Chapter 6
6
Lenore's stomach plummeted as the helicopter lifted off the ground. Her breath came in rapid, shallow bursts, causing her vision to blur. Passing out would only worsen this nightmare. Her hands gripped the armrests before crossing them over her middle to pinch her arm as hard as she could. The sharp sting caused her to gasp but brought the clarity needed to allow her to slow her breathing.
Since the moment the men burst through the stairwell door with weapons in their hands, her heart had pounded relentlessly. Her only thought had been to keep Evie safe, but seeing her daughter tightly held by a visibly furious Sisco, she instinctively knew that he would keep Evie from harm.
As they'd been hustled down the hall, her impulse to scream to warn others was stifled by the gun pointed too close to Evie. But we were in a hospital with people nearby. I thought someone would notice. How could this have happened? She thought of the man in the hospital bed who now sat next to her. There had been a guard—o h God… a guard who was now dead. How could he have managed to escape so easily?
The helicopter banked to the right, and her uneasy stomach churned, threatening to revolt. Now she was glad she hadn't eaten the salad at lunch for fear it would make a spectacular reappearance.
Struggling to control her breathing, she closed her eyes momentarily as her heart ached and her arms longed to wrap around Evie's body. She could almost smell her daughter's sweet scent. Leaving her in Sisco's hands had been almost as hard as watching her endure chemo. She battled the lightheadedness again and shook her head. I left my beautiful baby with a man I'd only known for two hours.
Despite how absurd it sounded, she knew that she had done the only thing she could've done to keep her daughter safe under the circumstances. Thinking of Sisco, she couldn't explain how she knew he would lay down his life for Evie, but she did. He’d been a SEAL. He works for a security company.
Now, filled with the resolution to stay alive to get back to them, she willed her stomach to settle as she looked out the helicopter window. She had no idea where they were, but peering at the vista with the mountains in the background, it appeared they were heading west.
She chanced a sneaking glance to the side, looking at the man identified as Raul—the prisoner, the criminal, the leader of whatever the hell was happening. Not a physically impressive man in size or looks, he had a sharp, keen expression, and her gut told her that he had little to lose and much to gain by keeping her under control.
She prayed that whoever Sisco worked for or the police would be able to find where they were going. Armed with the information, she allowed her gaze to stare out the window as she fought the nausea, hoping to understand where they were going. She needed to know which direction to take if she had a chance to escape.
As though he knew her thoughts, Raul looked at her and ordered, “Blindfold.”
Freddy twisted around, his gaze at first confused, then he grinned. Unbuckling his belt, he slid his thin body between the front passenger seat and the pilot. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a rag.
Eyes wide, Lenore lost her control over her breathing as her chest heaved. “No, no, please. I'll get motion sick?—”
“Then throw up on your fuckin' side,” Raul ordered coldly.
Now laughing, Freddy tied the cloth over her face. Her hand lifted to fight him off, then he chuckled. “I like ’em when they fight back.”
Her body froze at the implication. He quickly tied a knot at the back of her head, catching her hair in the material, causing a stinging pain along her scalp. She could ignore the pain of the tightly tied rag but could not ignore the roiling of her stomach. Leaning forward, she retched onto the floor of the helicopter, spewing nothing more than the last remnant of her morning coffee and the few bites of salad from lunch. She heard the sound of men's laughter and leaned back with her head lolling to the side.
The nightmare continued as the helicopter dipped and turned, and she had no idea how it would end. With their continued snickers, she thought the pilot must be making the trip worse than it would have been, hoping to make her suffer.
Once again, gripping the armrests tightly, she thought of Evie. She wondered if William would come for his daughter if she never returned home. And if so, what would that life look like for Evie?