Page 41 of Finding Gwen

“I’m sorry, Anthony,” I said, resting my arms around his neck. “I know not having any control must be frustrating.”

“He made copies of the files before he left and wants to meet. He thinks since I’ve been away for a few weeks, I may be able to look at them with a fresh eye.”

“You should go. Besides, Ivy’s flight is today and she’s coming over for dinner. I want to go to the store and get something special.”

“No. If something happened to you or Oliver while I was gone…” His words trailed off, his brows furrowed.

“Anthony, you can’t be with us 24/7 for forever. We’re going to have to find a new normal. Plus, you made sure you would always be able to find us.” I held up my wrist, the silver bracelet hanging loosely. Besides showering, it never came off. “Everything will be okay.”

“Alright, luce mia. I’m only going to meet him for a few hours, though, and you need to promise me you’ll keep me updated.”

“Promise,” I whispered, standing on my tiptoes to give him a quick kiss. Three little words threatened to slip off my tongue, but I caught myself. Was I ready to tell Anthony that I loved him? He obviously cared for me. But was that enough?

Anthony kissed the top of my head, then walked over to Ollie, who was covered in peanut butter, his sandwich nearly gone. He leaned down, planting a kiss on his head before walking back through the kitchen and to the garage door. His hands hesitated on the doorknob, turning to me. “Call me if you need anything.”

I nodded, shooing him out the door. My emotions were all over the place and if he saw me crying, I knew he’d never leave. The clambering of the garage door closing signaled his departure, and I released a shaky breath.

Time to find a new normal.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Gwen

An hour later, Ollie and I were cruising the aisles of the grocery store. I had intended on making the trip a quick one since I knew he would be ready for a nap soon, but I couldn’t help myself. Our weekly grocery trips were my favorite activity before everything had happened. There was a simple joy that came from walking through the bakery with the fresh baked bread aroma wafting through the air to finding new things stocked in the freezer section. I understood Anthony’s need to keep us safe, but I still needed these little things.

Ollie was talking away when I crouched down to look at something on a lower shelf. I kept my hand on the lower bar of the cart, making sure it didn’t roll away while I was looking. When I went to reach for something, my arm was tugged roughly as if someone was trying to take the cart. Jumping up, my heart dropped into my stomach when I saw the familiar face.

Kimberly had her hands wrapped around the end of the cart. She looked rough, her eyes bloodshot and her clothes disheveled. I was almost certain the smell of rotten food that assaulted my nose was from her.

“Give me my son,” she spat, staring at me with rage. “You think you can just move in and play house with my husband and son?”

“Kimberly, you’re scaring Oliver. Let’s take some deep breaths and we can talk about this.” I whispered to her as if talking to a spooked animal while keeping a firm grip on the cart. Oliver was as far forward in the seat as possible and had his little hands wrapped around mine. My heart was hammering in my chest, trying to figure out a way to get out of here without putting him in danger.

“No!” Kimberly screamed. “I want my son now.” Why was no one around when I needed help?

Making a split second decision, I pushed the cart toward her and caught her off guard. She tumbled backwards, her body flailing until she hit the floor. Quickly, I scooped up Oliver and ran through the store as fast as possible, making my way to the parking lot. Of course, when we got here, it was busy, and I had to park near the end of the aisle. As I sprinted through the now nearly empty lot, I pulled the key from my pocket and unlocked the doors.

Buckling a crying Ollie into his car seat, I knew I needed to call Anthony. This was something he needed to know about immediately. The adrenaline was coursing through me, my hands shaking as I pulled out my phone. I was trying to dial Anthony with one hand while comforting Oliver with the other when a large hand covered my mouth, pulling me backwards until my body was flush against whoever held me.

My head was tipped backwards and bile rose up my throat when I saw the eyes that haunted my nightmares for weeks. Why had I not recognized those eyes? The metallic shine of something shoved into the inside pocket of the jacket flashed in my vision as an arm rushed forward, yanking my phone out of my grasp and onto the ground. The crunching of the glass diminished any hope that had been left.

“Scream and I’ll shoot the kid while I make you watch,” Matt said through gritted teeth, his hand now resting on what I was certain was a gun. There was no way for me to get away from him and keep Ollie safe. I nodded my head, what little I could, anyway, with his grip on me. Slowly, he lowered his hand from my mouth, gripping my upper arm tightly enough to make the back of my eyes burn with tears. “Now, close the door and walk to the other side. Slowly.”

I went through the motions, closing Ollie’s door then rounding the back of the car, while Matt followed closely behind. Matt opened the rear passenger door and yanked the car keys from my pocket before shoving me away from him. I turned to face him, scanning the parking lot to try to find someone who could help. Where was everyone?

“Matt, please. You don’t have to do this,” I whispered, deciding to make one last effort to get through to him. “Let Ollie go and I’ll come with you. We’ll go back to Pennsylvania and we can forget any of this ever happened.” Cold metal struck the side of my face. My vision blurred and pain radiated through my skull. I slumped backwards, crashing hard against the backseat of my car as my legs were harshly shoved in and the door slammed close behind me.

The car started moving. I grabbed onto the side of the car seat, pulling myself up to a sitting position. Ollie’s cries added to the pounding in my head. He was scared. I wanted to tell him everything would be okay, but I couldn’t even convince myself of that right now.

We slowed to a stop, the world still out of focus as I tried to blink away some of the fuzziness when someone got into the passenger seat. The car jerked forward, and I held onto the seat for balance. We drove for a bit, the only sounds being the traffic outside the car. Ollie’s cries had softened into whines and my vision slowly came back. I could just make out Matt and the mystery person in the front seat.

“You had one job. ONE!” Matt’s screams echoed through the car, silencing Ollie entirely. “How the hell did you fuck it up?”

“Fuck off.” The familiar voice sent shivers down my back and everything became clear. Kimberly was supposed to take Ollie, so I would be distracted. Neither of them planned on me protecting this little boy with every fiber of my being.

Silence filled the car as we drove for what felt like an eternity, my head still throbbing as I tried to focus on the moving scenery outside the car. Finally, we turned off the main road, heading down a street that looked like it was ripped out of a post apocalyptic novel. Houses were boarded up and a basketball hoop was on its side halfway into the road. Matt parked behind a beat up black Toyota.

Kimberly cleared her throat. “What’s the plan now?”

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