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“Just after six.” His vo
ice was closer now, and a second later, my bed dipped. “How are you feeling?” He placed his hand on my shoulder, and although the touch was light, it felt heavier than usual. Maybe it was because I’d made up my mind about what I was going to do after what happened today.
A weight sat on my chest as I stared at Curtis. He’d been there for me, and now I was willing to abandon him. But I had to do what was right for the baby and me. I couldn’t keep running from my problems. I had to face them head-on.
I tried to push myself up into a sitting position, and Curtis placed his hands under my arms to help me. “Thanks,” I murmured, moving farther back until his grip left me. He pushed his fingers through his hair, and I stared down at him, not seeing his usual work clothes. By this time, he would have normally left for the start of his shift. “Are you not going to work?” I asked.
He shook his head, causing some hair to shift over his face. “No. I want to be here in case you need me.” I opened my mouth, about to tell him I’d be okay on my own, but he placed his pointer finger over my lips and grinned. “And you can’t talk me out of it. That baby is wearing you out.”
He wasn’t wrong. The more time went by, the less I felt like a human and more like an oven cooking this baby. I was a vessel, and I was starting to break down. “Okay,” I whispered, not having the energy to fight him. My stomach rumbled again, and I groaned. “I’m starving.”
He chuckled and stared at me, his gaze not veering from mine. “Leopold brought you some soup earlier. I’ll go get it.”
Curtis stood, and I leaned forward. “Leopold is here?” He’d said he’d come and check on me, so I wasn’t surprised he’d brought me some food, although I was a bit disappointed it wasn’t his delicious pasta.
“He went home,” Curtis said, his back to me. He gripped the doorframe and turned to face me. “He wanted to stay and check on you, but I told him you were sleeping.” A muscle in his jaw ticked, and I frowned at it, but a second later, his face was neutral, and he smiled. “I’ll go get the soup and bring it to you.”
“I’ll come eat in the living room—”
“No,” he interrupted. “You need to stay in bed and rest.” He waited a beat. “I’ll be back.”
I listened as he walked back into the living room of the cabin and heard him puttering about in the kitchen. Part of me wanted to get up and do it myself, but the other part was glad I didn’t have to get out of bed. Well, unless it was to pee. I was just debating whether to get up to do my business when Curtis appeared with a tray.
“Dinner is served,” he joked and placed the tray on my lap. A bowl of steaming soup took center stage, and beside that was a bread roll that had my mouth watering at the thought of it. It was simple food, but I craved it more than anything.
“Thank you,” I murmured, already pulling the roll apart. I dipped it into the soup, then groaned as I bit into it. Within minutes I’d eaten the lot, and my stomach was much happier with me than it had been when I’d woken up.
“Better?”
I leaned my head back to look up at Curtis. “Much.”
He stood and took the tray from my lap. “Why don’t you get some more rest? I’m gonna clean up the kitchen.”
I shuffled a little on the bed, about to tell him I had to get up to use the bathroom, but the look on his face stopped me. Something had me on edge, but I couldn’t place what it was.
I’d made up my mind that I was going home. It had happened somewhere between having the first pain and now. I didn’t know how I’d get there, or what I’d do, but I knew I couldn’t stay here. I needed support from the people who loved me the most. I had to broach the subject with Curtis, but I wasn’t sure how to approach it. The last time I’d mentioned it, he’d seemed…off.
So I kept my mouth shut as he walked out of the room. It felt like I was keeping a secret, but I told myself I’d call my mom first, then inform Curtis of the plan. At least that way there was no backing out at the last minute. I knew the right thing to do because today had scared me. All I’d been able to think about was how alone I would have been having this baby, and I didn’t want time to push those thoughts away. I had to stay in the moment and do what I had to.
I reached into my bedside table and plucked out the cell I’d dismantled on the way here all those months ago. It was the burner cell Ford had given me, and I dreaded to think what I’d find once I switched it on. But before I could think about it, the baby moved, and my bladder screamed at me. I heard the front door shut and waited for several seconds, then got out of bed.
It didn’t take long for me to finish my business, and as I was walking past Curtis’ bedroom, I halted. His door was ajar, and plugged into the socket next to his bed was his charging cord. I hadn’t brought one with me when we came here—I hadn’t brought anything with me—and I knew his cord would fit my cell. I waited for a couple of seconds to see if Curtis had come back inside, but when it was silent, I sneaked into his room, grabbed the cord, and then rushed back to my bedroom.
I stood at the side of my bed and plugged my cell in, but I couldn’t wait to see what messages would pop up, so I backed away as if it was a snake about to strike. Curtis had said to stay in bed, but I wasn’t the kind of person who could sit and do nothing. I needed something to occupy my brain, so I wandered into the living room, calling, “Curtis?” as I went.
My feet carried me into the living room and I headed for the arched entrance to the kitchen, but frowned at something on the floor. It looked like Curtis had spilled something, but—was that blood? My hand flew to my mouth as I took a step closer. The unmistakable dark-red color couldn’t have been anything but blood. As I took stock of the living room and kitchen, I could see splatter up the refrigerator and on the cupboard doors, and finally, sitting on the kitchen counter was a gun with a silencer attached.
What the hell was going on?
My feet were glued to the floor as I tried to piece it all together, but my brain wasn’t working properly, refusing to click in place what was obvious and right in front of me.
I spotted Curtis out of the kitchen window. His back was to me. My feet moved to the front door, needing to get a clearer picture of what he was doing. The front screen door creaked as I opened it, and the wooden porch seemed to sway as I took two more steps and saw what he was doing. His body was bent as he dragged something, and from this position, I could see bright clothing covering the body, which he was dragging through the grassed area. But it was when I saw the mustard-colored bow tie that I stumbled back.
Only one person wore clothing like that—Leopold—and as the thought flashed in my mind, I gasped. The sound echoed, causing Curtis to halt. The seconds dragged as he turned his head in what felt like slow motion. His gaze met mine, gluing me to the spot. The light was dimming, complete darkness threatening to take over, but I could see clearly what he was doing, and he knew that.
Curtis’ body straightened, his gaze not leaving mine as he sauntered toward me like it was any other day. “I told you to stay in bed,” he said, his voice sounding bored. He didn’t seem bothered one bit by what I’d seen. “You need to learn to do as you’re told, Belle.”
My mouth opened, ready to answer him, but…I wasn’t sure what to say. I was trying to process it all, but my brain wasn’t working fast enough. It needed to catch up, asap. “What…what are you doing?” I spluttered out, needing an extra couple of seconds.
