Page 54 of Be Courageous

Tony was probably scouring the wrong city. Picturing him, she closed her eyes against the urge to weep. Her husband was such a good man—too good for her, too good for the world, even. For that very reason, she had fretted since getting to know him well that God would want him back in heaven where he belonged. She could picture him so easily as one of God’s archangels, complete with wings and a sword.

Guilt gnawed at her. If something happened and this was it, she would never get to prove her worth to Tony. If only she’d told him about both Katz and the baby. None of this would be happening. Tony wouldn’t have let her interview Katz in the first place, especially if he’d known two of his teammates had once worked with the man. But, after hearing about Stasky’s murder, Tony, Monty, and Ben would have dealt with Katz in their own way. Katz would have gotten his comeuppance from them, and none of this bad stuff would be happening.

But now…Now she might never have a family with Tony because she’d put her job and her self-interests before their relationship and before their baby’s safety.

Oh, God, forgive me.

Hopefully, if she ended up dead, Tony would never discover she’d been pregnant. That would be too much for him. Beneath his tough guy exterior, his heart was pure mush. He didn’t deserve that kind of anguish. And she didn’t deserve him, never had.

Startling awake to the sound of a car door slamming, Ruby realized she must have lapsed into unconsciousness again. Her pulse sped up.

Where am I now? Not another parking garage!

Her door opened on a puff of cold air, and the dome light flicked on. Ruby kept her eyes closed as Cullum thrust his head and shoulders into the car directly over her. He unfastened her seat belt, looped her purse strap over his head, then heaved her out of the car with a hand under each arm.

He wasn’t a small man by any means, but he wasn’t as strong as either Tony or the kidnapper, Yordan. With a lot of huffing and puffing, Cullum managed to wedge a shoulder under her stomach before lifting her into a fireman’s carry.

His vehicle gave a beep that echoed in the enclosure. With her head dangling halfway down his back, Ruby battled a sudden onslaught of nausea, only vaguely aware he was carrying her toward a heavy door. She was more conscious of the bony shoulder pressing painfully into her lower abdomen, which was full and tender anyway. Unable to take it anymore, she grabbed the back of his coat to alleviate the pressure. “Please, put me down, please. I’ll walk.”

Startled, Cullum nearly dropped her. When he set her abruptly on her feet, she discovered she could stand, as well as talk.

Looking terrified, Cullum fumbled in the pocket of his jacket, no doubt searching for more sedative.

She held up a hand to forestall him. “Oh no. Don’t drug me again. I’m pregnant. You’ll hurt the baby.” Saying the words out loud filled her with a raging determination to do whatever it took to keep her baby safe. She would fight to the death if he tried to inject her again.

For the longest moment, he gaped at her, his lips parted, his expanded pupils reflecting the weak light shining through the door’s window insert. Then he swallowed, finding his voice. “This isn’t my idea.”

“I know. You’re not a killer.” Trying to outsmart him when her brain was so foggy wouldn’t be easy. “I’ll walk. Take…take the zip tie off my ankles. It’s not like I can run.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Then what’s a good idea? Doing everything Katz tells you to?”

“Shh.” He glanced fearfully about, punched a code into the keypad, then pulled the door open. As he dragged her into the warm, dimly lit lobby toward an elevator, the heels of her pumps left skid marks as they slid across the marble foyer. His hold cut off the circulation to her arms, causing her sprained wrist to throb in protest.

“You’re hurting my arm.” He’d seemed upset by the sight of her swollen wrist earlier.

“Sorry.”

His immediate adjustment assured Ruby that Cullum had no intention of killing her. He probably wanted nothing to do with craziness. Hope pulsed in her anew. Maybe she could talk him into letting her go.

* * *

Between steady supplications to God and nightmares that snatched him from his fitful slumber, Tony attempted to catch some shut eye on his mother’s couch. The buzzing of his phone in the middle of the night roused him from a light sleep. Ben was calling him. “Hello?”

“Hey, Brother.”

At Ben’s alert and encouraging tone, Tony sat straight up. The streetlight shone around the living room curtains Mama dropped at night. Tony pricked his ears even as he checked his watch. It was minutes past midnight, and Mama and Corinna were sound asleep upstairs. “What’s up?”

“Just wanted you to know I caught a glimpse of Ruby in Katz’s office. I’m looking at it from a rooftop across the street.”

Joy flooded Tony’s heart. Given the way Ben was talking, he was trying to keep his teeth from chattering. It had to be freezing on a rooftop outside.Thank You, God!“She’s in Harrisburg?”

“Yep, and she looked okay. Definitely there against her will but?—”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, she didn’t walk into the room. She was…brought in by some tall, well-dressed office type—not Katz. Maybe an assistant. I only got a glimpse of them before he turned off the lights. Now there’s just a dim light shining, and they’re not by the windows. Hard to see much. Still, I thought you should know she’s in Harrisburg, which means Katz appears to be on board with the plan. I’m sure he’ll pick her up in the morning and bring her to the funeral.”

---