Diamonds And Deceits

She ran as fast as her legs would let her, the sound of dry grass being trampled upon breaking the silence of the night alongside her heavy breathing. She bolted through the night, looking over her shoulders every second.

The narrow alley seemed to go on and on into an endless path of darkness so heavy that it gripped her heart and made breathing a struggle. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she looked behind her frantically.

She saw no one behind her but she couldn't stop running and she knew that. Suddenly, she crashed roughly into a hard wall which sent her falling on her back. Panting, her eyes widened as she watched the hard wall metamorphose into a person. She didn't see his face but she saw the corner of his lips curve into a villainous smirk.

"Hello Shadow!."

Hazel shot up from the bed, beads of sweat dripping down her face. Her shirt stuck to her body and her hair was tangled, almost like a bird's nest. She drew in heavy breaths, her chest rising and falling in a desperate attempt to get herself together. It was of no use, she was shaken.

That dream! That man! That voice!.

It was all painfully familiar, very painfully. She had run away from that past, why was it haunting her now?

"Mummy!" A tiny voice pierced the darkness.

Hazel turned abruptly and her gaze fell on her precious daughter, Heather. The little girl was sitting up on her crib and staring at her mother, her big blue eyes filled with worry. Hazel instantly pulled herself together, stretching her arms towards her daughter.

"Hey baby!" She mumbled, gripping Heather tightly.

"Mummy, are you okay?" Heather asked, wisely noticing her mother's discomfort.

Hazel heaved heavily. She wasn't okay. It felt like everything she thought she had walked away from was closing in rapidly. And she was scared. If her past caught up with her, then the life she worked so hard to build for herself and her daughter would be destroyed. She couldn't let that happen. She had no one to turn to and was tired of not staying in one place.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and snuggled her daughter closer to herself, she said, " Mummy is fine. It's just a bad dream."

Heather, very brilliant and sensitive, as always, said," Do you want to talk about it, mummy?"

Hazel managed a smile. She was wrong about something. Her two-year old daughter was here for her, how could she forget that?

" No baby, I'll rather let it go."

A faint glow reflected on the window curtains from the fading moonlight and Hazel immediately guessed the time.

" Come on, let's go back to sleep. It's not yet morning." She mumbled.

As Hazel tucked her daughter in and fell back in bed, her mind began to wander into an unsettling journey of dark and painful memories.

Her life had been a mess from the start. She was an illegitimate child, gotten from a drunken affair between her father and another woman outside his marriage. Her mother died shortly after giving birth to her and luckily, her father took her in despite his wife's disapproval. Was it luck? Because her life would have probably been better without her stepmother and stepsister to implant misery into her existence. Her father was there for her as much as he could, but he had to work most of the time, and then he passed away.

She had been just fifteen, she couldn't even cry, neither when he was lowered into the ground and everyone around was weeping their eyes out, nor when her stepmother directly implied that she was responsible for his death. From that point onward, her life took a drastic turn for the worse.

But she survived! She survived the countless times her stepsister took, no, stole the things that belonged to her. From bribing their teachers to exchange their grades and failing her in high school, to seducing, bribing or lying about her to the managers of all the side jobs she got so she would be fired. She survived her stepmother thwarting her scholarship into Harvard University, even though it broke her like nothing else. She scaled through the time where she got involved with the wrong people out of desperation and had to do dirty and dark things just so she could survive. She survived being forced into marriage by her supposed family, to a man who treated her like trash.

And she survived getting pregnant by a stranger because of her reckless grieving.

Hazel heaved, her eyes falling on Heather lying beside her. A mix of emotions swirled within her - love, fear and uncertainty.

Another sigh and she shut her eyes. She had a hectic day ahead and she needed all the rest she could get.

Only that, she couldn't get any!

Morning came too soon and Hazel hurried through getting herself prepared for work and her daughter for school.

As she watched her daughter climb into the school bus, she felt uneasy. There was this feeling rising in her chest but she didn't know what it was. It was like her instinct was trying to tell her something.

Maybe it was because of her dream! Hazel couldn't fathom it so she ignored it. To add to it, she had been getting this feeling a lot lately. Every morning, she felt something would go wrong but nothing ever did, so today, like other days, she pushed it aside and waved at her smiling daughter with a forced smile of her own.

The journey to her workplace was consumed by her clouding thoughts. As she walked through the path filled with fallen leaves from the autumn season, Hazel was reminded of her dream. Her heart was gripped with fear but she drew comfort from the fact that it wasn't dark.

It didn't help. It felt like she was being followed. Time and time again, she stopped and turned but there was no one. Hazel found this very uncomfortable so she picked up her pace and hurried to work. She was minutes late but also relieved. Whoever it was that was following her would not be able to come into her workplace.

Hazel managed to settle into her desk and get to work immediately, trying her best to focus and not dwell on the eerie feeling that there was someone watching her.

Why did it feel like this feeling had skyrocketed today?

As mentioned before, Hazel had gotten entangled with some very messy individuals in the underground world and it was a miracle that she got out of it alive. But one couldn't exactly walk away from the past and expect to be entirely free, especially if this past involved a life as wild as the one she had lived.

Because of this, Hazel found it very easy to believe that she was being trailed. They had finally found her and they were coming after her. All the people she had been made to wrong, they were probably coming to take their revenge.

What was going to happen to her daughter?!

Panic set in. Hazel's mind reeled as fear gripped her. She had barely made it through half of the job she had at hand when she shot out of her seat and made her way to the restroom.

Hazel washed her face and tried to calm herself down. She was beginning to have a splitting headache and nothing seemed to relieve her of the tension she felt. The room suddenly felt claustrophobic. She struggled to breath while staring at her reflection in the huge mirror.

Then her eyes fell on something.

Someone!

Hazel didn't think twice before dashing towards the person. All she saw was the back of his perfectly tailored suit as she followed behind him through the hallway. His pace increased and so did hers. When she saw him about to bend through a corner, Hazel practically ran to him.

Without thinking twice or thinking at all, she grabbed his arm and forcefully turned him around, her breath falling short as she saw who it was.

Her boss!

Hazel's grip on her boss's arm tightened, her eyes widened in alarm. Mr Larry was watching her, a look of surprise on his face at first. He waited for her to pull back and say something but all she did was stare wide-eyed at him.

" What the...?" He suddenly exclaimed, shrugging off her grasp.

" Ms Hazel, what has gotten into you?"

His tone was stern, his expression disapproving.

Hazel's face flushed as she realized her mistake.

Oh no! She thought to herself.

"I...I'm sorry, sir. I... I thought you were someone else," she stammered.

Mr Larry's eyebrows shot up.

" Someone else? This is your workplace, not a meeting ground. You'd better explain yourself, Hazel. That's no way to behave in the office."

Hazel's anxiety spiked and her palms began to sweat. She knew she'd overreacted.

" I'm so sorry, sir. It's just... a lot has been going on and I'm just on edge." She managed to say, her eyes locked on her shoes.

Mr Larry's expression softened slightly, but his tone remained firm.

" Whatever it is, Hazel, it's no excuse for acting this way in the office. You need to get your emotions under control. There's a lot to be done here and there's no space for a breakdown from anyone, especially not you."

Hazel nodded, feeling embarrassed and ashamed.

"Yes, sir. It... it won't happen again, sir."

Mr Larry nodded curtly.

"See that it doesn't. Now, get back to work."

Hazel returned to her desk, her mind reeling.

She was sure she had seen someone staring at her through the mirror. She was very sure, that's why she chased. But who was it?

Who was following her?

And why?

The rest of the day passed in a blur, Hazel's anxiety getting into the way of everything she did. Coworkers cast curious glances her way, but Hazel avoided eye contact.

At lunchtime, she sat alone in the break room, her thoughts consuming her.

Why was this happening now?

Had she finally escaped her past, only to have it catch up with her?

As she mechanically ate her sandwich, Hazel's phone buzzed. Her heart skipped for a moment as she stared at the phone warily.

For a second, she thought to just ignore it but then, curiosity got the better part of her and she eventually picked it up after drawing in a heavy breath.

It was from Heather's school. The text they sent everyday to inform parents that their kids had been dropped at home and was safe.

She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She had very little left to do then she would make a stop at the supermarket before going home to her daughter. She tried to focus on this and shake away any feeling of vulnerability.

The workday drew to a close and Hazel hurriedly took her leave. The last thing she wanted was these curious coworkers gathering around her to ask questions that were none of their business.

Hazel wasn't the friendly type, as you should have guessed. She kept to herself and didn't relate with anyone if it didn't have to do with work or her daughter. The people around her concluded that she was too full of herself and that was why she behaved that way.

Little did they know all the things Hazel had been through!

As she stepped out of the office building, a chill ran down her spine. She knew without a doubt that the person from earlier had returned. She felt like screaming.

Why wouldn't he just show his face and tell her what he wanted from her? Or what they wanted? Why were they keeping her in so much suspense?

She would lose her mind from overthinking.

Hazel's grip on her handbag tightened as fear clawed its way up her throat. Her instincts screamed warning as she quickly scanned the surrounding area.

No familiar faces. Just strangers rushing to and fro.

Then her eyes caught sight of a figure standing by a lonely corner. Tall, imposing, and shrouded in shadows. She couldn't see his face but she saw that he was dressed in the same three piece suit that she had seen before.

Hazel's heart pounded in her chest.

This had to be the person that was trailing her!

She took a deep breath and started walking, not taking her eyes from the person. As she approached the crosswalk, the figure turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Hazel quickened her pace, her senses on high alert. She knew he wasn't gone. She had to get home quickly to make sure her daughter was safe. That was the only thing that mattered at the moment.

She couldn't shake the feeling of being watched even as she navigated through the crowded market. She entered stalls and purchased goods absentmindedly, her focus remained fixed on reaching home.

Every glance over her shoulder revealed nothing. But the feeling persisted. Every sound made her jump.

As she turned a corner, she collided with a stranger. Her goods fell all about her and Hazel was just a second away from crying out in frustration. The man apologized quietly, picking up her goods for her.

She didn't see his face as she was overwhelmed with her self-pity, it was only when he walked past her that she realised something.

He was dressed in a black suit, like the figure.

Hazel's heart began racing. She stood transfixed in place for a while, contemplating if to go after the man and get her answers or go home to her daughter.

Her love for her daughter and the need for her safety overthrew all the answers she needed. Hazel held on tighter to her goods and quickly hurried home.

Someone watching her would think she had lost her mind, with the way her face loomed with worry and her legs pattered across the street without pattern.

Finally, her apartment building came into view. Relief washed over her, momentarily.

Hazel pushed opened the door and that very instant, her heart stopped. The bags in her hand dropped to the floor, spilling across the room.

The one room apartment was torn apart. The curtains ripped, the bed overturned upside down. Heather's toys and books laid everywhere in the room, abandoned.

"Heather!" Hazel managed to mumble.

She was hoping against hope that her daughter would be in there somewhere, that despite this clear evidence that her room had been broken into, her two-year old daughter would have somehow escaped them and was hiding somewhere in the room, waiting to hear her mother's voice.

"Heather!" Hazel called again, a lump forming in her throat.

There was silence.

Hazel's heart began to pound in her chest as she fell to her knees.

"Heather!" She yelled louder, her voice filled with agony.

She didn't hear her daughter respond to her call. She didn't hear any sound apart from the breaking sound of her ragged breathing. There was still silence.

A tear dropped and then it began to pour.

"No! No!" She screamed wildly.

Her world was shattered. Her baby. They had taken her.

She was gone.

Hazel's screams faded into sobs. For a minute, she managed to think without the grief clouding her mind. But the only thought that echoed in her mind were three words.

This was bad!

This was bad!

Her daughter had nothing to do with this. Why was she going through this now?

She had done everything she could to make sure her daughter would be safe from the mistakes she had made in her past. She had run away from everything and started a new life for herself. Why? Why was all this happening now?

Heather, her everything. Pain ravaged her soul. She was struggling to breathe, her eyes darting to and fro in the room.

How could this happen?

Why did she let her guard down?

Tears streamed down Hazel's face. She had seen the signs. She had noticed that something was wrong yet she ignored it every time. She should have taken action when all of this started.

She was so stupid! How could she have thought the past would go away if she ran away from it?

Hazel remained on the floor for what felt like hours. Grief consumed her. She was weakened. She was tired.

Finally, she stirred. She couldn't sit here and keep crying. Heather wouldn't save herself. She had to do something.

Police! She needed to call the police.

Hazel swallowed painfully. She didn't bother to stand up as she searched for her phone in the pile of bags and groceries. Finding it, she immediately dialed the number.

A monotone voice answered.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"My daughter's gone!" Hazel exclaimed, the panic laced in her voice.

"Ma'am, we'll need you to be more detailed please. Tell us about your daughter, how old is she? And where do you think she must have gone?"

Hazel began to stutter, her words barely coherent.

"She's just two. She... they are the ones who took her. I came home and she was gone, they broke in... they took her."

"Ma'am, please be more specific. Who's they? Do you have suspects?" The officer asked again.

Hazel struggled with the words to put her statement in place.

"It's them. The people from my past, they've come back. They took her. They broke into my house and they took her. They took my daughter away from me." Her voice was breaking at different points.

She sounded insane.

There was silence on the other side of the phone, very short but long enough for Hazel to come up with a thousand conclusions in her head.

What if the police couldn't help?

What if they hurt her daughter?

The voice finally spoke up.

"Ma'am, please can we have your address?"

Hazel mumbled the words absentmindedly and the response came.

"Someone will be there soon."

The line went dead afterwards and Hazel tried to encourage herself that help was on the way.

She waited.

She didn't even bother to pick herself from the floor. She simply remained in that position.

Twenty minutes passed and two officers arrived. Their eyes scanned the room keenly.

"Ma'am, can you explain what happened?" one officer asked.

Hazel finally got to her feet. She began to explain.

"I've been having this feeling but I ignored it. A figure has been following me. At my workplace, the market. I've had dreams, I knew something was wrong.."

The officers exchanged wary looks, their disbelief and skepticism highly palpable.

She felt a tight lump from in her throat as she said,

"You don't believe me." Her voice was light but filled with pain.

The officers exchanged looks again.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry but the police force deals with more than just dreams and instincts. We need a name or solid evidence to indicate that your daughter was taken." One of them said to her.

"Where's your husband ma'am?" The other one asked.

He quickly rephrased his statement after scanning through the room again.

" Or your daughter's father?"

" He's... we're not together." Hazel mumbled.

The officers looked at each other, yet again. This time, one let out a sigh and Hazel couldn't help but realize that this was useless.

"Ma'am, we could file a report, but...."

"But what?" Hazel pressed.

"It sounds more like a custody dispute. Maybe your husband... your daughter's father took her. She's probably in good hands."

Hazel's anger flared.

"This has nothing to do with custody." She snapped.

"My daughter's in danger. My apartment was broken into. Can't you see the mess here? How could you say my daughter is in good hands?" She queried.

The officers shrugged.

"You have no evidence, no leads. You don't even sound... " He trailed off.

She knew what he was about to say. She didn't sound sane. Hazel's frustration boiled over.

"You're not listening. My daughter's gone!"

"Ma'am, we will look into this and get back to you. Until then, avoid doing anything that may cause more problems."

" What the... ?"

" We'll take our leave now."

The officers left leaving her to face her predicament alone.

Desperation clawed at Hazel. What could she do?

A thought crossed through her mind and she latched unto it. Although, she was hesitant, she still picked up her phone and dialed a number.

A number she thought she'd never call again.

She swallowed nervously, placing the phone by her ear and waiting. The line clicked and a voice resonated through the speaker.

"Hazel Greene."

Victor Conti.

Her past she wanted to run away from. The man she had worked for as an underground agent, doing all his dirty jobs and causing havoc to the lives of the people he didn't like. The only person who knew her true identity as "Shadow".

And the only person who could have dared to abduct her daughter.

"To what do I owe this surprise call? You told me you never wanted to hear my voice again."

Hazel inhaled, telling herself that she was doing the right thing.

"My daughter, she's gone."

Silence.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Victor finally said.

Hazel's anger flared.

"Don't lie! If you didn't take her then you know something." She snapped.

"Help me!" She added, her voice pleading.

The sound of Victor's guttural laugh echoed through the phone.

"And what if I do know something?"

"I know you have her. Don't deny it.

If anything should happen to my daughter, I swear to God I'll kill you and everyone you hold dear" Hazel screamed into the phone.

He chuckled wickedly.

"You left us, Hazel. You chose to be on your own. You rebelled, but instead of hurting you, I let you go because you meant something to me." Victor said.

"Don't make me regret that, Shadow. You are on your own." He added just before the line went dead.

Hazel's desperation deepened. She let out a stifled scream, tears pouring from her eyes. She tried the line again but it didn't go through.

Hazel's thoughts turned dark. She needed help and she was going to get it, even if it involved facing Victor Conti again.

She remembered a warehouse. One of his operating lairs, it was here in Los Angeles. Maybe she'd find answers. Maybe her daughter would be there.

Hazel tossed away her sober and pathetic look and decided to take action. She was Shadow afterall. She had cracked several cases like this in the past. Yes, she had walked away from it but she was still the same person.

It was time to deploy her skills to save her daughter.

Hazel hurriedly stepped out of the house, slamming the door shut.

"I'll save you, Heather," She mumbled to herself.

She hauled a taxi and got in, telling the driver her destination.

"Sir, I need you to drive as fast as you can," She pleaded.

The driver, lucky for her, had no problem with speed. In no time, Hazel was standing at the lonely path that led to the warehouse. She put her feat aside and began walking.

A lot of things could go wrong but she decided not to think about this. If Victor didn't take her daughter, she would try to reason with him to help her. But if he did, she would fight to save her daughter.

The scene Hazel met was unexpected. The warehouse was abandoned. Silence was painfully etched in every corner. There was no bodyguards outside, as usual.

Victor Conti would never let his guard down like this.

Then rose that instinct that something was wrong but she entered anyway.

Hazel froze into place as her eyes accommodated the whole room.

Bodies! Dead bodies!

Lying everywhere in the room was Victor's men. Bloodied and massacred. The scene was gruesome.

Panic set in. Hazel's breath came in ragged gasps.

What was happening?

Who was behind this?

Hazel turned around abruptly and made her way out the way she came in. Her eyes began to water again.

What was she going to do now?

Who was going to help her now?

Suddenly, a name echoed in her mind.

Aaron.

Heather's father.

She had avoided him for years now. He didn't even know he had a daughter.

Hazel hesitated. How would he react? Would he help her?

She dialed the number. This was no time to have second thoughts. She needed help.

Aaron answered.

"Hazel?" He was obviously very surprised.

Hazel shut her eyes as she let out the words.

"Aaron, I need your help." Her voice came out as a stranded yelp.

She had no means of seeing his facial reaction but the brief silence gave his shock away.

His response was what she needed to hear but yet it threw her off guard.

"I'm on my way!"