I do. You said yourself, you’ve no intention of giving me the baby.’ Sheridan’s eyes were like flints as she glared. ‘Don’t you realise? You’ve signed your rights away. She’s mine.’
‘I’m going and you can’t stop me,’ Roz said, trying to dodge around her.
Sliding the syringe from her pocket, Sheridan blocked her path. ‘It’s just a sedative. It won’t hurt the baby.’
‘Ow!’ Roz cried, bending over in pain as Sheridan approached.
‘What is it? What’s wrong?’ Sheridan watched with horror as Roz struggled to breathe. She hadn’t even touched her yet.
‘It’s the baby,’ Roz gasped. ‘I’ve been getting pains all day. I think something’s wrong . . .’
‘No. It’s too early.’ Pocketing the syringe, Sheridan leaned forward, lowering to one knee. ‘Where does it hurt?’
But Sheridan’s question was answered by a sharp elbow to the face. Blinding white pain accompanied starbursts in her vision as she fell back on the floor. A howl escaped her lips as she fought to stem the blood spurting from her nose. She barely felt Roz rummage in her pocket as she snatched the elevator pass.
Crawling to her feet, Sheridan raised her head to see Roz run to the elevator. The bitch had been lying. There was nothing wrong with her. Panic gripped Sheridan’s being like a thousand icy shards. If the police came here, found what they had hidden . . . There was more to this than Roz. She would end up in jail.
‘You bitch!’ Sheridan screamed, her voice thick with rage as she slowly got to her feet.
Roz slammed the pass against the security panel before jabbing at the elevator button. ‘Come on, come on . . .’ she repeated, staring back at Sheridan.
Blood drizzled through Sheridan’s fingers as she clasped her nose. ‘I’ll kill you, I’ll fucking kill you for this!’ she said, her voice thick with congestion. She was dizzy, disorientated, no longer in control. Roz was taking her baby. She had to get to her before she stepped inside the elevator. But Roz had hit her with the force of a steam train. Her mouth filled with the taste of iron and she paused to spit out blood. Like an extra in a zombie movie, she shuffled towards her captive.
‘Stop!’ she screamed, as Roz slipped through the open doors.
Sheridan clawed to keep them open, her fingers wrapping around each edge as they almost slid closed.
‘Get away from me!’ Roz screamed, recoiling against the wall.
Slowly, Sheridan prised the doors open, a dark smile growing on her face.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
ROZ
Fear sharpened my senses as Sheridan’s threats rang in my ears. I would have preferred to face an oncoming car than contemplate what she had in store for me. She had finally lost it. The queen of control had had enough.
Sheridan’s bloodied fingers stained the lift doors as she prised them apart, her face shoved into the widening gap. I jabbed the lift button to press the doors closed, but Sheridan’s rage powered her strength and there was no stopping her. But she had been wrong. She was my baby, not hers, and that was worth fighting for. I lunged forward, biting down on Sheridan’s hand. Howling in pain, she relinquished her grasp. The lift doors shut with a clunk.
I pressed my palms flat against the cool metal wall and exhaled a lungful of air. But I couldn’t relax as the lift travelled upwards. Sheridan was gunning for me; she would be racing up the stairs. I braced myself, planned my escape through the front door. I wouldn’t stop at security. I would see myself clear of the building. I did not trust anyone around her. There were bound to be police on the street. My legs trembled with a spike of adrenalin and I clenched my hands into fists. I was getting through that door and nobody was stopping me.
As the lift doors rolled open, it was not Sheridan standing before me, but Daniel. He looked behind me into the lift, taking me to one side as I stepped out.
‘I heard screaming. Where’s Sheridan?’
‘Let me past,’ I said, as he tightened his grip on my arm. ‘Please. Sheridan’s lost it. She wants to kill me!’ I could see the front door ahead of me, so tantalisingly close. But Daniel’s broad frame was in my path. I flinched as he rested both hands on my arms. ‘Hey, don’t be silly. Sheridan would never hurt you.’
‘No . . .’ I said, trying to wriggle out of his grasp. ‘You don’t understand. She’s been drugging me.