AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I sat on the couch, securing Mary in my lap as I discreetly took in my surroundings. I didn’t want to ask questions on how she’d ended up in here or if she’d lived here all her life. I’d grown up in Tennessee and moved to Florida, and now, we were here, in Illinois. I doubted her existence here in this state was a coincidence.
The whole area, kitchen and living room, was one big square. You could see everything by standing in the middle of the room. I found the closest exits to be the back door by the kitchen and the front, where we’d just walked in.
“I’m renting this place. It’s an Airbnb.” Her voice was light, almost friendly.
I could almost pretend that we were having a cordial conversation if she didn’t have a gun in her hand.
I nodded vaguely. It was as though she could read my thoughts through the dimly lit room.
She went to the fridge and grabbed a water. She opened it up and chugged it down without offering us any. “So, what have you been up to lately? You’re a nanny now. How long have you been with this family?”
Small talk? Is she serious?
I stared at her, pulling Mary closer into my chest, and stayed silent, my shock turning to fury. I bit my tongue hard because if I lost my temper, this would not end well.
We weren’t going to pretend that everything was normal when it was far from it. I wasn’t going to play catch-up when I knew she didn’t care about me and she was using useless words to occupy time.
My eyes flew to the window, to the door, and back to meet her face. It was only a matter of time before Charles showed up.
“Don’t try it, Becky,” she snapped. A sudden chill hung on the edge of her words. “I need this money, and I’ll do everything I can to get it.”
The danger she was in was evident from her tone. These loan sharks, whoever she owed money to, owned her life. There was no doubt there was a bounty on her head.
“There is only one way everyone is going to get out of this safely. That’s if everybody does what I say and follows directions.” Cold eyes narrowed at me.
Mary’s eyes teetered between Kate and mine, and then tiny tears fell down her cheeks. “I want to go home. I want to go home right now. Call my daddy.” Her cries heightened, and I pulled her against me.
Kate’s voice was cold when she asked, “Can’t you get the brat to shut up?”
Mary’s cries were uncontrollable then, and my voice was equally as harsh back. “If you would be quiet, then I might be able to.”
She narrowed evil eyes on me. “I’m going out for a smoke. Give me your phone. The back door is bolted shut. There’s only one way to escape, and it’s through that front door.” She waved the gun in the air. “Don’t try it. I won’t refrain from doing what I need to do.” She tipped her chin. “Your phone.”
I didn’t hesitate. I knew my phone was one of my lifelines, but in this moment, I had to calm Mary down first. I plucked it out of my purse and slid it on the hardwood toward her.
After she was out the door, I took Mary’s heart-shaped face in my hands. “Don’t cry. You know I can’t stand to see you cry.”
She pushed out her lip. “That’s what Uncle Brad says. But this time, it’s real tears.”
I tried to smile. “Why are they not real sometimes? Can my little actress force out fake tears?”
She nodded and then laughed. “Yeah, sometimes in front of Uncle Brad.”
Man, oh man, she really knew how to work her uncles. My heart ached again, and I hoped we could both get out of this together and in one piece.
“Why is she doing this?” Mary asked.
I swallowed hard. There was so much I could tell her, but she wouldn’t understand. More than that, I wanted to keep her safe and sane and not have her worry about this crazy world around us.
This was temporary.
It was only a matter of time until Charles arrived; I could feel it. He’d have the police here, and Kate would freak. I couldn’t predict her reaction, what she’d do. But I had a plan. I just needed to execute it.
“I want to go home,” Mary repeated, her eyes filling with tears again.
The guilt was overwhelming—so much so that tears lined my own eyes. Looking at the innocence of her features, I knew what I had to do. I had to get Mary to safety and go with this woman and get her the money she needed. And make sure that my mother was put away, so she could not hurt anyone else in the future.
“You will get home. I promise.” My thumb brushed against an escaping tear. “Just remember what I told you, Mary. You can do this. Because you’re the bravest little girl I know.”
