She shrugged liked she couldn’t care less before turning and walking away. I bowed my head, unsure why I felt I should confess this to her. “I had a child, Candace.” She stopped dead in her tracks but didn’t turn to face me. “I got the shit beat out of me for three years by someone who supposedly loved me. When I finally managed to escape, I was pregnant. That is the secret that Cyrus left me over. He left me because I gave up a baby from a man who abused me. You wouldn’t know what that’s like though, would you? No. You get to go home to a husband who worships you and three beautiful little girls who are your world. You get to have the perfect, and you shit on the rest of us for trying. You know what? I don’t need you to understand, but that was what I couldn’t tell your brother. So, before you go judging people, you might want to step off the high horse you’re on and take a second to get to know the people you are trying to trample.”
I turned on my heel, trudged the few steps into the house, and this time, I slammed the door without interference.
My body shook, and I leaned my back against the door for support.
Sadie walked up and sat at my feet. She whined for me to pick her up, which I did. With Sadie in my arms, I peeked out the side of the curtain. Candace was gone.
Opening the front door again, I dragged the trash bag with all my belongings inside. I set Sadie down, lifted up the bag a little, and took it to my bedroom.
I dumped the contents out and rummaged to see what was in the piled up mess. She was a bitch. Everything was mixed together: clean clothes, dirty clothes, shampoos, lotions, and shoes. She dug the knife in deeper by conveniently throwing in stuff that belonged to another woman or women.
Holding up a strapless red dress, I didn’t want to believe he could have moved on so soon. Dropping the dress, I sifted through the rest of the pile and came across a couple of pairs of panties and a bra that weren’t mine. How could he?
Addie said he was torn up. “A fucking mess,” were her exact words. Maybe he was fucking himself into a mess. Yeah, that sounded about right.
Screaming like a lunatic, I whacked the clothes off my bed only to have them land in a haphazard mess. I had to get the hell out of there. I needed fresh air. Yanking a pair of skinny jeans and a big gray T-shirt from my drawer, I grabbed my keys and left.
I drove and drove, eventually ending up at the grocery store, where I parked a little farther from the door than I needed to.
As my left foot touched the concrete parking lot, humidity hit me and a bead of sweat began to form on my upper lip. It wasn’t real hot out, but it was humid. Even for seven thirty in the evening it was warm.
I strolled into the store, avoided looking directly at anyone, and headed straight for the freezer section. Not having anywhere to be, I stood in front of the freezer display cases and read every single name and brand of ice cream they had advertised for sale.
A pint of Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia and a box of Snickers ice cream bars were the winners. With my guilty pleasures in hand, I laid the ice cream on aisle four’s belt and dug in to my purse for my wallet.
Seven dollars and forty-two cents later, I had two of my favorite things that would temporarily bring me happiness.
I walked back to my car in a haze of self-deprecation and ice cream cravings. I had just stuck my hand in my purse to search for my car keys when a long-stemmed red rose caught my attention. It was secured between the wiper blade and windshield of my car. The brown paper bag slipped from my hands and hit the ground with a loud thud. I should have wanted to scream. My instincts were screaming at me to run, but my feet refused to obey. I was firmly rooted to the parking lot mere feet away from my car.
Trent stood five feet away, casually leaning against a large black SUV. I went from terrified to awestruck. In his arms was a blue-eyed little girl with a mess of red hair, wearing the cutest, fluffy pink dress. There was no way to break my gaze from that sweet looking baby.
“Well, well, well,” he ticked out. “Hello there, sweetheart. Long time no see.”
I cringed at the sound of his saccharine voice, but the movement only brought my eyes to the gun hanging loosely in his free hand. Panic flared at the sight, and fear wrapped tight around my heart. Unmoving, I shifted my eyes between Trent and the little girl.
Why was he carrying a baby?
Then it hit me. Oh my God, could it be . . .
Reading my expression, he answered my unasked question. “Sure is, baby. This here’s our little girl.” He gently bounced her a couple of times. Then his smile dropped, and his rage became palpable but controlled. “We’ve missed you. It’s time to come home so we can be a family.” He was seething. “Our sweet little girl here needs her mama.”
Was this actually happening? Was Trent standing there with our beautiful little girl? Another thought collided with my heart, and my stomach rolled. How did he have her? Spencer made sure the child I delivered went to a deserving couple. Oh my God, he had to have kidnapped her. There was no other logical explanation—not when Trent was involved. My hands flew to my mouth, as if they could physically hold back the sob and the scream that threatened to hit full force together.
“Why? How? How do you have her? Did you kidnap her? Shit, Trent, the police, they’re probably kicking in my front door as we speak.” I spoke softly; I couldn’t even fathom the trouble he’d just caused.
“Shut the fuck up!” Trent hissed through clenched teeth. “You don’t get to ask the questions. But don’t you worry, we have more than enough time to make our getaway before anyone finds us.”
“Oh God. What did you do?” I wanted to grab that little girl and run, but knew if I did something stupid, I’d get us both hurt—maybe even killed.
Not sure how, but from the side of my eye, I saw Addie’s car pass. I prayed hard that she would not stop and would keep going. Thankfully, she parked a row over. When she didn’t get out of the car, I wondered why she was just sitting there. As long as she didn’t approach us, she’d be okay.
“Get in the car. Time to go home.” Trent gestured his head toward the back passenger door. I tried to fight back the tears, but it was useless.
“Where are we going?”
“Home. Now get in the car, bitch.”
Wringing my hands together, I let fear take over. I had no idea what he was going to do. Would he hurt her? Would he hurt me? I closed my eyes for a second and wished I could see Cy one last time. I wished I could tell him how sorry I was and that I’d always love him. Delaying my step, I snuck a quick glance at where Addie’s car was parked. She was still just sitting there.
Not wanting to anger him anymore, I walked to the SUV. The back door opened from the inside and pushed out, and Trent handed over our little girl to someone in the vehicle. My eyes followed her until she disappeared into the darkness. She was such a beautiful little thing. All this time, how could I have ever thought I would have any ill feelings looking at her? She may have had Trent’s DNA running through her, but she had mine too. She was absolutely beautiful.
Trent stood close behind me with his 9mm Smith & Wesson pressed into the small of my back. It was the same gun he had held to my head all those times he threatened to kill me. The bastard leaned in close, so close that I could feel his hot breath at my ear as he spoke, “Try anything stupid, and you see that little angel there?” He didn’t have to finish his sentence. He made it perfectly clear what he would do to her if I made a mistake.
With my back still facing him, I swallowed hard, nodded my head, and climbed into the back seat where my daughter was buckled in. At least the devil had the sense to keep her safe.
Trent got in the driver’s seat and pressed the automatic door locks. I looked out the window, glancing at Addie’s occupied car one last time before pinning my eyes on the brown paper bag that held my ice cream.
Turning toward the buckled in little girl, I caught a glimpse of a vaguely familiar man in the passenger seat. I couldn’t quite place him, though.
My hand reached for t
he little girl’s hand, and I held on, rubbing my thumb over her tiny fingers. Jumbled thoughts spiraled around in my head, making me dizzy. I had to keep a clear head, so I forced the disorientation and fear away, focusing. Where could they be taking us? The windows were so tinted that when we left the well-lit parking lot, I couldn’t see much of anything.
Trent and the passenger were involved in a subdued conversation, but when the passenger turned to look at Trent, recognition came to me with a deep force. Paul. The guy from the club the night Cy and I had one of the biggest arguments of our relationship. Paul, who stood there pretending to make small talk but was in reality helping Trent stalk me. I would even put money on the fact that this was the same black SUV Cy had seen outside my house. It all made sense. Trent had probably been there all along. He probably knew I was in San Diego and when I moved to Savannah. He probably knew I was pregnant. He had probably known all of it. The break in, the dead rat, the calls. They were all him. I had never been free of him.
THINKING I’D BE left alone when I changed my number proved worthless. For the last month and a half, Addie had been giving me unsolicited updates as to how Natalie was doing. I thought I made it clear that I did not fucking care. Why would I? Natalie had shut the door in my face and told me to go to hell. We basically tore each other’s hearts to shreds, and by the amount of liquor I’d consume since, it was clear as day that I was barely hanging on.
Ignoring Addie’s relentless attempts, I silenced my phone again. I didn’t want to hear it anymore, not tonight. This whole situation was taking a toll on me and had me questioning day-in and day-out if I had made the right decision in walking away. Did I have to be so final and not even give her a chance? If I loved her like I knew I did, how could I not have given her a chance to explain?
This was driving me insane, and I wasn’t any closer to resolving my heartbreak.
When had I turned into a pussy-footing bitch?
Six weeks had passed, and I still had no clue what the hell I was doing. My hiding out in Atlanta with Levi had to come to an end. I couldn’t handle his brand of ‘healing’. His idea of getting Natalie off my mind was to obliterate myself and fuck my way through it. I came close to listening to him multiple times, but I was so fucked up in the head, I couldn’t go there.
“Hey, man. It’s Addie. I think you better listen to what she has to say.” Levi handed me his cell phone and his eyes looked a little too wide. I felt my eyebrows pinch. What the hell could be so damn important that Addie had to go through her brother to get to me?
Just leave a freaking voicemail.
I sat up on the couch and hunched over so I could rest my head in one hand while I placed the phone to my ear. “Hello.”
“Cy,” her voice squeaked, barely audible.
“Yeah, what is it?” I clipped.
“He has her, Cy . . . and the baby.” Addie’s voice was shaky, so I didn’t think I heard her right.
Frustrated I asked, “Who has what? And what baby are you even talking about?”
With a stronger voice she choked, “Trent.”
My heart about slammed through my chest. “What?”
“T-Trent has Natalie . . . and their baby. Well, I assumed she was theirs. The girl looked just like Natalie.” She was clearly shaken, and if I were going to get any information from her, I would need to keep calm. How was I supposed to be the calm one when my head was spinning in seven different directions and my adrenaline had hit level orange?
Squeezing the top of my head and concentrating on controlled breaths, I calmed myself enough to talk to her. “Addie, where are you? Are you safe? Did anyone see you?” I rambled off.
“I’m still sitting in my car in the grocery store parking lot. I waited the whole time and watched them drive off.” I could hear her choking up and a couple of tears probably fell. “Cy, he had a gun.”
“FUUUUCK!” I roared out, abruptly standing. I pulled in a couple of huge, deep breaths, exhaled through my mouth, and went into full command mode. “Addie, I need for you to listen to me, you hear me?” I pressed.
“Yeah, tell me what to do, Cy. We need to find her and get them away from that crazy fuck.”
“Addie, first of all, you need to stay calm.” When she didn’t answer me right away, I knew she had nodded but forgot her words. “Addie!”
“Yeah, right. Sorry.”
“Not a problem.” Articulating my next words clearly, I instructed, “Look, just hang tight. I’m gonna hang up and call Pete, let him know what’s going on. He might need to give you a call for all the details. You okay with that?”
“Of course! Are you crazy, just hurry up. I’m not sure how far away they might be.”
“All right, let me call Pete.”
“Got it.”
“And, Addie?”
“Yeah, Cy?”
“Thanks.”
I HAD TO think. I looked over and my little angel had fallen asleep. Her dainty face, tiny pink lips, and those chubby, rosy cheeks were all perfect, and I just wanted to squeeze them. Her eyelashes were so thick and long they almost touched her cheeks. What a beautiful little girl.
I didn’t even know her name. Shifting my body to the side, I leaned in closer to her. As I moved, I felt my cell phone in my back pocket.
How could he have not thought to take it away?
Who cared? This could be my only chance to save us.
Waiting until neither of them was looking at me, I maneuvered my hand and inconspicuously reached behind me, using the car seat to block some of my movements. Carefully, I maneuvered the cell phone out of my pocket and shoved it behind the car seat. All the while, my eyes were fixed on the devil and his counterpart who would eventually pay for this.
While they were still concentrated on their conversation, I wiggled my hand behind the car seat and lowered the volume in case anyone tried calling.
Waiting for the right time and a break in their conversation, I mentally pepped myself up. I had to keep a clear head and expect that the worst could possibly happen. The two guys grew quiet. I swallowed hard and hoped they wouldn’t retaliate against me for asking a simple question.
“Do either of you know her name?”
Paul—if that was his real name—turned to me and replied straightforwardly, “Faith.”
Faith. What a pretty name for a beautiful little girl.
I placed a soft kiss to her forehead, leaned the side of my head against the side of her car seat, and gazed out the window. Flashes of the outside world passed by, and from the looks and sounds of it, we were now on a freeway. I tucked my chin to my chest and peeked out the windshield. Either these two morons were high, or they weren’t paying attention to the brightly illuminated black-and-orange sign warning motorists of an Amber Alert. I didn’t see the plate number on the alert, but I was able to quickly catch the vehicle description: 2014 Chevy Tahoe Denali. It had to be us.
Where the heck were we going?
As the lights grew farther and farther apart, I jittered with nerves and my hands began to clam up and shake. Faith was starting to stir, so I leaned in close to her and kissed her cheek. What would happen when we made it out of here? How would I be able to let go again now that I had met my little girl?
“Hey, baby girl.” I whispered, and she smiled, showing off four, perfectly white teeth. Gently running my finger down her cheek, I smoothed a frown starting to form on her perfect lips. “Oh, what’s the matter, sweetheart?” I cooed in a gentle voice.
Clearing my throat, I found my adult voice. “Does Faith have any kind of diaper bag? Diapers, wipes, a sippy cup with some juice?”
Paul turned to me again, shaking his head. “Nope.”
Then Trent barked out, “Her things are at home.”
Home? What the hell was he talking about, home? I highly doubted he had kidnapped her for a visit with her biological parents, only to drop her back to her adoptive ones. Did he not care that they had legal custody of her and were most likely going out of their
freaking minds with worry?
I shifted all my attention to Faith, making sure she was content. How could they not have thought to bring even a diaper?
The sound of crunching gravel hit my ears, but Faith held a tight grip on my finger and was looking at me with wide eyes and a happy smile. I couldn’t bring myself to look away from her. “Hi, sweetheart,” I whispered, using the same cooing tone as before.
Trent put the car in park, and my body became alert and tense. I had no idea where we were. The devil jumped out of the vehicle first and his carbon copy followed. Trent opened my door, grabbed my arm roughly, and barked at me in irritation. “Come on, let’s go.”
Ignoring him, I unbuckled Faith from her car seat so I could carry her in my arms. Not even Trent could take away the small bit of happiness I got from holding her for the first time. I placed a soft kiss to her cheek and cradled her before sliding out of the car. Trent had his gun out, likely trying to intimidate me, which it did. His brain was erratic, so with a weapon and an innocent child in the mix, I had to tread carefully and not add any more danger where Faith was concerned.
“Give her to him,” Trent ordered in a harsh voice, waving his gun toward Paul. I almost hesitated . . . almost. I knew better. Kissing her cheek once more, I passed her to Paul. There was something strange about him when he held her, an odd sincerity. Besides the fact that he was working for Trent, there wasn’t anything threatening about him. As soon as he had Faith in his arms, he disappeared quickly into the somewhat well-kempt plantation-style home.
The area was secluded, and I hoped my phone hadn’t lost signal. With his irritation escalating at high speeds, Trent stepped behind me and shoved the barrel of his gun into the small of my back. “Move.”
Nervously, I rubbed the pads of my thumb and middle finger and took shaky steps, putting one foot in front of the other until we were standing at the front door. Trent was cruel and evil, but in a bizarre, screwed-up way, he had manners. He opened the door, allowing me to enter before him. Not knowing what to do, since any little thing was likely to set him off, I stood off to the side and waited.
Waiting on Faith (She's Beautiful Series Book 2) Page 23