Wrapped in Chains - Nicola Jane Page 0,57
of my nose. “We met because of college.”
“But I was drawn to you, Leia, and I didn’t know why, but God had a plan, I see that now. All my pain, it was killing me, and then I saw you and the fog lifted. Now, you’re bringing me a baby girl.”
I begin to cry because I can’t hold it in any longer. His ramblings both confuse and scare me. “You’re wrong. God took me to Chains and gave us a baby, not you.”
Ryan’s face darkens. “That’s why you could never be her mother. You don’t want the best for her like I do. You’ll poison her.”
“I am her mother. I’ll always be her mother and I’ll do anything to protect her. You try and take her and I’ll kill you.”
He smirks. “My love, that’s not possible. With him on my side . . . ” He pauses and points to the ceiling. “I can do whatever I need to do.”
“Let me get this straight,” I say as calmly as possible. “You’ve taken me because you want to take my child from me.”
“You’re getting it,” he says.
“You want to remove her from me, take her from my womb before I go into labour?” He nods and I begin to hyperventilate. “Why can’t you wait until she’s born?”
“Because the date is August twenty-eighth.”
“But that’s only a month away,” I screech.
“Relax. I’m a doctor. I know what to do.”
He leaves the room, I glance around for the hundredth time, looking for anything to get me out of here. I take some deep breaths and feel my heart slow. I have to get my shit together if I want to get out of here alive with my baby.
CHAINS
My breathing is shallow. There’s a whistling sound with every exhale and I know from previous experience I’ve punctured a lung. “You think she’d want this?” I whisper.
“Shut the fuck up,” snaps Riggs. He’s tired, I see it in his face and the way he slouches against the wall, dangling a whiskey bottle between his legs.
“She’s carrying your niece or nephew,” I continue, knowing that it might be my last words if I keep pushing him. “You want this kid to grow up without a father?”
“Why are you still talking?” he growls.
“You know she’ll hate you forever. She’ll have to tell my kid that I died at the hands of you, it’s fuckin’ uncle.”
“I’m warning you,” he hisses.
The door opens and Cree walks in. “Fuck,” he mutters when he sees me. “Blu said you wanted to see me,” he says to Riggs.
“Finish him,” he mutters and Cree glances at me. “You want to prove I can trust you again, VP, fuckin’ end him.”
Cree rubs his stubble thoughtfully. “It won’t be a kill like the others, Pres,” he says. “This’ll haunt you forever.”
“Stop talking and get on with it.” Riggs throws a knife at Cree’s feet and he stares down at it.
“Anna’s up there having pains,” says Cree.
Riggs laughs to himself. “Like last night’s pains?”
“I think this is the real thing. She refused to let me get you, saying you’d say she was lying.”
“Get on with this and then I can go to her,” snaps Riggs.
Cree picks up the knife. “Man, we been through some tough times.” He sighs. “You remember that time in Kabul? That bomb went off and we thought you’d gone, brother,” he says to Riggs. “Chains wouldn’t stop looking for you, said he’d feel it if you were dead.”
Flashbacks of me looking through dead soldiers’ bodies flickers through my mind. I looked for a solid hour. I ignored the commands of my sergeant because I knew Riggs was still there somewhere. I was right—we found his unconscious body under two men. “He carried you on his back for miles,” says Cree.
“I know what you’re trying to do and it isn’t gonna work. He betrayed me.” Riggs drinks the last of the bottle, then throws it across the room. It shatters. “I’ll do it myself,” he snaps, pushing to stand.
“Tell Leia I’m sorry,” I say to Cree. “And I love her. I always did.”
“Shut the hell up,” yells Riggs, gripping my throat and squeezing.
Panic flashes in Cree’s eyes. He desperately wants to stop Riggs, but he’s torn between friendship and loyalty. I smile to reassure him. I knew it was a risk when I did what I did, and if this is my time, then I’ll take it. I’ve made my peace with it.
“Riggs,” yells Anna from the doorway. Blu is blocking her path. “I