Page 80 of Samuel

“This baby?” He pushed off her, her legs still trapped under his as he pushed up. Quickly pulling the blade from her neck, he traced the tip down her ribs and over her belly.

“What do you want?” she cried, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth as she licked her painful lip, afraid to even breathe as his blade rested so close to her baby.

“You’re looking into something that is of no concern to you. You’re going to stop, because if you don’t, I’m going to make sure this little one never sees a single second of their life outside your belly.” The man’s cold hand splayed over her precious bump, palming it in a way that made her instantly nauseous.

Evie balled her hands, letting her fingernails dig into the flesh on her palms to stop the scream that was begging to be released.

“Why not do it now?” She had no idea where she’d gotten the strength to ask that question, but she did nonetheless.

The man laughed. He actually laughed right at her. “You have a purpose in my plan, and for now, that’s all you need to know. Stop chasing the missing money, or the next time I see you, I won’t just leave a bruise on your pretty pale skin.” He leaned over, pressing his chest against hers. “I’ll cut this fucking baby from your belly and leave you both to die.”

He jumped up, pain radiating through her legs as his weight lifted off.

“Killing that livestock was tough. But you… I don’t think it’d take more than a few minutes.” Grabbing her purse, he dumped the contents out onto the floor and stomped on her cell phone. From the crunching sounds, she knew her brand new phone was destroyed.

“Don’t think about calling for help, not that you’ll be able to now. I’ll be watching, making sure you follow my directions. If you don’t, if I even just see the police drive by this place, I’ll be back in the middle of the night, when you least expect it. In one slice, you’ll be gone from the world, and no one will be able to help you.”

The ledgers on her coffee table were his next target. Papers scattered about the room as he tore the pages free from its bindings. Evie ignored the ringing in her ears and focused every bit of strength she had on studying the man in front of her.

He was tall. Maybe an inch or two taller than Sam, and had a slight hitch where he tipped more to the left when he walked than the right. She committed the sound of his voice to memory, repeating over and over the things he’d said to her. He stopped one last time, turning towards her before walking out of her apartment.

“Sweet dreams, Evelyn Williams.”

She waited for what felt like an eternity after her front door closed to even allow herself to breathe. Tears stained her cheeks and the throw pillow beneath her head too.

“Hey, sweet girl. Let Mommy know you are okay. Please.”

She pressed her hand into her skin, praying the movement would wake the baby. And it must have, because her request was rewarded with a roll and a kick.

God, she wished she wasn’t alone. Only one person came to mind: Sam. She wouldn’t go to him. Not after what happened in town. Evie let the tears fall as she stood, locking the apartment door before walking to her kitchen for ice. She’d be okay. She could do it on her own.

The bag of ice cubes now rested on her cheek bone as she tipped her head back against the pillow. There had to be something she could do. Some way to make sure that Jellybean was okay. How would that man know if she did anything? If she told anyone?

Had he bugged her apartment? What if there were cameras watching her right now? Could he hear her breathing picking up in panic?

A knock came from her door and Evie nearly passed out.

“Evie, are you awake? Please open up.”

Sam.

“Please, Bluebell. Please let me apologize. Let me tell you how sorry I am.” His voice was relaxed. The vowels elongated and slightly slurred. Evie knew he didn’t drink, which made sense now that she knew about his heart. Had he been so upset about her leaving that he’d turned to alcohol to soothe his worry?

She wanted to leap up from the couch. To make sure that he was okay, and then to take all the comfort he would be willing to give her. But she couldn’t make her body move. She wouldn’t jeopardize Jellybean’s safety. The man could be watching.

Evie pressed her hand over her mouth. She didn’t trust that she wouldn’t call out to him if he tried to get her to answer the door again.

“Alright, Bluebell. I get it. I fucked everything all up.” Tears leaked from the corner of her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

She heard his boots make their way down the hallway. He was gone. And after having her heart ripped out and fearing for her life twice that night, she felt truly alone.

Twenty-One

Christ, he’d slept terribly.

Not that he wasn’t used to bad sleep. It seemed like ever since his heart stopped, his body couldn’t let him rest. There was restlessness almost every night. Sam had tossed and turned wanting to go to Evie. To make sure that she was okay.

Standing outside her door, he’d almost decided to sleep in the hallway. In the end, he left to let her rest. It wouldn’t be good for him to spend the night wanting to bang down her door. He slept off the haze from his time wallowing in whiskey and tried to focus on the fact that he would see her in the office, but something churned in his gut. Worry that she wouldn’t hear him out? Was he already grieving what they had because he knew she shouldn’t forgive him?

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