by Skyla Madi
It was a man with beautiful green eyes. He was covered in tattoos up to his neck. Brown hair hung over his forehead as he leaned over me. He smiled, and I could feel my heart cracking.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.
Heat flooded my cheeks. I reached up and brushed shaky fingers against his cheek.
“So are you.”
He laughed. “I’m not beautiful, baby.”
“No.” I smiled. “You’re super sexy, especially when you wear your uniform.”
“You don’t look so bad either when you’re dressed in your school uniform.”
The image faded only to be replaced by another. This time I sat in the middle of the bed watching him. He was focused on the computer. A curse flew from his lips.
“What are you looking for?” I questioned softly.
He glanced at me. “A song. It’s on here somewhere, but I just can’t find it.”
“Try searching for it.”
He leaned forward and quickly typed something. A few seconds later, he stood and turned to face me. He stepped closer to the bed and held out his hand.
“Come here, baby,” he ordered softly.
I hesitated but crawled to the edge of the bed and placed my hand in his. He tugged gently. I stood and stared up at him. His lips twitched, but he didn’t smile. With a tug on my hand, he led me to the middle of the floor. I frowned as he walked back toward the computer. Seconds later, music started drifting toward me. He smiled then as he stepped closer.
“I’m not much of a dancer, but I don’t think I’ll step on your toes.”
I laughed as I allowed him to pull me closer. His arms wrapped around me. Our bodies brushed against each other as he slowly started to lead. It felt nice. I dropped my head against his shoulder as I slid my arms around his neck. His lips brushed my ear.
“Just relax and let the music lead you. It’s just us. You and me.”
My eyes fluttered close when he started humming along with the man. It was just us, and that was all I needed.
***
My body jerked when he grabbed my ankle. I didn’t fight him when he started pulling me down.
“Get out,” he ordered.
I cautiously pushed myself up and slowly slid out of the car. My back hurt and my body ached. I glanced around from beneath my lashes. It was only trees wherever I looked. He gripped my arms and turned before tugging me behind him as he walked toward a house. It was built in the middle of a clearing. Paint was chipping down from old wood.
“I have a special job for you,” he said. “You will care for that bitch until the baby is born, and then I’ll send you back to him.”
The wood creaked beneath our weight as we climbed the steps. My nose wrinkled when the smell registered.
“I expect you to keep this place clean. I don’t want the baby to get sick or anything. I’m getting big bucks for her and a few other newborn infants.”
I took small steps forward and away from him when he dropped my arm. It was small. We stood in a living room. A few old, ripped chairs stood around. The floor was covered in dust and leaves. I glanced up. A hallway led into the kitchen that looked even dirtier than the living room. There was a staircase that led to the second story. I cringed; the stairs looked really unstable.
“Come, I’ll introduce you to the mother to be.”
I followed him up the stairs and down the hall. He led me to the end before opening the door and stepping aside. I hesitated for a few seconds before stepping inside. It was almost too dark to see anything, but I saw her.
“You’re going to help her with the birth.” My eyes snapped to him. “It’s too risky to take her to a hospital or get someone to come in. If anything happens to the baby, I’ll kill you.”
He walked out of the room. I was glued to the floor, but my eyes moved to her again. She sat bundled on the bed beneath thick blankets. From what I could see, she was deadly pale and extremely thin. Her hair was cut short—almost against her head. “H-hi,” I whispered. “What’s your name?”
She remained silent. I took a step closer. The bed was narrow. It looked a lot more comfortable than the thin mattress he gave me.
“My name is Alia.”
Saying it out loud made me remember. Alia was my name. Alia Dune. My name’s Alia Dune, and I’m a fighter.
Chapter Forty-Two
There was so much blood. She cried out, but it soon turned into a scream. I glanced at her. She looked paler than usual, and her skin was covered in sweat.
“You need to push,” I said.
I looked back down again. My stomach heaved, but I managed not to throw up. I wasn’t fit for this. She was going to die, and so was the baby. It was stuck inside.
“Is the kid born yet?”
I glanced at him over my shoulders. He entered the room along with two of his men.
“There’s too much blood. The baby is stuck inside.”
I scrambled to my feet when he cursed violently. I pressed myself against the wall as I watched them. My eyes widened when he pulled out a knife. Without care, he started ripping her clothes over her stomach. Her scream echoed around the room when he started cutting her stomach. Blood splattered. I couldn’t hold it any longer. I slid to the floor and started puking. Her screams finally died down only to be replaced by another cry.
“Get it cleaned up and fed!”
***
Today the baby turned three weeks old. It was a little girl with the most beautiful brown eyes. She was too silent for a baby—not that I had much experience. In two weeks, he would take her to be sold. I learned that he found couples desperate enough for a baby and then sold the children to them. The people were willing to do anything, even pay millions. I stared down at her as I rocked her. She had just fed and was slowly drifting toward sleep. The room was cold, but I had wrapped all the extra blankets around her. She felt warm so I knew she wasn’t freezing. Thunder made me jump. It was getting colder by the day, which made living here worse. Wind seeped through the cracks in the wood.
“You’re so beautiful,” I whispered as I stroked her cheek. “I wish I could help you.”
“Alia!”
“I promise I didn’t do anything wrong,” I whispered down at her.
I stood and walked over to the mattress I had moved into the closet. It got her away from the cold. Gently laying her down, I made sure she couldn’t roll off. He stood in the living room when I walked down the stairs. My hands shook the closer I got. He looked angry, and that was never good.
“Pack up. We’re leaving. Make sure you leave no trace of that baby,” he almost yelled at me.
I ran up the stairs before he could do anything else. My heart was beating erratically in my chest. Something was wrong. I paused at the window. Movement in the tree line caught my attention. They had surrounded us. It was hard to see what they were wearing. Hope flared but quickly died down. He had a lot of enemies. It could be them trying to take him out. I hurried into the room and gripped some ripped clothes. I quickly tied them together to use as a bag.
My heart sped up in panic as I rushed around the room. I didn’t know where exactly we were, so I had no clue how long it would be to find help. I’d spent days planning an escape, but I was too afraid. Now was my only chance. He would be distracted, and that would give me the time to run. I tied her things to my back before moving toward her.
“This is the police. You are surrounded. Come out with your hands in the air and surrender.”
A memory tugged at the back of my mind, but I refused to focus on it. He could kill us. I had to get her away from here. She stayed asleep when I picked her up. I tried to stay as quiet as possible as I made my way toward the stairs. I peeked down. No one was within sight. I was halfway down the stairs when I heard him. They were in the living room and walking down the hall that led to one of the other rooms.
“You can do this, Alia,” I whispered to myself.
“This is the police—”
I blocked them out as I snuck
down the hallway. I pressed my back against the wall before glancing down at her. She was still asleep. Heavy footsteps crossed the wooden floor. I sucked in a breath when he stormed past. He didn’t glance at me but made his way upstairs instead. I rounded the corner and froze when movement by the window caught my attention. My eyes darted around. I was filled with panic.
“Think, Alia, think!”
I stormed over to the stove and grabbed the pan. The floorboards creaked when I ran across them. A gasp fell from my lips when the door was slowly pushed open. Not even a second later, tattooed hands appeared, holding a gun. The rest of the man’s body slowly came into view. He was dressed in a police uniform with other guns strapped to his hips. He also had a knife strapped to his thigh. I watched him as he silently moved farther into the kitchen. The longer I stared, the more familiar he became. It was when he turned around that I knew. Green eyes locked with mine and then widened.
“Alia,” he breathed.
I didn’t think. I reacted. The pan flew through the air. I didn’t stay to see if it hit him or not. The door stood open, and it was the only chance of escape I had. Rocks and sticks dug into my feet as I ran for the forest. I held the baby tighter against my chest as I dodged trees and fallen logs.
“Alia!”
He was behind me now. I could hear his heavy footsteps. Eventually we both would tire out, but I wasn’t going to allow them to catch me.
***
I pressed myself tighter against the cold rock. She was crying. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I tried to make her stop. It was raining but not hard enough to drown out her cries. A twig snapped close by. I pulled the blanket over her to hide her. My heart was beating erratically. I was scared, so afraid that they would take me back to that house. Or he would find me and kill us. He couldn’t kill her.
“Alia.”
My eyes snapped up. I stared at the man with the beautiful green eyes as he slowly came closer. He held his hands up and away from his body.
“Easy, baby,” he said softly. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
My body tensed when he lowered himself to his knees. He slowly moved closer until he cut off some of the rain.
“Do you remember me?” I shook my head. “My name is Stephen. Try to remember me.”
He looked sad. I took in his wet hair and pale face. His eyes caught my attention again.
“Is that your baby?”
I shook my head and then slightly moved the blanket to show him her face. She was quiet, but she wasn’t sleeping. Her big brown eyes stared up at me.
“How old is she?”
“Three weeks,” I whispered.
“Where’s her mom?”
Tears filled my eyes. I’d spent a lot of time with her even though she never talked to me. She became my friend.
“Alia.” I looked at him. “Talk to me, baby. I need to know if her mother is still in the house so I can tell them.”
“She’s dead. They buried her in the forest.”
“Did you know her?”
I shook my head. “She never talked to me. I had to care for her, but when the baby was supposed to be born, things went wrong. There was too much blood, and the baby was stuck. He cut her open with a knife to get the baby. She died.”
His figure became blurry as more tears started to fall. I remembered him. He was my Stephen.
“You didn’t come.” He frowned at me. “I waited and waited, but you never came to save me.”
“I tried, baby. I tried so fucking hard to find you. I—”
“I want to go home,” I whispered. “I need home. It’s cold here, and I’m hungry.”
“I will get you home,” he promised.
Something peeped. I jumped slightly when a voice seemed to come out of nowhere.
“He ran into the woods. Keep your eyes and ears open. He’s armed and dangerous.” Stephen reached up and took hold of a black thing. He raised it to his mouth before pressing a button. His eyes never left mine. “I found Alia. She has a three-week-old baby with her.”
“Is she okay? What’s your location?” another voice answered.
“She’s fine. Scared and cold but I don’t see any other injuries. We’re in a clearing west of the house.”
“He’s heading in your direction.”
“Fuck.” Stephen suddenly reached out. I flinched, trying to make myself smaller. Warm hands gently cupped my cheeks. I slowly opened my eyes to look at him. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he whispered. “I want you to stay very quiet. Can you do that for me, baby?”
“I-I will try.”
“Remember, stay silent.”
He gave me a small smile before he stood and disappeared from sight. I rubbed the baby’s back as I waited. She was sleeping now, but I knew she’d be hungry soon. If I moved, someone might see or hear me. Hours seemed to pass. It was getting darker by the minute. I could barely make out the trees. The rain had slowed, but the wind was picking up.
The baby suddenly let out a loud cry, and that’s when all hell broke loose. I twisted my body to shield her as someone started firing. The sounds echoed around the forest. It was hard to tell exactly where it was coming from. Sharp pain made me gasp. I was suddenly paralyzed because of it. I bit my lip to keep myself silent. The pain was coming from my left shoulder.
“Come out, you fucking bitch! I want the baby. You can go if you hand it over.”
“Give it up, Dave,” Stephen called out. “You are surrounded. Lower your weapon and surrender.”
“You fucking do anything and she dies.” I screamed when he grabbed my arm and pulled me from my hiding place.
The baby almost slipped from my arm, but I managed to hold on to her. Something cold pressed against the side of my head.
“Here’s how this is going to work,” he snarled. “I’m going to take the baby and walk away. You get your bitch back.”
“That’s not going to happen,” someone called from behind a tree. “Let her go and surrender, Dave.”
“You know I can’t do that, son.” He laughed. “Your girl was a fighter. Bit my dick, but I made sure I taught her a lesson.” He pressed the gun tighter against my head. “I really enjoyed fucking her while she was bent over my desk. My men enjoyed her too.”
I frowned. I didn’t remember his men touching me or him ever touching me in his office. He never allowed his men near me unless they had to escort me to him.
“Son of a bitch!”
“Don’t fucking insult my mother. She was a better woman that your mother ever was.” His arm wrapped around my waist to pull me closer to him. “Did he tell you his mother was a prostitute? She fucked everything and everyone for her next fix.”
“Shut up!” Stephen yelled.
“You didn’t tell her? No wonder she stuck by your side. Did he tell you that my daughter died because of him?”
“I didn’t kill her!”
“So he says.” He leaned closer until his lips brushed my ear. “I really enjoyed our time together, but now it has to end.”
I didn’t want to die. Memories of my family kept me alive all this time. I wasn’t going to let this bastard take that away from me. Shifting slightly, I hit him with my elbow as hard as I could. He cried out. The moment his arm loosened around my waist, I pushed away from him. I spun around just in time to watch a bullet enter his head.
The gun slipped from his hand, but he didn’t fall. A few more bullets hit him until he finally hit the ground. I sucked in air. Panic washed through me when men suddenly started running out of the tree line. My knees weakened and then gave way beneath me. I slid to the damp ground.
“Alia. Baby, are you hurt?” Stephen was kneeling next to me.
He held a flashlight, which he dropped next to us. Hands gripped my arms gently to pull me closer to him.
“She’s bleeding.” Someone touched my back.
I jerked away from him. A whimper fell from my lips when my body came in contact with another.
“Don’t touch her,�
�� Stephen ordered. “Look at me, baby.” I turned my head to look up at him. “Brian is going to take the baby girl to the ambulance. It’s starting to rain again, and it’s getting cold. She needs medical attention.”
I shook my head, holding her closer against me.
“She needs medical attention, Alia. Do you want her to get sick? Hand her over to Brian.”
“I’ll stay with her the whole time,” Brian said softly. “I won’t let anything happen to her. You have my word.”
Tears filled my eyes when I looked down at her. She was sleeping again, and she hadn’t even fed. I sucked in a breath and then slowly let it out. My lips brushed her forehead before I handed her over to him.
“She hasn’t fed,” I whispered.
He nodded. “I’ll tell them. She’ll be fine.”
I watched him walk away until he disappeared into the trees. A touch on my arm made me turn my head.
“You’re very brave, baby,” Stephen said softly.
I shook my head. I was a coward. All thoughts fled from my mind when the sharp pain in my shoulder registered. I cautiously glanced at it. The sight that greeted me made darkness wash over me.
Chapter Forty-Three
Three weeks later…
“The doctor is happy with your progress.”
“When can I go home?”
She paused and then slowly straightened. Her dark brown eyes watched me with concern.
“You keep saying that he’s happy with my progress, but you never tell me when I will be discharged.”
She reached out but hesitated. I waited for her to touch me. Instead, she lowered her hands and took a step back. “You’ve been through a lot. That was before you were shot. Your body has suffered a lot of abuse, and it needs to heal.” She paused. “Your mind also needs to recover. Once the doctor is certain that you’ll be okay, he will discharge you.”
She left before I could question her anymore. I fought the urge to throw something at the door. I had woken three days ago from a medically induced coma with Patrick at my side. He was the only one I’d seen. No other family had come to visit me. Not even Stephen. Being under had made me remember. I remembered my life before I was kidnapped.