The man chuckles and steps closer to me, still holding the baby. The baby begins to cry, each sound a dagger through my heart. I don’t realize I’m crying until I feel the moisture slide down my face and onto my shirt.
No, no, no.
This can’t be happening.
And where is Mason?
The man kneels in front of me and holds out the baby. “You have no idea how easy you’ve made all this.”
I whimper when he presses the baby against my chest, and my son’s crying eases. “Just let us go.”
The man throws his head back and laughs, and it sends chills through me. “As long as Mason cooperates, you’ll both be okay.Who would’ve thought it would be a woman who led to Mason Payne’s downfall?”
I glance up at the man. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“The Payne empire will fall,” the man continues. “You’re going to help me bring it down.”
I scowl. “I’m not going to do anything for you.”
“You will for the sake of your son.” He steps behind me and undoes my restraints. I lunge for him, but he holds out my baby. He reaches for a gun tucked into the waistband of his jeans and holds it up in the pale light of the moon.
I look directly at him. “You won’t kill us.”
The man continues to examine the gun with a smile. “Not yet, but it doesn’t mean I can’t have a little fun.”
My baby cries again, and I tentatively reach for him, never taking my eyes off the man’s face.
“Don’t do anything stupid.”
Without waiting for a response, he spins on his heels and unlatches the door.
He gives me one last look before he throws the door open, and I catch a glimpse of a hallway with dirty walls before the door slams shut. I hurry to the door and press my ear to it.
There’s nothing but cold silence on the other side.
I press my baby against my chest and sink to the floor. “It’s okay. We’re going to be okay. Daddy will find us.”
I gasp and bolt upright, my heart racing a million miles a minute.
It takes a minute for me to realize where I am and release my viselike grip on the sheets. I blink, and the room shifts into focus. A cool breeze drifts in through the open window, and moonlight illuminates a soft patch on the rug. Heaving a sigh, I let my hand fall to my stomach.
A few more moments pass while I lay there, drenched in sweat and trying to shake off the cold dread.
It was just a dream. You’re here, and you’re both safe.
But it still takes a few tries to get out of bed and stumble into the bathroom. There, I flip on the light and wince. I cup my hands together and splash cold water on my face. After patting my face dry, I grip the sink.
I’m terrified of looking at myself in the mirror, of setting foot outside this room.
You have every right to be afraid. You’ve barely scratched the surface when it comes to the kind of danger lurking outside the estate.
It hasn’t been long since Mason’s rescue, and I still wake up in a cold sweat, remembering what it felt like to be locked up in that quiet, damp room.
When I go back into the bedroom, I cup my hand over my stomach and pace.
On my fourth turn, I stop in front of the window and stick my head out. The cold wind lifts the hair from the nape of my neck and brings tears to my eyes. Still, I don’t retreat, unsettled by what’s waiting. Finally, when I start to shiver, I take a few steps back and rub my hands up and down my arms.
I can’t shake the chill that’s settled in my bones.
