Page 81 of A Steadfast Heart
“Hold it.”
“It’s a three-day trip, Michael. I’m going to need the water closet before we get back to St. Louis.” So would he, for that matter, but she’d hardly gain points by pointing it out.
She met his narrowed gaze easily. She’d had a lot of practice. Finally, he stood and gestured for her to precede him toward the back of the car.
Her pulse raced, and her mouth dried. She walked slowly, trying to see everything without moving her head. Eventually, Michael would get less vigilant with her restroom breaks. She’d need to be ready.
Or could this be her chance? The train’s sway would make his balance uncertain. Could she take advantage of that?
The man who’d been watching cleared his throat as they walked by, but she ignored him. Even if he wanted to help, he’d only get a bullet for his trouble. With all the potential witnesses in front of them and facing forward, Michael could spin any story he wanted. He probably wouldn’t even be arrested.
They reached the back of the car, and Michael opened a door. Kaitlyn glanced inside, then tried to step back. This was a small office, probably for the mail clerk. Hands centered on her back and gave a hard shove. Pain flared through her knees as she hit the floor. Michael slammed the door behind her.
No windows. The darkness swallowed her. Her breath came in pants. She stifled the sob that wanted to escape. The walls closed in around her, and her stomach lurched. There was no way out. There never had been. She’d been lying to herself, and in the process had torn down a good man and his family.
The air grew heavy, suffocating.
Breathe, Kaitlyn.It felt like inhaling syrup.Breathe in. Breathe out.She started the chant that had gotten her through years of confined spaces, but her lungs refused to respond.
She was going to die here. Tears ran down her cheeks.
The train whistle split the air, and the clickety-clack of the wheels slowed.
Kaitlyn curled into a ball, pulling her knees to her chest. No one would help her. She didn’t matter. She never had.
You matter to me, daughter.
Kaitlyn stilled. Images of Drew flooded her mind.Family sticks, he’d told Jo. That was what a father was supposed to do.
God would do more. So much more.
Maybe God hadn’t forgotten her when He’d left her with Michael. He’d eventually led her to Drew. Kaitlyn gathered every scrap of faith she could find in her soul.
What do I do?
Trust. And don’t quit.
The train slowed more. They were approaching a town. Maybe someone could hear her. “Help me. Someone help me.” She pounded on the wall, kicked it, anything to make noise. Someone had to hear her. “Please, someone help me.”
A voice responded. One from inside the car. “Mister, I don’t think she wants to be in there.”
The other passenger. God had put him there. She pounded again. “Please help me.”
Michael spoke, but she couldn’t understand his words. Not over the pounding of her own heart. “Help me. Please help me.”
The sounds of a scuffle echoed through Kaitlyn’s prison. She pushed against the door.
It moved.
Her brother was out there. He might catch her again. He might hurt her more. Might even kill her.
She left the storeroom. She might die, but Michael didn’t control her anymore.
She mattered.
She swept the train car in a glance. Her brother had backed the stranger toward the front of the car. The stranger caught her eye, then gave the slightest nod toward the exit. The rocking of the car was so slight that they must be entering a station. She could survive a jump at this speed.
She slipped through the exit onto the end platform. The wind plastered her skirt to her legs. The train was moving slowly but hadn’t stopped. The station was so close, with the town beyond it. She shook her head. That would be the first place Michael would look.
