51. SOPHIE
SOPHIE
Imust have fallen asleep and when I wake up in the back of Vin’s car, I regret it. I’m stiff everywhere, drooling, and my stomach is growling. This baby is really taking it out of me. I’m so exhausted on top of everything that if I didn’t know I was pregnant, I’d be sure I was dying.
I sit up and stretch, looking out the windows. I can’t tell where we are. There is a huge house in the distance, bigger than I’ve ever seen, and lots of sprawling green landscape around it. How far did we drive? No way something like this exists anywhere near the city.
“Hey, excuse me.” I get the driver’s attention but just barely. He lifts his gaze to meet mine in the rearview mirror. “Can you tell me where we are?”
He darts a glance at the guy in the seat next to him who gives a half shrug before responding. “I’m not sure.”
“You drove here, and you don’t know where we are?”
“No, I know where we are. I’m not sure if I should tell you.”
I roll my eyes and slump back in the seat. “Is there any way you could take me somewhere?”
“No.”
Wow, not even a maybe. Okay.
“I’ll call a ride share then.” I pull out my phone, but the car doors instantly lock with a jolt. “Uh, guys. I’m allowed to leave. I’m not a prisoner.”
The driver and guard glance at each other. The guard affirms, “You’re not a prisoner. But we are under orders to protect you. We can’t do that if you leave in a ride share.”
“Um, follow the car if you must, but I have to go.”
“We can’t leave the boss here.”
Dang it, Vin! “Call your boss. Tell him that I’m ready to go.”
The driver sighs and pulls out his phone. “I’ll text him. Calls are for emergencies only.”
I’m so frustrated I want to cry. I feel lost in a world defined by rules that I didn’t agree to, every single one of them designed to stop me from doing anything that I want.
“Fine,” I say and wait.
Within seconds, the driver lifts his gaze to meet mine in the rearview mirror again. “Sorry, miss. Boss says it’ll be another couple minutes.”
Another couple minutes? He shouldn’t have even dragged me out here! I have things to do.
I text Vin and get no response. So I text again. And again.
I’m done with Vin’s nonsense. This mess ends today.