Page 52 of Risky Vows

"Stand back," he says, messing with the chain.

He loosens it, and I go to Andie. I barely reach her bed, but the new distance allows me to touch her hands. They feel clammy and cold. Up close, Andie looks paler, and the despair in her eyes is more vivid.

My heart lurches. She won't make it if she doesn't deliver soon. The few episodes from a medical series have taught me that much.

"Hey, I need you to help me," I whisper. "You're going to be all right."

"Can you please make sure my baby is okay?" Andie asks, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Of course," I say, her words tugging at my heart. How can I promise her anything? By the looks of it, it's only a matter of time until we're all dead.

I glance at her and think of my mother. My distant, narcissistic mother, who I may never see again. Why am I worried? She never cared for me the way a mom should. Does she ever regret it? Doesn't seem like she does.

I'd never treat my children the same way. The children I'll never have. Because I'm going to die.

A lump throbs in my throat. "I need sheets. In case she delivers."

"This isn't an Airbnb, bitch," Wrench says, and from the contempt in his voice, I detect his patience is wearing thin.

"It'll be less work for the cleaning crew if we have sheets," I say, wondering if he'll clean the mess afterward. The thought of this ugly bastard removing what's left of our lifeless bodies injects more determination into my veins. "Hurry, or it'll be too late."

"Fuck. I'll see what I can do," he grunts, turning to leave and locking the door behind him.

"Amara," Andie says, squeezing my hand so tightly that my knuckles whiten. "My water broke."

I look down at her bed and see the liquid saturating her pants. "How far apart are your contractions?"

"I thought you didn't know anything about labor."

"I don't. I watch a lot of TV shows, and that’s a question the nurses always ask. The one thing I can do is try to make you comfortable.” I remove her pants and put them in a puddle at the corner of her bed. I look at her underwear. Black and lacy. "Sexy panties."

"Well… Dante isn't into me… but I'm trying to get his attention." She rolls her eyes, tears rolling from the corners. "Silly me. I’m the size of a bus."

A crazy idea flits through my mind, and my eyes widen.Could it work?I ask myself as the idea takes shape. "Hey. What kind of bra are you wearing?"

Minutes later, I have a makeshift “weapon” by removing the underwire from Andie’s bra and hiding it under my sleeve. It's not a knife or a letter opener, but maybe I can stick the sharp end in Wrench’s throat if he's close enough. But what next? There will be armed guards at the front. Wherever we are, we're secured—but I have to try to escape while we're still a commodity. While they won't kill us.

I leave Andie’s underwear on, even though I shouldn't. I’ll cover her with one of the sheets when Wrench returns. I don't want her to feel more vulnerable than she already does. She holds my hand, her expression pained as she groans.

I hear the door open again, and that creak sends shivers through me.

"The baby’s coming, Amara," Andie pants. "I'm worried."

"Here," Wrench says, throwing two scratchy sheets my way. "Get to work."

I put one sheet over Andie’s legs and remove her underwear, soaked with amniotic fluid and urine, eager to give her the dignity the circumstances lack.

I hear a thumping noise, then another, louder. The door is closed, which muffles the sound, but the vibration through the walls is a dead giveaway that intense activity is happening on the other side of the door.

Andie groans, and I position myself between her legs. "Okay, I got you."

She's restless, moving around, the chains rattling each time she does so. Poor thing.

Wrench moves behind me, looking over my shoulder as I try to help her. "Gotta say, I never saw something like that," he mumbles, his nasty breath fanning over my ear. "She's about to push a baby out of that cunt."

I whisper comforting words, touching the wire under my sleeve with my index finger.

Another loud thump comes from outside the basement. Could this be help? Or are there more bad guys coming in? At this point, I have no idea.

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