‘Roz, calm down. This isn’t doing you or the baby any good.’ He pressed me against the wall, trapping me in his grip. My heart pounded with the need to escape. I looked deep into his eyes, desperate to get my message across.
‘Why aren’t you listening? Sheridan . . .’ I caught his gaze and swivelled my head around. Daniel wasn’t listening because Sheridan was coming. That’s why he was holding me still. Then it hit me: the realisation that they were in this together. Daniel may have liked me, but he would take his wife’s side every time.
‘No!’ I screamed, pummelling his chest with my fists. But it was no use. Daniel was too strong. ‘Help!’ I shouted, praying someone would hear. ‘Please, help me, someone, help!’ But all I could see was Sheridan’s bloodied face as she approached, a syringe in her hand. ‘Hold her still!’ she spat through gritted teeth.
Daniel took in her smashed-up face, paling at the sight. ‘What happened down there?’ He glared at the needle. ‘And what’s that for?’
‘It’s just a sedative. Hold her still before she hurts my baby.’
It was an order, not a request, and to my horror, Daniel complied. Extending my arm, he exposed the flesh on my wrist.
‘It’s OK,’ he said, his breath coming quickly. ‘I’ll stay with you. We’ll sort this out.’
The sedative worked quickly, draining the strength from my legs. I began to crumple, but Daniel’s strong arms encompassed me. My eyelids felt like lead shutters, forcing themselves closed. Everything grew dark as Daniel’s words became faraway. I felt him gently scoop me up in his arms. I heard the disbelief in his words. ‘For God’s sake, Sheridan . . . What have you done?’
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
ROZ
I blinked, feeling as if I was rising from an underwater sleep. My eyes were gritty, but I couldn’t rub them clean. I met resistance as I tried to move my hands. I was bound, soft bandages tying each of my wrists to the pillars of my bed.
Tugging at my bindings, I panicked with a need to feel my stomach to check my baby was OK. Sensing a presence in the room, I lifted my head from my pillow to see Daniel standing at the end of my bed.
‘Daniel . . .’ I panted, a shot of pain driving like a nail into my head. I winced. It was the after-effects of the drugs, which I’d felt so many times before. But this dose had been serious. It hadn’t just made me sleepy. It had knocked me out stone cold. What had she given me? I drew in a sharp breath between my teeth as I pleaded to be freed. ‘Please. Let me go.’
‘I’m sorry, Roz, but it’s for your own good.’ His voice was remorseful.
‘You drugged me,’ I croaked, my throat scratchy and sore. ‘You had no right.’
‘You were out of control. How is Sheridan going to explain her injuries? You could have broken her nose.’
‘My baby,’ I said. ‘Is she all right?’
Daniel frowned. It was the first time he’d heard me call the baby mine, and he picked up on it instantly. ‘We scanned you when you were unconscious. The baby’s fine.’
He spoke as if it were the most normal thing in the world, but the thought of Sheridan touching me when I was at my most vulnerable made my skin crawl.
‘This is kidnapping – you know that, don’t you?’ I reined in my temper. It would not help to antagonise my kidnappers. My baby and I were completely at their mercy. ‘Please. I won’t tell anyone. Please let me go.’ I lowered my head and gazed at the ceiling, my head pounding.
‘Don’t be silly,’ Daniel said. ‘We’re just looking after you. It’s either this or Sheridan has you sectioned. She said you threatened to kill yourself.’
‘What? No . . . no, I didn’t . . .’ But my words lacked conviction as I searched the corridors of my mind. I could barely remember what had gone on. ‘Promise me.’ I blinked away my tears. ‘Don’t let her drug me again. We both know it’s not good for the baby. It can’t be.’
Taking a tissue from his pocket, Daniel leaned forward and dabbed my face. ‘Sweetheart, you really hurt her. You should see the state of her nose.’
‘It was self-defence!’ I cried, tugging my wrists once more. My baby moved inside me. I could feel the ripple of a limb