs to find out. If they were there, I didn’t need confirmation and if they weren’t, I would need to start thinking about how to protect Seth and me.
“What’s wrong mommy?”