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Without thinking, I lunge across the hall for the nearest door and throw it open. The cry fills the hallway, and I duck into the dark room.
There’s a crib in the center of the room, and in the center of that crib is a squirming bundle.
“I was looking for Benjamin,” I mutter, trying to practice my alibi in the few seconds I have left before Timofey finds me. “I was searching for his room, and I found it. I didn’t hear anything. I was looking for Benjamin.”
He won’t hurt me with a baby in my arms, right?
I don’t love the idea of using the child I was sent to protect as a human shield, but I guess I’ll find out how serious he was about Benjamin being his main priority.
I pluck the little baby out of the crib and cradle him against my chest. His cheeks are pink and round and he clearly has a wonderful set of lungs because he’s screaming so loudly that I don’t hear Timofey’s footsteps in the hallway until they’re on top of me.
One minute, I’m alone with Benjamin; the next, Timofey is darkening the doorway.
“What are you doing in here?” he growls.
I turn around, trying to look calm, but it feels like my heart is going to burst out of my chest. My anxiety is doing nothing to soothe the baby. Benjamin wails even louder.
“My job. I’m the nanny, right?”
His electric blue eyes narrow. “Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m as honest with you as you are with me.”
“You’re not half as clever as you think you are.”
“Who was being clever?” I ask. “I was telling the truth.”
Benjamin is still crying, but with the way Timofey is staring at me, the room feels silent. Each second stretches and warps, and I have no idea if I’m going to get away with this or not.
Suddenly, he steps forward. “Give me the boy.”
I tighten my arms around the baby, and I know I’m done for. Timofey knows it, too.
“Piper,” he snarls, “give him to me.”
“Move out of the doorway first.”
I wrap my arms around the wailing child like he’s my life preserver. Right now, he is. The police officer in the hall won’t shoot me if I’m holding Benjamin. Timofey won’t tackle me.
Maybe, somehow, I can get myself to the front door and outside.
To your bike? Genius plan, Piper. Really top shelf stuff.
Fuck, I wish I had a car. I wish I could overcome the fear that is the literal least of my worries right now and ride in one.
But even with Benjamin in my arms and Timofey blocking the doorway, I can feel my claustrophobia wrapping itself around me like an anaconda. It squeezes, reminding me I’m backed into a corner, whispering that there is no way out.
Timofey steps closer until he blocks the door from view. “You aren’t going anywhere.”
“You can’t keep me here. People will notice I’m missing.”
He leans his head to the side. “You think I’m going to hurt you.”
“You’ve done it before! You told me just before your meeting that you’d kill me yourself. Of course I think you’re going to hurt me.”
I pat Benjamin’s soft little back. His lower lip is quivering with each cry. He’s probably hungry and needs a diaper change. My fingers itch to take care of him. I want to help him.
But getting him away from Timofey Viktorov is the best help I could ever give.
