Page 9 of Vengeful Lies

“I know you’re not, cuddle bug. That’s how I know you can wait just a few more minutes. How about we count together?” Essie was so smart and she loved numbers and words. Even though she wasn't supposed to start kindergarten for another couple of days, she could already write several words by herself and knew all her letters. She could count all the way to one hundred with hardly any help, and she knew some simple addition and subtraction.

“O-okay,” Essie agreed.

“There’s my good little cuddle bug. We’ll count together, you ready?” When Essie nodded, they began.

They reached one hundred and thirty-two before the vehicle finally stopped outside a large warehouse. There was nothing else around other than another three warehouses that looked exactly the same as this one, and she was pretty sure that whoever had organized their abduction owned them all.

Running in broad daylight with five armed men in the car, and another who knew how many more inside would be pointless.

But she wasn't giving up.

She’d find a way to protect Essie no matter what she had to do.

As soon as the man sitting before her got out of the vehicle, she scrambled out so he didn't get a chance to reach in and grab her, then hurried around to Essie’s side of the car. The man who had been sitting with her had picked the little girl up, but Gabriella didn't hesitate to reach out and snatch the child into her arms.

“Where’s the bathroom?” she asked.

“Follow me,” the man who had been holding Essie ordered, and she did.

He led them inside, past a couple of closed doors that likely led to offices or smaller storage rooms, and then to a bathroom.

With no time to waste, she set the girl on her feet and lifted the lid. “Do you have to stay in the room with us?” she asked the man still standing in the open doorway.

In response, he merely smirked, leaned his shoulder against the door jamb, and crossed his arms over his chest.

Gabriella would love nothing more than to smack that smirk right off his face, but because she knew that would be stupid, angering these men was only going to make things worse for Essie, she turned her back on him and stood so she was blocking his view of the little girl.

Essie had already stripped off the dress she’d put on over the little girl’s swimsuit, so she leaned over and helped Essie pull the swimsuit down so she could climb up onto the toilet. The child sighed in relief as she did her business, and Gabriella was so proud of her. Essie had inherited her dad’s strength, and it was the only thing that was going to get her through this mess and out the other side.

“You did so good, cuddle bug,” she told the child.

“I never helded it so long afore,” Essie told her.

“You haven’t. That’s because you're almost five,” she said, brushing a wisp of baby-fine hair from Essie’s face. The little girl’s skin was warm and blotchy, her eyes red from crying, but so far, she’d done everything Gabriella had asked of her. She prayed that continued.

“I don’t want to stay here, Gabby,” Essie said in a loud whisper she was sure the man watching them could overhear. “I wants to go to my swimming lesson, and then I wants to have milkshakes likes we always does. Then I want to go home, and I want to finish choosing my cake for my birthday. I don’t want to miss my unicorn party.”

“Oh, cuddle bug, you won't,” she lied. Essie’s fifth birthday was only three weeks away, but she could not ensure they would be found and rescued—or even still alive—by the time Essie’s birthday rolled around. “I promise you, I will do everything I have to do to make sure you don’t miss spending your birthday with your daddy, at your unicorn party, with all of your friends.”

Because she was only four and so very trusting, Essie nodded, and she helped the girl off the toilet, then helped her get her swimsuit and dress back on after she’d wiped herself. Then she flushed the toilet, washed their hands, and lifted the little girl into her arms, wanting Essie as safe as she could make her.

As she walked back over to the man in the doorway, he straightened and reached out to palm the bulge in his pants. Keeping Essie’s head tucked against her shoulder so she didn't have to explain any grown-up things to the four-year-old, she met the man’s dark eyes with a fearful gaze.

“You want to protect the kid, I'm sure we can all come to some sort of arrangement,” the man told her with another smirk.

Gabriella gulped. Knowing exactly what arrangement he wanted to make with her and praying she was strong enough to hold up her end of the bargain.

She had to be.

For Essie.

For Cade.

Chapter

Three

September 1st

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