Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 84203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
When she’s finally calmed down, I gently break away and survey the empty, dingy room, trying to open the only window that’s shining light in. Of course it doesn’t budge, and neither do the doors.
When a weird smell wafts in the air, my stomach roils, and I have no choice but to run to the corner to throw up. Since I haven’t eaten anything, it’s a mixture of acid and liquid.
“Are you okay?” Ellie whispers. When I glance at her, I notice her bloodshot eyes and the dark circles underneath. Her hair’s greasy, and the tank top she’s wearing is dirty and ripped. She looks like she’s been to hell and back.
“Yeah, something smells rancid.”
“Like death,” she agrees, her vacant gaze glancing around the room.
“Hey, El, did anyone—”
Before I can finish my question, I’m retching again. This goes on for several minutes until my body finally gives me a moment to take a breather.
“What’s wrong?” Ellie asks, when I become too lightheaded to remain standing and situate myself on the nasty basement floor.
“I’m pregnant.” I close my eyes and lay my head against the rough wall. “I only just found out.”
“What?” Ellie gasps. “No… No. No. No.” She shakes her head, fresh tears sliding down her face. “I did this. This is all my fault. I went to go see him and now—”
“Hey, stop it. You couldn’t have known. But don’t worry, Micah will find us and get us out of here.”
“No, you don’t get it. She’s going to kill us,” Ellie mutters. “She—”
“Well, aren’t you observant?” The woman from earlier says, as she walks into the room, followed by the guy who helped throw me into the trunk. “You are nothing but a stupid bastarda born from a whore.” She steps into our space and reaches for Ellie, fisting her hair. “You don’t deserve anything, and I’m going to ensure you never get a dime.”
I don’t know who this woman is, but her words and actions have me jumping up to protect my sister. “Don’t you dare speak to my sister like that,” I say, getting in her face and forcing her to release Ellie.
“Back up,” the guard says, stepping into my personal space. “Or I’ll have to teach you some manners, the same way I taught your—”
“Leave her alone!” Ellie shrieks. “Don’t you touch her!”
“Looks like you haven’t learned your lesson,” the man says.
“I’ve had enough!” the woman barks. “Sit down and shut up!” The woman shoves me back, and I stumble, tripping over my own feet and falling to the floor. When my back hits the harsh ground, the wind is knocked from my lungs.
Just as I’m glancing up, I see a foot coming toward my stomach. I curl into myself like a shrimp, attempting to protect my baby, but before she makes contact, a loud gunshot rings out.
I pop my head up and see Ellie holding a gun and the woman on the floor, blood pooling around her body.
“What the fuck did you do?” the guard barks. He snatches the gun from a shocked Ellie and points it at her.
“Enough!” a loud voice rings out, forcing our attention toward the man who’s walked in brandishing his own weapon. “Give me that gun.” The guard nods once and hands it over.
The men speak in Spanish for several seconds, and I have no clue what they’re saying, but whatever it is, it can’t be good because the man who just walked in glares at Ellie.
“First, your whore of a mother kills my father. Now my daughter, my own flesh and blood, kills my wife. I should shoot you dead. But since I still need you, I’ve come up with a much better option…”
He moves the gun a foot to the right and aims it at me.
“Wait, please,” Ellie screams. “It’s not her fault. I did this. I killed Arielle. She kidnapped me from the room you put me in and…” As Ellie rambles on, begging him not to kill me, I stare down the barrel of the gun, my life flashing before me. But it’s not my past I see. It’s the future I’ll never have. My belly swelling with a baby, Micah doting on me, putting together a nursery. The baby’s first ultrasound, her first cries, first steps, first words. Picnics at the park. Watching Ellie graduate. Making love to my husband.
My fingers splay out across my belly, and my eyes close, wanting the last things I see and think about to be happy. A second gunshot rings out, and as I accept my fate, I pray that death finds me quickly.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
MICAH
While my wife was calling me, needing me, I had no idea that a tower was down for maintenance, and my phone was getting zero signal. Then, when it rang, and Sienna was freaking out, I could barely understand a goddamn word of what she was saying. But when she screamed, I heard and felt that shit in my fucking soul.