Page 24 of Finding Solace
"Starving," I tell her taking anotherbite.
"Momma!" my little girl bounds into the kitchen still full of energy. Scooping her up I place her on my knee and continue to eat. "Did you have fun today?" I engage her. Her little eyes light up withenthusiasm.
"I want a baby brother, Momma," She says with certainty causing me to swallow my food the wrong way and cough. "A brother?" I spit out as Alba hands me a glass of water with an amused look on herface.
"Yep, I want a baby like Gabe. Aunt Alba has a baby in her tummy. Can you put a baby in your tummy for me too,Momma?"
Bella and Alba stand there looking on waiting to see how I handle the situation. I don’t even know how to handle the situation, so I ignore it all together and kiss the top of her head instead. "Thanks so much for watching her tonight," I tell them as I scrape my partially eaten dinner in the trash and place the plate in thesink.
"Anytime," Bellareplies.
"You ready to go home, sweetie?" I ask a very sleepy lookingAva.
They both walk us out, and we say our goodbyes before I load up and head home. Even my little girl seems to have had a long day because she fell asleep a couple of minutes ago. As I'm making the turn towards my neighborhood, I notice a lot of traffic and up ahead a couple of police cars and fire trucks with their lights flashing.I hope everything is okay.The closer I get I can see the officers standing outside their cars talking to people and several residents turning around. Rolling up to what looks like a checkpoint, I roll my car window down. "Hi, Officer. What's going on?" I inquire as I observe the frustrated faces of a few of my neighbors as they drive by in theircars.
"There's a gas leak, and we have to evacuate several blocks for everyone's safety. Do you livehere?"
"Yes, over on Crowne Circle. Please don’t tell me that I can't go home," I slump back in myseat.
"I'm afraid I can't let any residents in until the gas company has fixed the issue and the area is deemed safe to re-enter."
Perfect, this was just what I need after today. "How will we know when we can return home?" I askhim.
"The gas company usually will inform you by a phone call that it's safe toreturn."
I turn and look back at Ava who is still sleeping in her car seat and think about what I do now. I don't want to burden anyone or put them out with me suddenly needing a place to stay, so I opt to spend the money and find a hotel room for the night. I thank the officer for his patience and turn my car around and head towards town. I decide on a hotel about two blocks from downtown main street or my money situation chooses it for me because it happens to be the cheapest. With Ava in my arms, I walk in and make way to the check-in counter pay for a room and receive my key card for room 68. At least it's floor level and I don't have to climb the stairs. As soon as the door clicks open after I insert the card Ava pops her eyes open, raises her head and look around while rubbing her sleepy eyes. "What’s dis place,Momma?"
"This is where we get to sleep tonight,sweetie."
"Why?" she asks as I inspect the bed before laying her down onit.
"It's okay, baby. Go back to sleep." I tell her. There's no need for me to explain a gas leak to a sleepy four-year-old. Closing her eyes, she curls up to hold her dolly, and I tuck the covers around her. Needing to unwind a little, I turn on the TV hoping to find something to take my tired mind offeverything.
I don’t know when it happened, but after I kicked off my shoes and propped myself up next to Ava on the bed I fell asleep, but banging on the hotel door is what startles me. Whoever it is, they are being persistent, and have started jiggling the door handle. I walk over to the curtains and carefully peak through the window to see who it is. A large guy wearing all black is standing outside the door. He spots me looking at him then steps back and starts kicking in the door. Complete panic sets in. I run and grab Ava who has already woken at this point and looks scared to death. I take her to the bathroom and sit her in the tub while she starts to cry. "Momma," she says through terrifiedsobs.
"Sweetie, listen to me," Looking back over my shoulder as the pounding continues, "You stay here. Momma has to call the policeman. No matter what, you leave the door locked. Don’t open for anyone. Do you understand?" I rush out in urgency, knowing any moment that door is going to give. She clings to her dolly with tear-filled eyes as I close the shower curtain, lock the bathroom door and close it behind me. Once I know my daughter is safe, I dart over to the phone on the nightstand to dial 911. As soon as I have the receiver in my hand, the door bursts open and a guy wearing a face mask charges me. My reaction time isn’t quick enough. The only place I have to go is over the bed. The stranger grabs me, slapping my face hard enough I taste blood and then he throws my body across the room. I hit my head on the corner of the dresser, causing my vision to blur, and I lose my footing and stumble to the floor. While I'm down, his booted foot hits my side with so much force the wind gets knocked out of me. Coughing from the pain, I suck air in trying to catch my breath as he yanks me by my hair, pulling me to my feet. I struggle trying to break free from his hold, but he quickly overpowers me and rears back, punching me in the face then tosses me atop the bed. Still dazed from the blow, I roll over to try and reach the base of the phone still sitting on the table beside the bed as blood drips from my nose. I have it in my grasp as he pulls me, rolling my body over. Using the momentum, I knock him upside his head with it. He climbs on the bed and straddles me. Hovering over the top of my body, looking down at me unfazed by the blow, he backhands me one more time. His dark, cold eyes are the only physical feature I can see behind the mask he's wearing. His large hands suddenly wrap around my neck, slowly applying pressure. I punch, kick, and scratch at his arms with everything I've got to free myself, but he only tightens the stranglehold he has on my throat constricting my airway further. My vision starts to cloud around the edges as I fight to breathe—fight for mylife.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
REID
I'm sitting behind my desk at work thinking about Mila. I can't get the image of her beautiful face as she came out of my head. I also decided to give her a few days to come to terms with what happened between us and what is going to happen between us in the very near future. It's taking everything I have for me to not go over to her house, throw her over my shoulder and take her home with me where she belongs. But I cannot risk scaring her off, not that I'd let her run. Mila is mine. Her fate was sealed the first day she showed up at my place banging on my door and throwing her sass around as she looked at me with those hypnotizing eyes ofhers.
I'm pulled from my thoughts when I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. Taking it out, I see a text fromQuinn.
Dipshit:Get your ass off that damn computer and come to the clubhouse for a drink withme.
Me:Fuck off, how do you know I'mworking?
Dipshit:I'm outside asshole, now let'sgo.
Me:Give mefive.
Shaking my head,I power off my computer before standing up and grabbing my cut off the back of my chair and sliding it on. After I flick all the lights in the office off and set the alarm, I make my way outside to see Quinn sitting on his bike smoking a cigarette. Without a word, I lift my chin towards my brother as I straddle my bike. As we ride down the street and breathe in the warm summer air, something out the corner of my eye catches my attention. Letting off the throttle, I begin to slow down. Parked at a piece of shit motel is Mila'scar.
What the fuck. Why would she be at amotel?
When I turn into the motel parking lot, I know my brother is right behind me and when I glance in his direction, I see he's also noticed Mila's car and is also wondering the same shit asme.
