Page 57 of Capturing Hearts

Chapter Thirty-Four

Tommy

Vision: blurred. I’m so fucking freaked right now, I can’t even see straight.

“If you bring the cops with you, you don’t want to know what I’ll do,” I warn my ex friend, if he ever was that. I’m bluffing, but he doesn’t have to know that. I won’t do anything but run. There’s no way I’m hurting a pregnant chick, and what I said to her was the truth. The person I was that night–all the anger I felt–that person is gone. I just want my freedom.

“I won’t tell the cops. Let me talk to her.”

“No. Don’t tell the cops and you’ll get to spend the rest of your life talking to her, understand?”

He says, with gritted teeth, “Yes.”

“Good. I’m at the cave, B-man. You know the one.” He swears under his breath as Annie looks up at me, sweat dripping down her neck. “Bring towels and a blanket. Some fresh clothes. A couple pillows.”

“Get her to a hospital, Tommy!” he shouts.

“It’s too late for that.”

“I’m bringing a doctor with me.”

“How are you going to do that without someone alerting the cops? Now, do I have to remind you what kind of person I am?”

I can almost hear him planning my murder. After a moment, he growls, “No cops. No doctor. I’ll bring everything she needs.”

“Brendan!” Annie yells. I give her a look.

“Annie!” he yells in my ear. “What’s wrong?! What does she want to tell me? Answer me!”

“Alright! Calm down.” I look at her. “What?! I’m not giving you the phone, so just yell what you have to say.”

She rolls her eyes and yells to him, “What’s Rebecca doing there? What the hell?”

I grin. At a time like this, that’s what’s on her mind? Lady after my own heart.

He stammers, “Tell her Rebecca came to help. I’m bringing her with me. She’s delivered babies before.”

Rebecca cries out in the background, “I have?”

This interesting little lie I choose to keep from Annie. I yell, “WITHOUT THE COPS!”

“Fuck you, Tommy. I’ll do what you say, but if you’ve hurt her or my child, I will spend the rest of my life hunting you down.”

My eyebrows go up and I look down at his wife. “I told you we’re all capable of anything, didn’t I?” She glowers at me, guessing correctly what Brendan’s said. I hang up without another word. “He’s on his way. And with Rebecca, too. Now isn’t that interesting? Do the three of you hang out?”

Annie glares at me, then cries out as a contraction engulfs her. I take off my sweater and fold it up to wedge under her head, tugging down the bottom of the white t-shirt where it rose up. “Okay. I’m undoing the handcuffs…” Her condition has made me feel very helpless, so I unlock the damn things anything to make her a little more comfortable, ridiculous as that sounds. “Alright. It’s done. He’ll be here in a half hour, give or take. Can you wait that long?”

“Take me to a hospital, Tommy!”

“No can do. Think about it, how would we get you down the hill? You could barely make it up it.”

She cries out as another contraction bends her body. “I hate you!!!”

“Now now… you don’t want to say that ugly word with the baby listening.”

Annie glowers at me, holding on her stomach. “If yours is the first face this boy sees, there will be hell to pay.”

This rude statement triggers a thought: my face can’t be seen by anyone. I have to get out of here. This is my only chance.

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