Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
Delilah
My body rolls into something and then the movement comes to a complete stop. When I open my eyes and try to look around, it’s pitch black. I try to stretch my legs, but there isn’t enough room.
I think I’m inside a trunk.
How did Jonah get me in here?
My throbbing head reminds me the truck crashed and then…I can’t remember.
The trunk lid lifts and my breath hitches when I see the man towering over me.
Not Jonah.
“Wesley,” I hiss, squinting at the blinding light above me.
“Rise ’n’ shine. C’mon, let’s go.” He digs his fingers into my upper arm and pulls me out.
“Shit, my head.” I press my fingers to my temple.
“I have meds in the loft.” He digs what I can only assume is the barrel of a gun into my back. “Start walkin’.”
“Where’re we?” I ask, not recognizing the building as he forces me through what looks like a dungeon but above ground.
It smells like oil and rust.
“That’s not for you to worry about. Upstairs, go. Now.”
“What’s up here?” I ask, wary.
Nothing good, I’m sure.
“Stop askin’ questions, Delilah. Raven needs you, so do as you’re told, and no one gets hurt.”
“Raven’s here?”
A loud wailing in the distance answers my question.
“What’d you do to her?” I sprint up the stairs, not worrying about him behind me, and whip open the door.
A newly remodeled loft greets me. Although it’s one large space, it’s separated by designated rooms. A master bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bathroom.
But it’s the room next to the bed that has me panicking.
A nursery.
Raven’s on the bed, propped up on pillows, and she’s sweating.
“Are you okay?” I grab her hand and scan her body for any injuries.
“My water broke,” she explains, sounding terrified.
“Oh my God. She needs to go to the hospital,” I tell Wesley. “The baby’s early. She needs a doctor.”
“No!” he roars behind me. “That’s why you’re here.”
My head snaps toward him. “Are you crazy? I’ve never delivered a baby before. I haven’t even been pregnant.”
“Your mom’s a nurse. I’m sure you know enough.”
My eyes widen as I realize why he’s brought me here.
“Wesley, no. Too much can go wrong. You should call an ambulance.”
He shoves his gun against my cheek and my breath hitches.
“You get this baby out or you’re both dead. Got it?”
I nod, drawing in a slow breath. “Okay.”
“Good. Now tell me what you need.”
Licking my lips, I scan the area. “Towels, dry and cold ones. Gloves. Baby blankets.”
“Okay.”
He heads to the kitchen area, and I kneel on the bed to wrap my arms around her.
“It’s gonna be okay. Do you know how far apart your contractions are?”
“I-I think about four to five minutes.”
“How’d you end up here?”
“I ordered food this mornin’ and when I opened the door to grab it, he popped up outta nowhere and shoved me back into the apartment. Then he pressed his gun against my stomach and told me to go with him or he’d kill our baby. I was so stressed, my water broke an hour later.”
“God, I’m so sorry, Raven.” I lean in closer so he can’t hear me. “We’re gonna get outta here, I promise.”
Her eyes fill with tears, but she nods with understanding.
“Okay, I’m sorry, but I have to look down there.”
She nods, and I slide my body off the bed so I can uncover her legs. Then I remove her leggings and underwear.
“Looks like the baby dropped, so that’s good at least.”
“At my last appointment, my doctor said the baby was head down.”
“Good! That helps.”
I rack my brain for everything my mom’s told me and what I’ve seen in movies.
“Let’s get some pillows propped behind you so you’re ready when it’s time to push.”
Wesley returns with the supplies I asked for. I wrap one of the cold towels around her neck and then put the dry towels underneath her butt and legs. Once I have the gloves on, I kneel between her thighs.
“I’m gonna check how far you’re dilated.” I hold up my hand. “I think four fingers is ten centimeters, so maybe it’ll give us an idea how much further you have to go.”
“Okay…” She nods.
“I’m sorry if I hurt you,” I tell her ahead of time.
Although I don’t really know what I’m doing, I want to sound confident for her sake.
“Alright, take a few deep breaths so I can…push in.”
She blows out a breath and her thighs relax enough for me to slide inside. “I’d say three…and a half. I can almost get the fourth in there, so you’re close.”
She hisses and her body tenses as another contraction takes over.
“Do you have a heatin’ pad?” I ask Wesley. “It might help her back pain.”
“Yeah, one second.”
I cover Raven up and readjust her pillows. “Do you want some ice to chew on?”
“Yes, please.”
“I’ll check the kitchen.”
I walk to the fridge and open the freezer, then pull out the ice cube tray.
“What’d you think you’re doin’?” Wesley pushes the barrel into the back of my head.
“She wants ice. You know you don’t have to keep threatenin’ me with that. I’m not goin’ anywhere.”
“Let’s hope not. That’d be very stupid…for you and the baby.”
“Do you have any Ziploc bags? I need to crush this.”
“In the lower cupboard.”
He backs up enough for me to open it and grab what I need. Then I pop the cubes inside and zip it.
“Anythin’ firm I can use?”
“Here’s a glass.” He hands me one from the top cupboard.
I smack the bottom against the bag until the ice is crushed enough to eat. Then I bring it back to Raven and she shoves a handful in her mouth.
“Here’s the heatin’ pad.” Wesley hands it to me, and I get it plugged in, then underneath Raven’s body.
“How’s that feel?”
“Perfect. Thank you.”
“Have you picked a name?” I ask, hoping to distract her from this hellhole we’re in. I also want to get her mind off the pain.
“I’ve narrowed it down to Bailey for a girl and Braden for a boy.”
“We decided on Victor for a boy. After my grandpops,” Wesley talks over her.
“Oh, right,” Raven agrees, defeated.
Please, God. Let it be a girl.
“Oh shit, another one…” Her face pinches and when she can’t take any more, she cries out.
Sitting on the bed next to her, I give her my hand and tell her to squeeze.
“That was a strong one.” She falls back on the pillows when it passes. “It feels like they’re gettin’ closer.”
“They probably are…” My heart races at the pressure of making sure she delivers this baby safely. “When they get about two to three minutes, I’ll check you again, or if you feel the urge to push.”
“I’ve been so scared about givin’ birth…this isn’t how it’s supposed to be.”
“I know, sweetie. But I’m here and we’re gonna get through this together.” I move the cold towel up to her forehead and then wipe down her neck.
“Wesley said Jonah was supposed to bring you here. Have you seen him?” she whispers.
“Um…he forced me into his truck while I was at work and then he crashed his truck.”
“Oh my God. Is he okay?”
“I-I dunno. I remember the airbags goin’ off and then I woke up in Wesley’s truck.”
“You know he’d never hurt you,” she says softly. “Wesley made him take you. He spent weeks buildin’ the loft and then made a plan to take me. Me goin’ into early labor fucked up his plan.”
I nod, biting my lip. “Yeah, I pieced that together. He still scared the shit outta me.”
“I’m sorry. This wouldn’t be happenin’ if—”
“Do not apologize for that man,” I order.
“I still feel awful that you got dragged into this. Jonah didn’t know I was in labor.”
My brows pinch together. “Then what’d he think he was bringin’ me here for?”
She looks over at the couch where Wesley’s sitting and watching us. She swallows hard before lowering her voice. “Wesley told Jonah he took me, and that if he wanted me back, he had to bring you to him.”
My jaw clenches.
If he wasn’t bringing me here to help Raven, then… “He thought he was exchangin’ us.”
Lowering her eyes, she nods. “I know it sounds bad, but he was put in an impossible position.”
Her life for mine.
I can’t exactly fault him for wanting to save his pregnant sister. But it doesn’t make me any less furious that he was so willing to hand me over to Wesley.
“Do you think he’s alive?”
Lifting a shoulder, I shake my head. “I dunno.”
“They found him and took him to the hospital. Not sure if he made it, though,” Wesley bellows, then lifts up a police scanner.
“I heard them talkin’ about a mysterious 911 call near the location Jonah would’ve been drivin’ and sendin’ someone out to investigate, so I took a little road trip to make sure he didn’t get pulled over.
Imagine my surprise when I found y’all in the ditch. ”
That confirms they could hear me. Too bad it ended up fucking me over.
“Moron didn’t even check if you had your phone before takin’ you.” He tsks, shaking his head.
“How’d you know I didn’t still have it on me?”
“Oh, I checked.”
My body shivers at the thought of his hands on me.
Raven screams, and I grab her hand.
“Breathe…don’t hold it in.”
“Oh fuck, it hurts,” she cries out, holding her stomach. “I think the baby’s ready.”
I jump to my feet. “You sure?”
“I dunno, but it feels like the head is right down there.”
Removing the blankets, I lift her knees and drop them open. Then I feel around and fit four fingers easily inside this time.
“Yeah, I think you’re fully dilated. Do you wanna try pushin’?”
She nods, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Raven, look at me,” I tell her. “When you feel the next contraction, bear down and push.”
“Okay.”
I stack the pillows behind her, making sure they keep her upright.
“You can do this, okay?”
“God, I hope you’re right.”
Less than two minutes later, her face squishes and I tell her to push.
Wesley stands next to me, and although I know she probably doesn’t want him near her, I need his help.
“I need you to lift her leg and push it toward her chest.”
“Me?”
“I can’t deliver the baby and hold up her legs, so yeah, make yourself useful,” I snap, no longer giving a shit that he has a gun. Raven’s my priority at the moment.
“Raven, try to hold up your other leg. It’ll give you better momentum.”
She wraps her hand behind her knee and pulls it toward her.
“Good, keep pushin’.”