Key Lime Pie

by Josi S. Kilpack

  “I told Alex not to let her come to Miami,” Monty said. “It was too risky for her to come back to where it all started. He wouldn’t listen to me, but now he wants her back. Alex believes she’d be difficult to replace.”

  That meant Megan was the one who wanted to come to Miami for treatment. Perhaps Alex didn’t have as strong a hold on her as Sadie feared. Yet Megan had left the hospital. “And her babies?” Sadie asked. “Aren’t Alex’s babies hard to replace?”

  “Alex already has children,” Monty said casually. “And Megan can have more if she wants to. Life is full of hard lessons.”

  Sadie clenched her eyes closed, wishing she could get those words out of her head. The flippancy was disgusting. She couldn’t imagine that Megan was so cavalier about her unborn sons. Sadie had seen the tenderness; she’d felt Megan’s fear for them.

  “Where is she?” Sadie asked.

  “Funny you should ask that,” Monty said. The car started slowing, and Sadie looked ahead to see a truck stop several yards off the side of the road. If he stopped, this could be her chance. She carefully surveyed the area, thick with woods that hadn’t been manually cleared. She could run into the woods, find somewhere to hide. If only she had her phone! Would she even have reception, though? It seemed so remote.

  A minute later, he pulled into the parking lot and drove past rows of semitrucks, past the café and food mart, and around the back of the building. The lot was fenced along the perimeter, and the building blocked the back corner from view. Unless an employee came out the back doors to have a smoke or take out the trash, no one would see them. Monty stopped behind a loading dock and pulled his phone from his pocket.

  Sadie’s hand inched toward the door handle.

  “I’m the only one who can control the locks,” Monty said casually, putting the phone to his ear. He held up a finger, indicating for her to wait a minute, then placed the gun on his thigh. He raised an eyebrow as though issuing her a challenge.

  “I’m here,” he said into the phone. He clicked his phone shut without saying anything else and put it back in his pocket. He reached across her and opened the glove compartment. He pulled out half a roll of duct tape and dropped it in her lap, keeping his other hand on the gun.

  “Tape up your hands,” he said.

  “No,” Sadie said, folding her arms over her chest.

  Monty looked at her for a moment and then glanced out the window behind her and smiled. Sadie wanted to see what he was looking at, but didn’t dare take her eyes off of him long enough to do so. She heard the click of the locks a moment before the car’s back door opened. She looked to see who was there.

  Her mouth dropped open as Megan slid into the backseat, her hand on her belly as she relaxed against the seat and took deep breaths, causing her belly to rise and fall. She was dressed in maternity denim shorts, leather sandals, a white billowing shirt, and a light blue, cotton jacket. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were frantic. How had she gotten here?

  Monty barely allowed Megan time to pull the door closed before he picked up the gun and pointed it at her head. Megan inhaled sharply, and her eyes went wide. Monty looked at Sadie and nodded toward the duct tape. “Tape up your hands.”

  Sadie looked from him to Megan. Her face had paled, and her eyes darted around the car as though wondering what she’d just gotten herself into. Sadie had no choice and pulled the tape back with a zip. She wrapped it around one wrist, then wriggled around in order to wrap it around both wrists, her palms touching. She had to use her chest to brace the roll of tape and use her teeth to move it, always waiting for him to help her, but he didn’t. She tried to keep it loose, but couldn’t make it work; she couldn’t pull the tape without tension.

  When she’d done three awkward turns, Monty finally set the gun down and grabbed the roll, finishing three more turns before ripping off the end.

  “Good girl,” he said. He returned the duct tape to the glove box and then turned to look at Megan. “Give me your phone.”

  Megan hurried to obey, digging in her purse for the phone, when Monty snatched the whole purse from her, causing her to gasp in surprise before pulling back against the seat.

  Monty tucked the gun in the waistband of his pants. Holding the straps of Megan’s purse in one fist, he reached his other hand for the door handle. “I need to make a call.” He gave both of them a challenging look.

  Megan nodded quickly, looking terrified. Sadie looked away when Monty turned his eyes to her, hoping it hurt him somehow to be snubbed by her. But she watched as he tucked Megan’s purse under his arm and pulled his phone from his pocket. He popped the trunk, dialed a number, and then pushed opened the driver’s door while putting the phone to his ear. Sadie watched him intently. He was leaving her alone with Megan?

  When Monty caught her watching, he moved the phone from his mouth and stared her down. “I won’t be far away,” he said. “And I’m not nearly as nice as Hugo was.”

  Sadie looked at her taped-up hands and pretended she hadn’t heard him as she tried to come up with any possible option of escape.

  He moved the phone back in place. “Yeah, it’s me. I’ve got her and—” He shut the door and plunged the inside of the car into silence.

  At least for the moment.

  Chapter 42

  Sadie was sure that this crisis had sharpened her senses, honed in her thoughts, and she tried to take confidence in the fact that she’d been in situations that looked bleak and hopeless—she’d even had her hands locked together before—and she’d managed to get out alive. However, she couldn’t deny that this situation was different from anything she’d faced before. She was in an unfamiliar location, with no way to contact anyone who might be able to help her. But she couldn’t afford to linger too long on those thoughts. Instead, she took a deep breath and gathered her courage together, saying a silent prayer before she exhaled slowly.

  Feeling centered, Sadie looked out the window at Monty, then down at her hands taped together, the ends of her fingers red from the lack of circulation. She didn’t dare look over the seat to make eye contact with Megan; Monty was watching them while he talked on the phone a few feet away from the taxi. Instead, she dropped her chin and turned her head away from him so that he couldn’t see her mouth.

  “Do you have any idea what you are doing, sweetheart?” Sadie said, keeping her tone light and maternal.

  Megan didn’t answer.

  Sadie took a breath and continued. “You don’t have to do this,” she said quietly. “There are other options.”

  Seconds ticked by, and Sadie had almost given up on having any communication when Megan spoke. “You can’t understand.”

  “I understand that you chose a new life and feel like you have to live it now, no matter what, but you don’t. There are so many people who love you, Megan, so many people who would do anything to see that you and your babies are cared for. I know your father, and I’ve met Tia and Larry and Max.” She left out Layla. “They can help you—I can help you.”

  Megan was quiet for a few seconds. When she spoke her voice was sad and certain. “Every single person in my life before I left was better off after I was gone.”

  Did she really believe that? Sadie thought to herself. A quick review of what she’d learned about Megan’s life up until she disappeared helped Sadie see things from Megan’s perspective. A disabled mother who couldn’t love her and a distracted father who she couldn’t trust. Larry and Tia loved her, certainly, but they were Layla’s caretakers first. And they’d been part of sending Megan away. Even if leaving was what Megan had wanted—asked for—wouldn’t it still be painful to know they were willing to let her go?

  “You got the short end of several sticks,” Sadie said, still looking forward with her head turned away from Monty. “I can’t argue with you on that, and it’s certainly not fair that you were at the mercy of your parents’ tragedies and poor choices.” She chose her next words carefully. “But you’re a grown woman now and have a
lready proven your ability to start again, create a new life. None of us can choose our past, but we have the future ahead of us every single day. And you do have people here who love you, miss you, and want to be a part of your life again.”

  “Those are very pretty words,” Megan said, “but they aren’t realistic. I was only able to come to the hospital with strict instructions on what to do if anything happened. When the hospital freaked out about you, I had no choice but to leave.”

  Sadie closed her eyes, stung by the accusation. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to cause you problems, but going back is not the solution.”

  “I don’t have a choice,” Megan said.

  “And you’re willing to put your unborn sons on the altar of that belief?” Sadie said, aching at the thought that Megan would even consider it. “Carlos is already in trouble, and you’ve got three and a half months left. Monty just held a gun to your head. You’re not safe there.”

  She heard a sniffle. “I have to go back.”

  She was as stubborn as her father! Sadie took a breath and looked out the driver’s window to see that Monty was heading for the back of the car. Watching carefully, she saw the trunk lift—blocking her from his view. She took the opportunity to turn in her seat and make eye contact with the scared woman in the backseat. “Do you want to go back?”

  Megan’s eyes filled with tears. “It doesn’t matter,” she said in an emotional whisper. “I have to. People would . . . suffer if I didn’t.”

  Sadie felt tears rising in her eyes as well. “Hugo’s already dead,” she said, causing Megan to jolt.

  “What?” Megan asked, her face both pale and scared.

  “He was trying to help you, trying to get you found without putting himself in the crosshairs, but it didn’t work. He knew it wasn’t safe for you to be with Alex—and he died trying to keep you from going back. Doesn’t that mean something? If he thought you could live apart from that life, then isn’t there a chance you can?” She paused for a breath. “Your father is in Florida right now and has a lot of making up to do, Larry and Tia love you so much and would do anything—have done anything—they can to help you.” Never mind that they were both likely going to jail—she’d bring that up later. “And you should know better than anyone how much power a parent can have in the lives of their children.” She looked down at Megan’s belly before raising her eyes to meet Megan’s once again. “Do you really think you won’t be haunted by this choice for the rest of your life?”

  The tears overflowed as Megan clenched her eyes shut and shook her head as if clinging desperately to the lies she’d been told—perhaps even been telling herself. But Sadie knew she couldn’t deny the fact that Alex was willing to sacrifice these babies. No way could Megan be okay with that—not really. Megan placed her hands on her belly and bowed her head, tears dripping from her face as emotion took over. She looked so anguished that Sadie instinctively lifted her hand to reach out to her before realizing she was still taped up.

  “Megan,” she said, gently, “the police are going to figure everything out. They have Liliana’s body—Hugo’s too—and they will find out what happened to them and why.”

  Megan looked up in surprise, and her face reflected desperation. “I didn’t know about Liliana,” she whispered. “Not for a long time. They told me she left Alex and abandoned the boys. When Hugo told me the truth, I didn’t believe him. I loved Liliana; she was my friend.”

  Sadie was so relieved to hear that and wished she had more time to discuss the particulars of just how Megan had justified becoming Liliana if she truly believed Alex’s first wife had left on her own. But there was no time. “Even if you go back to Puerto Rico, the police won’t be too far behind. You can’t return to the life you left there, Megan—even if you love Alex, the life you’ve shared with him is over one way or another.” Understanding was beginning to show on Megan’s face, and abject fear was replacing her sorrow and earlier confusion.

  Sadie continued. “You’re the only one who can get any of us out of this.” She glanced down at Megan’s rounded stomach to indicate just how many lives were depending on her. “You won’t get another chance to—” She heard the click moments before a hand clamped around Sadie’s right arm and pulled her through the passenger door before it was even opened all the way. Her shin caught on the door, and she yelped in pain.

  She was immediately slammed against the side of the car, her head snapping backward and causing her to bite her tongue. Before she could lift her head and focus on Monty’s face, his hand connected with her left cheek, causing her to cry out as her head twisted sideways. With his other hand he held her against the car, crushing her chest and making it hard to breathe.

  The sight of the ground, the open trunk, and the trees spun as she tried to process what had happened. The taste of blood filled her mouth, and the left side of her face throbbed. She tried to focus on one thing in order for her vision to adjust. In the next moment, she could feel Monty’s breath on the side of her face, only inches away. She didn’t look at him, but felt her body shaking involuntarily.

  “I have my orders, but there are always circumstances that call for split-second decisions and I have no reservations relieving Alex of dead weight again—if you know what I mean.”

  “You think I don’t already know you’re going to kill me?” Sadie said, though she didn’t believe it. Not yet. As long as she was alive there was hope she’d get out of this.

  “I wasn’t talking about you,” Monty said, his voice even lower and his face even closer. His breath smelled like mint, which Sadie felt was yet one more thing that made him seem so harmless. Evil people should have evil breath . . . and crooked teeth.

  “Alex wants her back,” Sadie said, her stomach sinking. She kept her head turned so that she wasn’t looking at him. Less than a minute ago she’d been trying to convince Megan not to go back to Alex, and now she was trying to convince Monty that she had to return. She felt the cold metal of what she could only assume was the gun against the side of her face. The coolness almost felt good against the swelling of where he’d hit her moments earlier, but mostly served as a reminder of who was really in control.

  “There’s an endless supply of stupid women in this world,” Monty said. “Alex will have no trouble finding a replacement. And I’ll have no trouble getting rid of that one too, if needed. Alex didn’t lose much sleep over Liliana; he won’t waste time mourning this one either.”

  This one. Megan wasn’t even worthy of a name to this man. “Then why take her back at all?” Sadie said, unable to keep the words back. “Why bother?”

  “Because Alex is very generous when he gets what he wants,” Monty said. “Alex makes it possible for me to have the means of a better lifestyle, while the cab gives me the cover that so often comes in handy—such as today. I do things his way as much as I can.”

  “Like killing Hugo?” Sadie said.

  “Dead weight,” Monty said. “Hugo should have done as he was told, not make up new rules based on his current view of morality.”

  “People like you don’t win forever,” Sadie said, wanting to make sure he understood that though he’d obviously gotten away with horrible things, it wouldn’t last. It couldn’t. She finally looked at him, feeling her eyes narrow at the arrogant look on his face.

  “I don’t need forever,” Monty said. “Today is good enough.”

  “They saw your cab at the hospital.”

  “They’ll never trace it, and no one else saw me but you. So, in a sense I’ve already gotten away with it, but we’re on a tight schedule, and I’d rather you disappear a little better than Liliana did—which is going to take time I don’t have at the moment. So, you hang in there, keep your faith alive, and behave yourself until we get things sorted out—all for her, of course.” He nodded toward the car before meeting Sadie’s eyes again. “I’ve heard all I can stand of your voice today, so if you open your mouth again for any reason, I’ll let you watch her bleed to death in the ba
ckseat.”

  There was no doubt in Sadie’s mind that he meant what he said. In fact, she imagined it would give him a great deal of satisfaction to show her what he was capable of. She clamped her lips together as the situation fell heavy around her shoulders. Liliana was dead, Hugo was dead, and Megan and her babies would be next—closely followed by Sadie herself—if Sadie didn’t keep quiet. It really was a brilliant plan on Monty’s part. Sadie’s own life was worth risking, but Megan? Two unborn children? There was no comparison.

  “So, do I have your word that I won’t have to resort to such measures?” Monty asked in a purely conversational tone.

  Sadie nodded, feeling spineless even while knowing she had no other option. “I’m holding you to that, then,” Monty said, tapping the gun against her swollen cheek, causing Sadie to wince.

  This was a promise she wouldn’t break, but it might very well cost her her life.

  Chapter 43

  They started driving, and it took only a moment for Sadie to realize they were continuing south, toward the Florida Keys. The construction cones and equipment continued alongside the road, and patches of water began appearing intermittently on either side of the road. It was too dark to be as beautiful as it probably was during the day, but she watched the light reflecting off the surface of the water and wished she could dive in and swim away from all this. It was so surreal outside the car, and so utterly frightening on the inside.

  Monty turned on the radio, some icky rap music that certainly didn’t make Sadie feel any better. Now and then she’d feel him looking at her. She refused to meet his eyes and simply watched the scenery, sprinkled with construction paraphernalia, pass by. She took deep breaths to calm herself, and continued saying internal prayers for guidance and help.

  She came up with a hundred scenarios that could lead to her escape, with Megan of course—a police barricade, an accident, Monty eating peanuts and going into anaphylactic shock due to an unsuspected allergy—but as the miles stretched on, both ahead of and behind them, she found it harder and harder to imagine how she’d get out of this.