Page 82 of The Doctor's Twins

“Uh, Derek. Would you mind terribly stopping off at the store for me? I’ll throw in a little extra for your trouble. I’ll be two minutes.”

“Sure, Doc. No problem.”

“Thank you so much.”

My phone suddenly died. The damn battery was flat. In all the excitement I’d forgotten to charge the bloody thing. I made a mental note to do so as soon as I arrived home so I could call Ben and tell him the good news. He was probably sleeping in any way, so no harm done.

The Uber driver stopped at a market near my folks. I jumped out of the car with my wallet in hand and walked toward the greengrocer. My nose led me straight to a coffee vendor where I ordered a double cappuccino.

“I’ll grab it on the way out of the store,” I told the barista, who nodded and took the cash.

I bought some eggs and added a few fresh croissants too. My mouth was watering when I left the store, so I pulled a piece of croissant out of the bag and popped the buttery morsel into my mouth. It tasted good, so I went in for another piece.

My cappuccino was waiting for me by the time I got back to the barista.

“Oohh, thank you,” I purred and took the cup from him.

“Have a good day,” he smiled.

Freshly brewed coffee and warm croissants. What a way to start my day. Could I be any happier?

“Hello, dear,” I heard an unexpected voice behind me.

The tiny hair on the back of my neck shot up, and my mouth grew instantly dry, so much so that I couldn’t swallow the food in my mouth. I felt something hard poking me in the small of my back.

I dropped the bag and heard the eggs inside shatter as they hit the concrete. My legs were lame. No matter how much I wanted to run, I couldn’t move.

“So nice to see you,” the voice continued.

“Mateo,” I whispered with a shaky voice.

I tried to turn around, but he wouldn’t let me.

“Walk,” he barked.

Did I run? Did I scream?

“I know what you’re thinking, bitch,” Mateo growled again. “Don’t try anything. I’m holding a gun to your back. It has a silencer on it, so no one will hear a thing if I pull the trigger. Walk!”

“Mateo, please…”

Mateo pushed the silencer roughly into my spine. I whimpered as the barrel dug into the skin.

“Okay,” I said, hoping to pacify him.

How the fuck did he find me?

I looked around to see if I could get anyone’s attention, but it was early and there weren’t many people out and about. I wondered if the Uber driver could see me. Would he get out of the car and help me if I made a gesture for help? Would Mateo kill him and then me if he tried?

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“That black SUV in the last bay,” Mateo instructed.

His voice was cold—colder than I remembered. Had he been following the Uber? I was so busy chatting with Mom and thinking of my stomach, I wasn’t paying attention to the cars behind us.

“Get in,” Mateo said and pushed me into the car once he’d opened the back door.

I knocked my knee as I fell into the vehicle. I rubbed at the site of the throbbing pain. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mateo reach into his pocket. He pulled out a syringe and jammed it into my leg.

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