Page 102 of Risk

“I’m sorry.”

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry—”

Gary pulls the phone away from me, turning it back to his face. “Enough of this shit. Drive straight for two more miles. You’ll see a turnoff for an old rail yard. We’re there. I’ll be waiting for you.” Then, he disconnects the call.

“Come on, girl. Out the car.”

He unlocks the car, and I open the door and swing my cramped legs out onto the gravelly dirt surface, stretching out the aches in my legs. Then, I push myself out of the car to stand and stretch out my back. One of the babies decides to give me a good, hard kick at that moment.

I press my hand to my stomach and silently tell them both,It’s okay. We’ll be out of here and home real soon. Your daddy is coming to get us.

Gary rounds the car and takes hold of me by the arm. “This way.”

He starts leading me across the yard. We come up to the rail line, where trains have been zipping over frequently throughout these last few tortuous hours.

He stops before the tracks, looks both ways, and then tugs on me to cross them.

We’ve only moved ten feet beyond the tracks when Kaden’s speeding car comes toward us, kicking up gravel. The car comes to a sliding halt twenty feet away. Then, he’s out of the car, a black backpack in his hand, and striding toward us.

“Stop right there,” Gary barks at him when Kaden’s about ten feet away.

I see the tightness in his jaw, his hands flexing at his sides, and I can almost hear the words he wants to say, but doesn’t, feels like he can’t because his father has a gun pointed at me. His eyes are running over me from head to foot, looking for any sign of injury. I try to tell him that I’m okay with my eyes. I don’t think me saying anything right now will help.

“The money in there?” Gary gestures to the backpack hanging from Kaden’s hand.

“Yeah.”

“Throw it over here.”

“You let her go. When she’s safe with me, I’ll throw over the bag.”

“You think I’m stupid, boy? There could be nothing in that bag. And what’s to stop you from leaving the moment she’s over there?”

“The gun in your hand.”

“You think I don’t know you’re packing. There is no way you came here without a weapon. You’re my blood after all. So, you’re gonna throw me that bag and your fucking gun. Now.”

“I’ll throw you the gun. And the bag when she’s with me.”

Gary pauses for a long moment. “Deal. Gun to me now.”

Kaden reaches into the back of his waistband and pulls a handgun from there. I didn’t even know he owned a gun.

He tosses it across the distance between us. It lands at Gary’s feet.

Gun still poking me in the ribs, Gary leans down, not taking his eyes off Kaden, and picks up the gun. He puts it in the waistband of his jeans.

“It registered?” Gary asks him.

“No,” is Kaden’s response.

Where the hell did he get an unregistered gun from and when exactly? I guess that’s a question for later, if ever.

“Good. Okay, off you go, little lady. Slowly walk over to Kaden.”

He gives me a shove, and I start walking toward Kaden, our eyes fixed on each other. I want to run to him and fall into his arms, but I also know there’s a loaded gun pointed at my back.

When I reach Kaden, he pulls me into his arms, and my whole body starts to tremble with the relief at being back with him. I didn’t want to think it during these last few terrible hours, but I was terrified I would never see him again.

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