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Fuck.
How did this happen? How did Chad get out of prison? Hunter was upset last night, but it wasn’t about Chad, and as much as I wish we hadn’t fought about his stupid assumption that I’d gotten myself pregnant, reasoning with a drunk was impossible.
I looked around the padded room.
“Where are we?”
“There was a unit for sale next door to your salon, so I bought it.”
“Youwere my competing offer?”
“Don’t worry, Gracie. As long as you’re with me, it’ll stay in the family.”
My stomach tightened into a knot, then released. I pushed back the bile coming up my throat. Sooner or later, someone would come by, and they’d hear me and they’d catch this lunatic, wouldn’t they?
“You said we’ll be long gone. Where are we going?”
“We’re leaving for our cabin before nightfall. Get some rest. It’s a long trip.”
Fuck.
“Wait—what do you want from me?”
He looked at me like I should have already known the answer. And I did. My throat seized, locking my breath. The thing was, part of me didn’t want to hear what I already knew to be the truth.
“Get some sleep,” he barked, and I flinched.
He turned to the door.
“Wait. I can’t sleep with these on.” I showed him the zip ties again.
“Then you’re not tired enough. And don’t bother screaming. The room is soundproof.”
He left, shut the door, and locked it. The light flickered. I pushed my shoulders back and cracked my neck, releasing uncomfortable tension. I turned my head in a circle, stretching my neck muscles. My ribs ached from the fall, and my lower back pinched a nerve. I twisted my spine. It cracked, the sound lost within the walls.
I carefully made my way to the steel bed and sat on the filthy mattress. My stomach rumbled with hunger, and I looked down at my belly. “How you doing in there, peanut? You’re more like a poppy seed. Let’s hope you’ve got your daddy’s strong genes, but we’ll get through this. Just settle in and hold on.”
As time ticked away, my discomfort grew, and I switched to my side. Where was Hunter and what was he doing? Was he aware Chad was free? When I left him last night, he was pissed drunk and likely passed out somewhere. What the hell did Scar tell him? Why would he assume I’d gone to the clinic behind his back? I went for a check-up and found out I was pregnant. I was about to tell him we were going to have a baby.
“I miss you, Hunter. Argh!”
I kicked my feet into the mattress with a groan. The blood boiled in my veins. I should have never allowed Scar to follow me around like a dog—although if he’d done a better job, I wouldn’t be here. And if I’d listened to my gut at the party, I could have avoided Chad altogether. I had a feeling something was off, and it wasn’t Hunter’s drinking. We should have stayed in Costa Rica. I wished I’d waited until Chad was away for good. While my return home was nice, the jungle’s safety was better. Warm nights filled with chirping crickets and singing cicadas, falling stars, and cold showers underneath the waterfall…and Hunter… He made the special place so much more than a vacation. He’d given me a home, safety, and the best moments of my life. We made a baby there, and he didn’t know it.
My heart ached. What if he didn’t find me? What if Chad got what he wanted?
“I’m not gonna let him hurt you,” I whispered to my poppy seed baby, and shifted in discomfort. Although I’d lost count of how long it had been, my bladder had filled a few hours ago. I sat up in the bed, gently hopped to the furthest corner of the room, and tried to lift my dress.
“Fuck.”
Crouching with hands and feet tied was impossible.
“I’m gonna piss myself.”
Footsteps drummed overhead, and I hopped back to the bed, waiting. He opened the door with caution, saw me on the bed, and stepped further inside. A smug smile tugged the corner of his face.
“It’s time to go.”
“I need to use the washroom.”
