Page 97 of Risk

Don’t panic.

My hands instinctively go to my bump to protect my babies.

Gary’s eyes follow the motion. “Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you as long as you do what I say. I want you to start walking out of here, toward the back exit.” He gestures with his hand.

I unglue my feet from the floor, and with a quick last look in the direction of where I know Kaden is waiting for me, I force myself to do as he said.

I could scream, make a noise, but I don’t know whether the threat of the gun is real or not, and I don’t want to test the theory and have him shoot me.

I need to not panic. Use the training I’ve had on psychology to get myself free of the situation or at least keep myself safe until Kaden finds me.

I feel Gary move up close behind me, his arm wrapping around my back, and when he gets a firm hold of me, I feel his gun pushing into my side. I try not to show my fear on my face that a gun is pointed right at my babies.

To anyone looking, we appear to be a couple walking together. Not me being held at gunpoint by my babies’ biological grandfather.

“Took me a fucking long time to get an opportunity to get you on your lonesome. My fucking son has been hovering everywhere you’ve been.”

He’s been following me for weeks. He’s using me to get the money from Kaden.

“We’re gonna go out through this door.” He nudges me in the direction of the back exit of the doctor’s office. “You’re gonna get in my car, and if you try and do anything stupid, like make a run for it, I will shoot you.”

Panic runs through my blood. Because I don’t doubt a word he’s saying.

“You hear me, girl?” He reinforces his words with a harsh tone.

“Yes.”

We go out through the door, into the bright light of the day, and it feels so wrong that something like this is happening to me on such a beautiful day.

He yanks open the car door. Then holds his hand out. “Cell phone.”

Reluctantly, I take it from my pocket and give it to him. He drops it on the floor and then crushes it under his booted foot.

“Get in.” He gestures with the gun.

I comply, getting into the car as quickly as I can with my big pregnant bump. He slams the door shut. In the seconds it takes him to round the car, I contemplate if I could get out of this car, through the door, and back into the doctor’s office without him shooting me.

But I know I won’t.

I wouldn’t move as quickly as I would need to, to get away in this situation, and I won’t put the lives of my children at risk.Even if it means going with an unstable murderer who has a gun pointed at me.

When he gets in the car, it’s in drive, and we’re moving before I even get a chance to put my seat belt on.

I quickly click it on and position it around my bump.

He’s holding the gun in his right hand, pointed haphazardly at me, as he steers the wheel.

It’s a long, tense, quiet moment before I ask in a whispered voice, “Where are you taking me?”

“You don’t need to know, girl.”

That does nothing to ease my worries.

But I know, by now, Kaden is wondering where I am.

I can imagine him outside the restroom door. Knocking on it. Calling out my name.

Tears spring to my eyes as I think of the panic he’s going to feel the moment he realizes I’m not there.

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