is gone, I pick Journey up and wrap her snugly in a lightweight blanket. She stops crying instantly. Now it’s my turn. The floodgates open and my tears don’t let up as I hysterically scour the room grabbing everything I need for Journey.
My mind is weighed down with distressful thoughts. What is going on? Where is Trent? What if she caught onto him coming in here and killed him? This is too much.
My brain won’t shut down. Did someone finally find us? Is she taking Journey away from me now? God, what if this is it? Is she really going to kill me?
No. I have come too far and fought too hard for this to happen. I have to stay strong. I will not let her see me cry. My earlier plan has gone all to shit.
“Five minutes,” I say to myself when I look at the clock. I have five minutes to come up with a new plan. Think, Clove.
If someone has somehow found us, then they have got to be on their way here. I need to stall her, waste time.
I sit in the rocking chair, watching the last few minutes tick by. When I hear her scream my name, I undo my shirt and bra. I close my eyes and do something I never thought I would ever do. I pray that Trent is still alive.
“Journey, sweetheart. I love you so much. Never forget that,” I croon as I swaddle her to my breast.
Tina storms back into the room.
“I thought I told you . . . oh, for God’s sake! The little brat has to eat now?”
“Yes, Mother, she does. Please keep your voice down or you’ll have a crying baby on your hands,” I state calmly.
“You can feed her in the car.”
“That would be awfully hard to do, because I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“You know what? I have had just about enough of you.”
“Really? Let me tell you something, you’re about to get a hell of a lot more of me. No, wait. It’s not me you’re going to get a lot more of, is it?”
My words seem to strike a nerve as her eyes grow wide.
“Why, Mother, your skin is paling.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
Her hand flies out, grabbing a fistful of my hair.
“It’s Zack, isn’t it? He knows, doesn’t he? And he’s coming for you.”
I grit my teeth as she yanks harder.
“Where’s Trent?” I scream.
“Get up you fucking bitch! Either you get up now or I’m taking her.”
Letting go of my hair, her other hand swings around, pointing the damn gun to my head.
She keeps the hand with the gun steady while tilting back and snatching the bag up off of the bed.
“Move!” she commands. I stand and fix my clothes, all the while clinging onto my baby.
“You won’t get away with this. Zack will never give up. No matter what you do to me, my brother will never give up.” My voice is unstable now as we descend the stairs, the gun jabbing me in the back.
She doesn’t say anything, not one word as she opens the front door. My vision is blinded by the bright sun. I come to a halt as I lift my face to the sky, inhaling the warm summer air.
“Get in the back of the car.” She prods my back with the gun.
I take the two steps down, then the few steps leading to the car.
“Tina!” a suppressed voice calls out from behind us.
We turn around and I gasp at the sight of Trent holding his stomach, blood covering his hands and soaking his shirt. He’s pale as he tries to hold himself upright, leaning on the doorframe for support.
“Trent. Oh, dear God, what the hell have you done, Mother?”
What happens next seems to happen in slow motion. The gun goes off and Trent’s body slumps forward. I scream. Journey starts crying. The last thing I remember before I feel a blow to the side of my head is Trent calling out to me.
“Clove! He’s alive... Turner is alive.”
Chapter Ten
Turner
“Turner! Thank God you’re here. We have news, it’s…”
I cut Martinez off with a glance and inspect Zack more closely. He looks like he’s been crying. I have this persistent feeling that something terrible has happened. Anger and fear are reverberating in my head along with the high-pitched screams of my wife from that fucking dream.
Several faces are gaping at me and not a single one of them has said a damn thing yet. I’m immobilized as terror takes