Taken 2

"Drive, now," She said, her breath quivered at the sound of sirens and Stella accelerated the car while Angelica gave directions and she drove into the shelter of the trees from the squad cars.

They were driving to an obscure location.

Stella dialled his number with shaky hands and he picked up.

"Max" She couldn't hold back tears glancing at Angelica getting a kick out of seeing her cry.

Max was moving out of the house stuffing the will in his pockets while he walked out, her voice shuddered and his chest tightened at her sobs and Mia's.

"What is it, baby, I'm here"

"Hi, hello Maxie, did you miss me?" She tilted her head.

"No more games, with Gustavo and Hugo out of the way...now here's what you're gonna do"

"No games," She said and he heard the gun click.

He heaved a sigh "No games"

She was asking for a lot, he was an illegitimate owner. He had nothing to give.

He looked at the man behind him and turned back to Gustavo holding a gun raising his hands.

"Jefe,"

His eyes softened, he still had the nerve to call him that after what he just found out.

Right now there was no room for being gentle, the gun flipped to his side and he took it, his eyebrows furrowed behind those glasses and he nodded.

This would be a wild goose chase, she didn't mention a location, he was surprised that she was patient at this point, she had the upper hand.

A lot of captors were uneasy, she just didn't show it yet.

Max checked his phone after the call, the red light blinked on their location, they just moved out from the outskirts of Madrid, she was making a run for it.

"I know where they are," He told him.

"Are you sure?"

"Trust me, Stella would never use a phone that I keep track of"

His heart leapt driving instead with Gustavo on watch.

"I never liked that woman." Gustavo said looking aside, "Your father liked to keep things on a low profile, especially his love affairs. She must be running out of business"

"I wonder what happens if we go down that road," Gustavo said, Max knew damn well what he meant.

His phone rang "It's Stella"

He picked it up and put it on speakerphone.

"You see, that bridge over the lagoon? Get over there now, drop everything I asked of you" She said and he heard Stella's muffled voice.

She sounded like Angelica had a chokehold on her.

"I'll do anything you want, on the terms that I don't see a single scratch on that baby and my wife," He said curtly holding the bag.

"You don't understand Max," She laughed, watching him from the bridge waving by the end of the bridge.

"I make the calls here, bring it over," She said, Stella set her foot right taking in sharp breaths.

"I won't unless their safety is assured," He said calmly.

Stella heard his voice on the phone.

"Come on Maxie, don't put up that attitude with me, because it'll cost you"

"But what will it cost you if I don't bring the money over?"

She heard the sirens breathing unsteadily.

They talked in Spanish and her lips quirked.

"We'll meet halfway, then it's settled"

"No games okay?" She said, her Spanish accent getting thicker.

"I'm going to meet your husband, then I'm going to kill him" She muttered in Stella's ear.

She gulped as Max was visible, he walked down the road holding a black bag.

"Ayunador!"

Stella hardened at every step he took, her heart pulsed and her eyes rolled down.

He watched her eye movements and looked down.

Angelica's eyes moved from him to her, her finger threatened to pull the trigger.

"You want her to die? Yes?" She said nodding.

Stella shook but he saw the dismay on her face and kept throwing her eyes down.

Angelica threw her gun out and he plunged missing a bullet.

Stella used the opportunity to hit her on the jaw setting the gun off again, kicking it away.

Max grovelled over to grab it.

Angelica stumbled and growled then grabbed a second gun and raised it to meet face to face with Stella at the centre of the crossfire.

Her throat bobbed when she swallowed.

Angelica's eyes moved to the bag at the side of the bridge on the verge and the police coming at Max's side.

Max's eyes were on Mia crying in a cradle, her eyes narrowed and she shot in her direction.

"Mia!"

She ran over to get the money and a gun went off shooting her in the leg she gasped staring at the blood coming from her hand grabbed the bag and ran off limping with it to make a getaway in her car.

"Die!" She shot at them while the cops ran toward her shooting, some fell over and she got in shooting repeatedly and swerved out of the bridge driving off.

Max gasped reaching over to grab her from the cradle, she jerked redfaced crying. He saw the bullet hit the spot on the road, sighing and breathing heavily kissing her forehead.

"Perdonàme" He clutched her hand. Stella rushed over and brandished him sobbing, his eyes rolled to her.

"How did you get so brave?" He asked astonished, his voice was exhausted, he reached up meaning to touch her face and groaned, she gasped at the blood on her forearms then looked at the wound behind his jacket on his shoulder.

"Dulzura" He started to lean over feeling fuzzy.

"Max!" She held Mia before he fell.