Wrapped in Chains - Nicola Jane Page 0,56

into the back of the van, but my limbs feel so heavy that I can’t do anything about it. The hard floor digs into my back and then everything goes black.

“Wake up, beautiful.” I’m doused in cold water. I sit up, sucking in air while choking on water. I wipe my eyes and see Ryan standing above me, smiling like a maniac.

“What’s going on?” I splutter. “What the hell did you do to me?”

“I had plans for us,” he says. “I can’t let you ruin them, Leia.”

I glance around the room. It’s clean but small, and a single bed sits under a window that’s boarded closed so there’s no natural light. A heavy chain is attached to a metal cuff on my ankle and fastened by a bolt in the wall. “I don’t understand,” I mutter.

“Aww, poor little princess. It’s simple really. I’m doing what’s best for you and the baby.”

I chew on my lower lip and blink away the tears that threaten to fall. “And that’s what exactly?”

“I’m going to wait for the baby to get stronger and then I’m going to take it.” I shuffle back on the bed in panic until I’m against the wall. Ryan smiles calmly. “You’re going to be fine. I’m a doctor.”

I wipe my wet cheek. “Take it how?”

“Let’s not worry about the details. Get some rest and I’ll make us some lunch.”

I stare at the closed door after he leaves. He didn’t lock it, but I’m on a chain so I can’t go anywhere. I examine the metal cuff—it’s solid. I stand on the bed and feel around the sheet of hardwood screwed into the window frame. There’re no gaps. If I could unscrew the screws, maybe I could scream for help. I have no idea where we are or how long Ryan drove for. I begin to panic and my chest tightens, so I sit back down and breathe in deeply, releasing it slowly.

When Ryan returns, I’m calmer. He lays a tray on the end of the bed and then goes to get a stool. He proceeds to lay out a picnic cloth on the end of the bed and carefully spreads out the plates of sandwiches and snacks. “I thought you’d like a picnic,” he says.

“I’m not sure I can eat anything right now,” I mutter. His behaviour is so calm, it unsettles me more.

He suddenly looks troubled and leans over to feel my forehead. “Umm, you don’t feel like you have a temperature.”

“I think I might be stressed,” I say carefully.

“Stressed? What do you have to be stressed about?” he scoffs and my eyes widen. He’s clearly mad. “Try having a mother who is ridiculously needy and a pregnant girlfriend.”

“You have a pregnant girlfriend?” I ask.

He falters. “I did. Never mind.”

I wake with a start. The only sound in the room is my heavy breathing. It must have been a nightmare because I can’t possibly be here with Ryan. I look around the room, the realisation hitting me hard. The flowers he brought me earlier are arranged on the table in a child’s plastic bucket.

I climb out of bed and carefully open the door. I have no idea what the time is and there are no gaps giving away the light from around the window in my room. The chain clunks as I stretch it as far as it will go, allowing me to stick my head out of the bedroom door. There’s a passage leading to some stairs, but they are too far away for me to see what lies beyond. Other than that, the passage is empty—no other doors, no pictures, not even a small table. I hear footsteps and I rush back to the bed and lie down, closing my eyes tightly.

“It’s good to hear you up and about, my love,” he says. “Don’t pretend to sleep on my account.”

“How long have I been here?” I ask. “Where am I?”

“A few hours. A place that’s fit for a child,” he says with a smile.

“I have four months left. You can’t keep me here for four months,” I say. “People will come looking for me.”

“I’m going to leave the baby as long as I can. The longer she’s in you, the better.”

I cry out in frustration. “What do you mean and how do you know it’s a girl?”

“It’s a feeling I get. I knew you came into my life for a reason, and she is the reason,” he says happily. “She was a sign.”

I pinch the bridge