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My heart raced. Who was Rat? Why was he coming?
“Are you listening to me? Don’t come. It’s too dangerous.”
Dangerous? I covered my mouth with my hand.
Shit, shit, shit!
“I swear I’ll get the kid. I’ll drug her like planned. Justin’s so messed up already, he won’t suspect anything. It’ll look like a break-in. No, Rat. With the boy missing next door, cops have been in and out. It’s too risky. I’ll handle it.” Silence. “Rat? Rat, are you there? Son of a bitch, he hung up.”
My heart thundered in my chest. I backed away from the bathroom and went to my bedroom. Fear speared through my body as I locked the door.
I paced, hugging Dante firmly to my chest.
What should I do?
Maybe I had misunderstood the conversation. It was one-sided, after all.
Don’t be stupid. You know this is bad.
Maybe I could run out and tell Dad what I’d heard. He seemed to care about Dante.
No, I couldn’t do that. Tami said he was messed up, whatever that meant.
I went for my sneakers and slipped them on. It could get chilly tonight, so I put on a zip-up hoodie, securing it around Dante. It might be the middle of summer, but it was only seventy-two for a high. Already the temperature had dropped to sixty-four.
Hurry, Em. Hurry.
I emptied the contents of Dante’s diaper bag into my backpack, retrieved extra diapers and a couple of changes of clothes for him, and shoved them in. I grabbed my wallet, tucked it in with the other stuff, and closed the bag.
My heart pounded so violently, I wouldn’t be surprised if it burst out of my chest. I worried for my dad, though he didn’t deserve it. I wasn’t an evil person. I’d always care about his well-being.
I’m gonna be sick.I held my stomach, praying I didn’t fall apart.
What did Tami mean by he was “so messed up?”
Stop it.I couldn’t think of Dad right now. Little D was my priority. I needed to protect him above all else. Tami sounded as if she wanted him for some insane reason. Or more likeRatwanted him.
Thank God we were in a single-story home. Several times, I had imagined how I’d escape out of the window if the house caught on fire. After having the baby, I thought about all kinds of crazy stuff, things I had never imagined when it was only me. Not one of the scenarios had been about someone wanting to take my baby.
Bile inched into my throat as I stared at the window. The second I opened it, Dad’s alarm app would notify him. The system was silent for the windows. It only blared if the doors were tampered with when the alarm was set. Maybe Dad hadn’t turned it back on after Tami arrived.
Could I be so lucky?
If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have much time to climb out of the window and make a run for it.Mercy, I fanned my face, overcome with fear. I glanced around my room and saw my cell phone charging on the nightstand.
Crap. How can you forget that?
I stuck it into my nursing bra for quick access.
Should I block the doorway? It could buy us a little more time.
Dante’s portable Pack ’N Play was pretty lightweight, but it was something and easy to move with him strapped to my body. After putting it in place, I pushed my bed against it, trying to not make a sound, then did the same to my nightstand.
Hurry, Em, hurry.
A breath hung in my lungs, and my hands shook at my sides.
Am I really doing this? Stop questioning your instincts and go!
