AVERY, 10.
THE DOORBELL rang, and I walked round the couch Mr. Joe was lying on to get it, I don't know why he's still lying on the couch with his eyes wide open all because of a knife but I think he's just being lazy.
I opened the door to see the pizza delivery guy.
"Holy sh*t!" The pizza guy screamed, dropping the box of pizza on the doormat.
"W-why are you covered in blood?" He asked, taking a step backwards as he slipped his hand inside his vest to get his phone.
I pushed the door wider and pointed to the man lying on the couch, his head lazily fell to our direction and the pizza guy ran to the garden to vomit.
Soon, he made another phone call and dozens of police cars came over, they placed 'do not cross' signs all over the place. Their sirens attracted the neighbors, and they gathered round the scene while the women held their children far from me.
They kept asking me questions, the first one was from the nurse who cleaned me up, "What is your name?" she asked.
"Avery," I answered.
"How did it happen?" she whispered another question.
I didn't answer, I don't know how it happened. The next question was from Mrs. Joe when she came back from her trip, she wanted to grab me by my neck but was held back by the nurses at the hospital.
"I knew you were trouble! I tried to be a good foster mom and this how you little w*nch choose to repay me! You'll rot in hell! Why did you do it? Answer me, why did you do it? " Mrs. Joe shouted, disrupting the peace of the hospital.
The next question during my third month at a place called rehab, a white haired stranger that I haven't seen before. He was wearing a white suit with a white walking stick like he was from heaven, and he had two men walking behind him.
He came up under the tree where I was sitting on an empty bench with a nun showing him around.
"You say she killed her father?" the man asked the Rehab nun in a funny Spanish accent.
"Her biological mother passed away during the childbirth, the girl murdered her father when she was eight, "
"How did she do it? " the man asked with a smile, his eyes still on me.
The nun raised a brow and swallowed but continued, "She started a fire in his room and locked it up with him in it, "
"Interesting,"
"We thought she had recovered a year after so a family took her in, she killed the man not too long ago with a fruit knife. She's in the process of healing, we need to make sure she isn't dangerous—"
"Dangerous?" He scoffed and walked up to my bench and sat next to me.
"Hello, princess, "
I looked at him in his eyes.
"Those eyes speak nothing but bravery, you're really too much for this place, little one. I am Rodrigo Dela Russo and you are? "
My chest felt warm when he said those nice things, the nicest thing anyone had said to me, "Avery Reigns, "
⊰☆⊱┈──╌☆╌──┈⊰☆⊱
"Let me out of here!" I hissed, slamming my hands on the iron bars of the prison cell.
"I didn't murder anyone!" I growled.
The officer shook his head and made his way leaving me alone in the miserable enclosed place.
They mentioned Rodrigo but said nothing further about him, I knew that they had to be lying. Rodrigo was a popular figure in Tijuana, a popular businessman and real estate agent at night but a drug dealer and mafia at night.
He had successfully painted a good image and picture in the eyes of everyone, he had a good record number of connections in the police force, so it was impossible to hold him down for anything.
Most especially, he had minions to help him finish the job and get dirty for his name. But I'm not his minion, I'm his damned heiress so he had better come get me from this place as soon as possible.
I trusted Rodrigo with my life, so I'll wait for him, it probably wouldn't take a door, and I'll be out of here and all of them that laid their hands on me would pay dearly with their lives.
Days rolled into weeks and I added another tally on my wall to make it a month and still, no word from Rodrigo.
I had barely slept, and I rarely ate, but I still kept my lips shut, I wouldn't snitch on Cobra.
This could even be a test of my loyalty and readiness to take on leadership after him, so I'll keep hanging on. I lazily sat down on the small bed at a corner of my cell room, releasing the billionth sigh of frustration.
He probably hasn't forgotten about me, has he? I know he hasn't. Today was visiting day and I hope he'd come, I've been in here for far too long.
I was still taking in deep breaths, cheering myself up with images of myself at his desk, throwing around the orders and managing the affairs of Cobra.
The jiggling of keys drew me back to the world of reality where an officer is opening up the cell door.
"You have a visitor, Miss. Reigns,"
Could this be it? Was Rodrigo finally here?
"Don't do anything stupid," the officer warned as I stepped out of that cage, inhaling the aroma of early freedom.
When I got to the visiting booth, I took my seat immediately to face a dark hooded figure, covered up with a black mask.
I got a hold of the phone, "Finally, Rodrigo sent someone,"
The listener laughed deeply, and a shiver went down my spine. I think this prison cell has stupidly incorporated fear in me. I'll get it over with once I'm out. He sounded like an AI-generated voice or a demon from the deepest part of hell.
"Avery, Avery. Don't shout, you would rather not cause a scene, wouldn't you?"
"How do you know my name?"
"I do know I wasn't sent by Rodrigo,"
"What the f*ck do you mean?"
"How about an update, since we have limited time? The headquarters of Cobra has been moved to Spain with Eddie Dela Rosso heading his father's empire and you, my dear is soon to be tried in a court with a proper death sentence,"
It felt like the world was spinning, not crumbling down but heavily spinning as the name, Eddie Dela Rosso, rang over and over again in my head. The images of him smirking, "We'll see about that, " and what he said before he left, "You should go, there's a surprise waiting, "
My body was quivering in anger as I tightly grabbed the phone, "What are you trying to say?"
"You've been played, Avery. The police couldn't protect Rodrigo anymore so you had to be the bait, and it's disappointing how a smart and intelligent person like just walked right into his trap,"
I've been played? After everything I went through for Rodrigo, the reckless worthless life I've lived to advance and secure my leadership. He chose incompetent Eddie over me and locked me up in here to have me killed to save his d*mned a*s. I've waited here for a full month, praying even if I didn't believe in a God for him to show up and THIS IS WHAT I GOT?
I wasn't his heiress, I was his minion. Something even worse, his sacrificial lamb that he's preparing all these years.
"Two more minutes left, " an announcement came in.
"I can help you, Avery. I can help you get back at them and take Cobra and even something more, "
"Why the hell should I trust you? " I snapped.
"Just like you, I've been betrayed too. The key to get revenge lies in one household, "
"One minute left, "
"Household?"
"The Wellington fortune," he said, and immediately time was up, and the phones were turned off. Damn the prison.
I was forced to stand up by the police officer and when I looked up again. He was gone.