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Ilya wants me. He wants me dead, and he’s taken Timothy to force us into making that happen.
Do I trust him? Never. Do I believe he’ll just hand over the baby in exchange for me? No.
But I think anything is worth a try. Timothy is just a baby.
Tears roll down my cheeks as I think of how terrified the poor baby must be. I’ve come into this home and caused a complete upheaval. There was already loss in their lives, and I came along causing a stir.
The phone next to me on the nightstand starts ringing, startling me. It’s been silent in here with only the sounds of my cries within these walls.
The phone rings out and starts again.
I’m surprised no one answered it, given the situation.
It does the same thing, and I answer just so I don’t miss something that might be important.
“Hello,” I say, steadying my voice.
“Hello, my niece,” comes the voice that fills my nightmares.
I always hear the other men laughing and see their movements. Him, though, I hear his voice the same as I am now.
“Give the baby back, you bastard!” I cry.
“Shhh shhhhh. There, there, pet, I’m offering you the chance to do something with your worthless life. If you come to me now, you might be able to save this poor child.” He chuckles, and I can just imagine his wicked face. I saw enough of it yesterday. He looked older and more evil.
“How will I get to you?” I ask. I don’t bother to contemplate the fact that Vincent told me he’d find a way. He’s used to criminals, but he doesn’t know my uncle. He doesn’t know that this man is the essence of evil and won’t think twice about killing a child.
The sooner anyone can get Timothy back, the better.
“There’s a door through the closet just to your left,” he answers. A chill runs down my spine. Fuck… fucking hell, he can see inside the house. How? When would they have been able to put cameras in?
Maybe it’s not that though. Maybe they’re just using what’s already here. Shit. That means they can see and hear what everyone else is doing, what they’re planning.
“Juliette…” he seethes and says my real name. It’s the third time now that I’ve heard it in ten years. This time, though, doesn’t have that dreadful effect it had yesterday. I feel empowered and ready to face him. “I can see you. I can see your mind as you realize that I can see you. Don’t you fucking dare try anything, or that’s it. This is a chance I won’t offer again.”
“I’m listening,” I say. I school my face and push my shoulders back. He’s not going to faze me. I won’t allow him to. This man took so much away from me. I can’t allow him to add more guilt to my heart.
“There’s a door through the closet. It’s open. It leads to the safe room. Just before you get to the safe room is another door that leads out to the back of the house. Go there and head into the woods. We’ll be there waiting by the gates for you. Go through them. We’ve disabled the cameras there.”
Oh God… I can do this. I can.
“You will give the baby back when I get to you? I won’t go anywhere until you tell me you will. He has nothing to do with this.”
“I will give him back,” he says, and I pray. I pray that this one time he might have some heart, something human to keep his end of the deal.
That’s all I want. He can do whatever he wants with me after.
I was a ghost anyway.
I died a long time ago. I’ve been a ghost in a shell of a body I called Ava Knight.
“I’m on my way.”
* * *
As I walk through the woods, I keep thinking what will happen when Vincent discovers I left.
I keep wondering what he’ll think… how I knew about the entrance to the safe passage through his room.
