Chapter 5
Rachel
As it turned out, Axel didn’t want to walk even a single step. What should have been a ten-minute walk turned into a thirty-minute trek.
It wasn’t easy to carry him on my hip, as well as haul a suitcase behind us. All the while, my back was breaking from the backpack, and Axel was squealing and wiggling every time a car passed us. He clapped whenever he saw one, his cute, chubby arms smacking me in the face.
I was more than a little out of breath after the tenth car to catch his attention, and was cursing myself for not taking my post-birth exercises more seriously.
You’ve fucked it when he’s walking properly. He’ll be running rings around you.
My inner voice was as pleasant as always.
On the positive side of things, though, I hadn’t heard a word from Frank. Which meant it was quiet outside of Hayley’s and things were finally falling into place.
Evening was drawing in as we finally approached Hayley’s house.
We were in April, and though the days were getting longer, the sun still set at around five.
I had always enjoyed the long days of summer, but right now, I was thankful for the early fall of darkness.
With my black wig and clothing, it was easier to blend into the background.
Axel’s blonde hair stuck out like a beacon of light, but there were millions of blonde-haired children.
That alone shouldn’t cause any suspicion.
The blonde hair alone won’t, but the panting woman hauling a suitcase and a backpack down the street just might!
I was not wrong. I could deny it all I wanted, but I looked like a panicked woman on the run. I had seen more than a few concerned glances from drivers, and I had quickly averted my eyes.
Which meant I needed to pick up the pace, no matter how much Axel protested at wanting to see the “ brum-brums ”.
As we rounded the corner to Hayley’s, Axel got a burst of energy, suddenly wanting to run to the house where he got all the cakes. His memories were few and far between, but he always remembered Hayley, the woman who overindulged his childish sweet tooth.
I set him down with a grin, holding his tiny hand in mine as he waddled on legs that were still slightly bowed, catching him as he stumbled. It took a further ten minutes to pass three houses to Hayley’s, but as we opened the garden gate, I let out a sigh of relief.
We had made it.
And there hadn’t been a fucking motorbike in sight! Praise be.
“Come here, you!” I beamed at Axel, scooping him back into my arms before knocking on the door and letting myself in.
“Hayley!” I called out, lifting Axel over the small step and setting him down.
He immediately went into a crawl, knowing it was his fastest way of getting across the room, and giggled his delight at the thought of seeing his version of Willy Wonka.
“Hayley, it’s me!” I shouted out. “Where are you? I hope it’s not at rock bottom like I am! ”
“I’m in the kitchen,” she replied. My heart skipped a beat when I heard her response. For an awful second, hearing nothing but silence had me thinking the worst. But her voice had a wave of relief flooding through me.
“Thank you so much for this,” I called back, shrugging the backpack off my shoulders, resting it against the door belonging to the cupboard under the stairs.
“If you get that kettle on, I’ll tell you everything.
It’s been a day and a fucking half,” I laughed, kicking my shoes off before I went into the front room.
“Hay—” I began when there was no response.
But my words were cut short.
Because Hayley was not alone.
My heart leapt into my throat, my lungs becoming painful as I struggled to release my breath. It was like a vice had wrapped around my throat, cutting off my breathing as fear snaked its way around me. All I could do was watch as the scene unfolded.
Hayley stood in the archway leading to her kitchen, tears streaming down her face. And behind her, holding a gun to her head, was Hacksaw.
She was trembling, sniffing loudly as panic took over. Hacksaw sneered at her fear, and my heart leapt in sympathy. I knew what it was like to be abused by these men. Hayley was a soft, gentle soul, not rough round the edges like me.
I fucking hated myself for putting her in this position.
I tried to make eye contact with her, to reassure her that it would all be okay, but she refused to look in my direction, hugging her arms around her chest as though to protect herself.
“Hello, darlin’,” came the voice that almost made me throw up.
Dante appeared from around the corner, holding a beaming Axel in his arms, who was happily munching one of the biscuits Hayley always kept in a jar on her counters.
He was wearing his leather cut, filling it like he had been fucking poured into it.
I hated that he looked so good, and hated myself for noticing.
“Fancy seeing you here. Nice wig, Morticia.” He said with disgust before turning to Axel, gently bopping him on the nose.
I saw red, immediately shaking off the icy grip of fear.
“Lisa, wait—” Hayley began, only to have her efforts rewarded with a smack to the head with the barrel of a gun.
“Get your fucking hands off him,” I hissed, ignoring her commands and taking a step forward. I had faced these men down before, and I would damn sure do it again. What’s the worst he could do? Oh, wait—I already know.
That last night on the boat came flooding to mind. All of them stood by as Dante…
Don’t think about it. Not now.
Only, I didn’t get the chance to face any of them, as I never made another step across the room.
Call it intuition. A sixth sense. Or just plain old impending doom. Whatever it was, had me pausing slightly as dread filled my stomach and a shadow stretched across the room from my peripheral.
They had me surrounded.
An arm wrapped around me from behind, a huge hand clamping over my mouth. I saw a bushy beard in my peripheral, before I felt the sharp prick in my neck.
“Night, night, hair buddy,” Vienna hissed down my ear. I struggled in his grip, but he held me steady, pinning my back to his chest with his enormous arms as he waited for the effect of the drugs to take place.
It didn’t take long.
My body became heavy, my vision blurring. I stumbled on my legs, my tongue feeling like a stone in my mouth.
Vienna let go of me as I slumped, causing my body to fall to the floor in a heap.
I fought with all my strength to get onto my stomach, and willed myself to cross the distance between myself and my son.
Fucking move, Rachel! Move your fucking ass before it’s too late, you stupid, stupid bitch!
My fingers clawed into the carpet, snapping my nails as I used every last bit of strength I possessed to try to haul my body over the floor. The room spun, sending a wave of nausea rushing through me. I forced it down, pleading with myself to please, please , make it across the fucking floor.
I pressed my palms into the carpet and pushed with all my might.
All I succeeded in doing was raising my body off the floor a few inches.
My arms were shaking with the effort, and as soon as I lifted my hand even a centimetre off the floor to try to move, I came crashing back down, smacking my head off the floor.
Come on, Rachel! You’re going to fucking lose your son if you don’t move!
But it was no use. My body was no longer mine to command. My head flopped, growing heavier and heavier by the second. I raised my head, lifting my chest off the floor, but that’s all I was capable of doing. I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t do a thing.
I willed every last bit of strength into my body, gasping with the effort of pushing myself forward. My elbows dug into the floor, and I hissed at the carpet burn as I tried using them to claw my way over the distance.
My jaw gritted and I let out an anguished moan, sweat beading on my forehead. The room was spinning worse than ever, but I didn’t care. All I could focus on was moving. I needed to get to Axel. I needed to save my son.
Dante stepped forward and pressed his boot to my skull, grinding my face into the carpet. My eyelids slammed shut the moment I hit the floor.
Don’t do this, Rachel! Don’t give in so fucking easily!
I snapped my eyes back open, that one slight movement taking every last ounce of my energy. Shadows fell over me as Vienna stepped over my body, following his brothers out of the kitchen.
The last thing I saw was Dante walking out of the back door, taking my son with him, before my head exploded with the sound of gunfire that ended Hayley’s life.