Chapter 100
2627words
'This is ridiculous," I scoff. 'Mila, you can't go along with this!"
Ignoring me, the black-haired woman speaks in a hurried, authoritative voice to the young man in the hall. 'Asher wants her locked in here. That means she doesn't leave until he says so. Understood?"
'Mila!" I argue.
The guy glances at me nervously.
'I said, do you understand, Jeremy?" Mila asks hotly.
'Yeah, I got it," he insists, lifting his hands to calm her. 'I'll stay right here. She won't go anywhere."
Squaring off with the pair of them, I hold up the prayer beads accusingly. 'Did you know he's been listening to my conversations?"
With a bitter smile, Mila just shrugs. 'Of course I did. Who do you think put those there in the first place?"
The fight sags out of my shoulders. Mila knew? This whole time? Just how little does Asher trust me?
'And don't think about doing anything stupid, Camila Yannickevna," Mila continues. 'It's more than just a microphone in those beads. There's a GPS tracker as well. In case you're taken again, Asher will have ways to find you."
'Of course he does." I turn my face away.
'I know what you're thinking," Mila says. 'I don't agree with it, but like it or not, you're a danger to yourself as much as you are a danger to us. But you need to remember something: Yannick is a devil through and through. And although Asher is one too, he is different. He has you as the angel on his shoulder."
Can devils even have angels? Is that even possible?
'I'm not exactly doing much to stop him, am I?"
'You're doing enough that he's having doubts. And I—no, we—need him to be the opposite of that."
Then, she pushes me backward, shutting the door fast enough that the blow-back sends my hair fluffing away from my forehead. I grab for the handle; there's a metallic click. One wiggle and I know she's locked it. 'Mila!" I cry, pounding my fists on the wood. 'Mila! Come back here! Mila, please!"
There's no answer. She's gone.
Spinning around, I place my thumbnail between my teeth. I have to do something, and I have to do it fast! I've been praying I won't have to go forward with the plan I orchestrated through Adriana and Layla, but the situation has gotten dire.
Marching over to the single window, I test the sill. It doesn't budge. Shit, has this always been locked? I've never tried to open it before because of how cold it's been. Whether Asher had it sealed intentionally or it's just jammed from old age, it doesn't matter.
I'm officially trapped.
Recalling the icy way Asher spoke to me, I hug myself and tremble. He promised me Roman's death would be quick. It's the kind of promise that taints all the others he's made for me.
Because mercy or not, he's going to kill a child.
From the drawer of clothes I packed, I withdraw the fluffy thermal socks Layla brought and pull out the SIM card from the inner cuff. Slipping out my phone, I carefully push it inside. The screen flashes. Yannick's name is the only one in the contacts list.
My thumbs are a blur as I type rapidly.
ME: It's me. Asher is coming for you! You need to get Roman away from there!
YANNICK: I think you should come join us for a family reunion.
ME: Don't you get it? You have to run before Asher kills your son!
YANNICK: You must miss your mother.
ME: Please. Leave.
YANNICK: If you want your sweet mother to live, you'll have to come to me.
ME: Are you crazy? What about Asher?
YANNICK: Have faith in me. I have a plan to ensure you, myself, your family … OUR family … can be together.
I'll see you soon.
I sit on the bed in stunned silence. Something grazes my thigh—the prayer beads. On autopilot, I twist them in a circle. Asher ... I swear, I'm doing this for you. I hope you'll forgive me.
Pushing my phone into the pocket of my oversized pink sweater, I chew at my nails again. Yannick wants me to meet him. How can I make that happen when I'm stuck in this room? Outside the window, I spot motion. Moving closer, my cheek to the chilly glass, I watch Asher's black Escalade and another silver vehicle drive through the plowed snow until they're out of view on the main road.
This is it. They're going to do it. I eye my door with a deep frown. That means it's just me and Jeremy in the house. If I'm going to do anything, it has to be now.
When I start to nervously gnaw my nail again, I flinch; the edge has become sharp from my chewing. I stare at it as my brain begins to twinge. That's it! Sliding my leggings down, I stare at my pale thighs. Don't hesitate! Just act! Roman is counting on you!
What I'm going to do is awful. Not just because it will hurt, but because it will trigger one of my deepest fears. Dragging my nails over my skin, I press in harder and harder, flinching as the milky skin splits apart. Red droplets bead upward. It's not a big cut, but it's enough for my purpose.
Smearing the blood all over my inner thighs, hands, and pants, I waddle toward the door. I glimpse myself in the full-length mirror; the gruesome sight is convincing. Enough so that my stomach flips around. I've had nightmares about miscarrying.
Gathering myself, I raise my voice as loud as I can. 'Help! Please, help!"
There's shuffling outside my door. 'What's going on in there?" Jeremy asks warily.
'I'm bleeding! Oh God, I think it could be a miscarriage!"
The door explodes inward. Jeremy takes in the scene with his eyes threatening to pop from his skull. He looks younger than before—terrified of me. 'What should I do?" he asks.
I wave my red-stained hands. 'Take me to the hospital!"
His face falls. 'But Asher Volkov said?—"
'We have to go before it's too late! The baby could die!"
He turns in place, frozen by indecision as he realizes the impossible choice I've forced upon him. 'Hold on, let me—should I carry you or?—"
He's falling apart under pressure. It makes me feel bad for the charade. I wobble closer, reaching for his arm. 'Help me walk to your car. I think I can make it if we go slow."
He handles me like I'm made of eggshells. Bit by bit, we move through the house, him fretting nervously, me adding an occasional moan of pain. I want to sprint, but it would ruin the act I'm putting on. 'Don't worry, I'll get you to the hospital quickly. I'll call Asher on the way so he knows where we are."
'No!" I blurt. He blinks; I grip my stomach, covering my anxiety with a fake, exaggerated groan of agony. 'Please, no. I don't want him to get distracted on his mission; it's already so dangerous."
'Yes, you're right, of course."
The air outside tastes like static. Snowflakes are falling, spiraling down like little dancers in white. Once he eases me into the back seat of the dark blue Tesla, I tuck my legs close to my body. To the plain eye, I'm soothing myself through my suffering. 'What hospital are we going to? How far away is it?"
'Saint Juniper's. It's just five miles. I'll drive as fast as I can. But it's going to be at least a half hour."
'Thank you." In the shadow of my jacket, I tuck my phone in my lap and begin to text Adriana. I know her number by heart.
ME: Meet me at Saint Juniper's. I should arrive in half an hour with this snow.
ADRIANA: Okay, I'm coming now. Should I bring anything?
ME: A disguise of some kind. I'll duck into one of the bathrooms. Just wait in there for me.
'You doing okay back there?" Jeremy asks. He peers at me in the middle mirror.
Curling over on the seat, I suck on my teeth. 'How much longer?"
Snapping his attention between the road ahead and his phone's GPS, Jeremy makes his tone as cheerful as possible. 'Real soon, I swear."
He's a nice guy. Lying to him really does suck.
And I hope Asher won't punish him too harshly when he realizes my ruse.
How long will it take Asher and his group to arrive at Yannick's house? I'm terrified that I'll be too late. To go this far and have it all be for nothing … It makes my stomach hurt. I was already hugging myself, but I do it for real now. Jeremy watches me occasionally in the mirror. He looks worried.
The snow makes it too dangerous to hammer on the gas. In spite of this, we pull into the large parking lot of a massive multilevel hospital in the next ten minutes.
'Okay, we're here. Let me pull up to the emergency drop-off." He slows to a halt. The tires grind on the salt that's been laid down in front of the red-painted curb. Before he can cut the engine, I jump from the back seat. 'Camila Yannickevna, wait!"
'I can't, I'm going in!" I yell without looking back. Please, please let me be faster than him!
My plan won't work unless I can escape into the bathroom without him noticing. Once the doctors and nurses get involved, slipping away will be that much harder. Darting through the sliding glass doors, I feel the eyes of the front desk on me. 'Sorry!" I groan, patting my belly with a sheepish grin. 'Baby's pressing on my bladder, can't wait!"
The woman flashes an understanding grin. She can't see any blood with my jacket hiding the evidence; to her, I'm just a soon-to-be-mom about to pee on herself. From the corner of my eye, I glimpse movement; Jeremy has reached the glass doors. My shoe nearly slips out from under me from how sharply I turn down the hallway. The restroom sign is a beacon of hope. Panting heavily, I push the door open, stumbling into one of the three stalls.
Okay. Okay. I did it, I'm here! Now I have to hope my guard doesn't get bold and come investigate. The front desk didn't see us together. With any luck they'll send him away. If he waits for me in the lobby, that's a different issue, but one I have a solution for.
Squatting on the lid of the toilet, I hunch over my phone. Come on, Adriana! I'm about to text her for an update when the door to the bathroom swings open. Shoes shuffle on the tile, turning in place, as if unsure where to go. I stand warily.
'Camila?" Adriana asks in a soft hush.
Popping the stall door open, I jump into her arms. 'Oh my God, you made it!"
'Did you think I'd bail on you?" she laughs, hugging me back. 'Come on now. Are you all right?"
'Sort of. Did you see a guy out there acting cagey?"
She peeks back at the door she came through, puckering her lips. 'Yeah, the front desk was telling him if he didn't calm down and leave, they'd call security on him. Let me guess, he's with you?"
'One of Asher's men," I explain. 'He won't be a problem if you brought?—"
She holds up a backpack. 'You can always rely on me."
My immense relief makes me feel like I'm glowing. 'You're amazing," I say, taking the bag. Digging through it, I begin lifting out the various hats and shirts.
Adriana cranes her neck as she watches me. 'I didn't know what you wanted exactly, so I brought a few options."
Flipping a fluffy white winter hat with a fuzzy pompom into the air, I shove it over my hair. 'This is perfect. Jeremy won't recognize me at all."
'Camila, what exactly is your plan?"
I measure one of the sweaters against my chest. I'll have to layer a few on to stay warm. 'I have to save Roman."
She gnaws at her bottom lip, hands wringing. 'Is this really the best way? Can't you just call the cops, tell them where everything is going down?"
'If I do that, they're likely to shoot Asher in the chaos. Or just because they want to. Oh, this is nice." I've stuffed myself into a second sweater; this one is a pretty shade of pine green.
'Camila," she nearly groans my name.
'I have to do this alone," I say bluntly.
She stares at me like she wants to argue more, but instead she backs down. 'How are you going to get to where he is?"
Taking her hands in mine, I slip on my most winning smile. 'You said I can rely on you, right?"
'Oh God."
'I need your car."
Adriana throws her head back to stare at the ceiling. She shuts her eyes, staying like that, as if she's gathering her courage. Letting go of my hands, she grabs my shoulders, staring at me hard as she talks in a serious whisper.
'When you bring it back to me—and you will bring it back—it better be in one piece."
'Thank you, Adriana. I don't deserve a friend like you."
'Funny," she laughs dryly. 'I was just thinking the same thing."
Jeremy has folded himself over the front desk. There are two police officers speaking to him in soft, patient voices. The woman sitting at the computer in front of him looks extremely uncomfortable. 'Listen to me," Jeremy begs. 'I'm looking for a pregnant woman."
'Yes, sir," she says lightly. 'We have many of those here."
Yanking my hat further over my face, so that it's nearly on my eyelashes, I speed-walk toward the exit doors. Jeremy is too distracted to see me. Even if he did, I look like an entirely different person. The double sweaters are plenty warm—too warm, thanks to my nervous sweating. It's a relief to burst out into the chilly snowflakes.
Okay, she said she parked in the left lot. Scanning the cars all sitting in nice rows, I half-jog over the pavement. The snow has made it slick; my shoe kicks out from under me, one knee buckling. Gasping, I grab onto the hood of a red hatchback to keep my balance.
Be careful, I chide myself. Don't go this far only to bust your ankle and lose everything!
Looking up, wiping snow from my eyes, I spot Adriana's familiar green Subaru. I've been in Adriana's vehicle enough times to know it by sight.
Yanking out the keys she gave me, I stick them in the driver's side door. The car opens for me, letting me close myself inside. It's not cold—she must have had the heat blasting in here before she parked.
I put the car keys in the ignition, where they jingle loudly. There are two empty containers of Jamba Juice in Adriana's center cup holders. I pause, considering them with a funny sense of sadness. Adriana has always struggled to keep her car clean. I'd chastise her when we went on joy rides together, and she'd laugh it off, insisting she'd clean her car the next time we went out.
Of course, she never did.
The empty drinks are a stark reminder of the predictable life I left behind. A life I might never get back.
I'll never get anything if I don't do this.
Pulling out my phone, I message Yannick.
ME: Where do you want me to go?
