Glancing around, I didn’t see a soul that could help. Resigned, I got in the back seat and unbuckled my daughter, who was waking up. When I lifted her from the seat, she arched her back, pulled her legs up, and stretched her arms by her head. Then she blinked her big green-gold eyes sleepily as she smiled.
“Hey, baby girl. Mommy’s here,” I said as I snuggled her close and inhaled her perfect scent. Trying to ignore the stranger sitting on the other side of the infant seat, I unbuttoned my shirt and lifted my sports bra with one hand to feed my suddenly ravenous daughter. When I didn’t move fast enough, she growled as her fingers clasped my shirt. I jumped at the sound.
The woman chuckled.
“She’s demanding, isn’t she?”
“Who are you?” I asked. I’d been afraid to ask before, but she had let me go with and was letting me feed my daughter. Maybe she had a heart after all.
“It doesn’t really matter,” she murmured with the corners of her mouth downturned.
Ehria had barely finished burping when a silver Tahoe with dark tinted windows pulled up next to us. I rushed to situate myself.
“Stay here. Do not get out,” she commanded as she opened the door and climbed out.
She rounded the car, and a man got out. They began speaking, and it was obvious from his expression and body language that he wasn’t happy. A second man joined them, and I guessed he was the driver.
“What the fuck is she doing in there?” I could hear him demand through the glass.
The woman rapidly gestured to me, then to the other man, but she spoke quieter than the second man so I had no idea what was being said. Finally, the first man shook his head and rounded the car. He jerked open the door and unfastened the child seat. Protectively, I held Ehria close. The man glared at me but didn’t speak.
My door opened, and I squeaked.
“Get in the SUV with your daughter, and do not speak or theywillleave you behind—and you won’t be breathing,” the woman said to me with a brief flash of fear in her eyes.
Afraid, I did as she instructed and climbed in to buckle Ehria back in. The second man slammed my door shut, and I had to pull my leg quickly out of the way to avoid it being smashed. The woman climbed in the other side of the back seat. I watched as the men wiped down the vehicle we’d ridden in, telling me I was correct, and it had likely been stolen.
Neither of the men so much as looked at me when they got back in the vehicle. We got back on the road and continued North. After about an hour, I fell asleep with my hand resting protectively over the infant seat.
I jolted awake when the vehicle bounced on an uneven road. Confusion in my half-asleep state had me glancing around without comprehending what I was seeing. Finally, I realized we were deep in the woods. We pulled into a long metal building that had several other vehicles exactly like the one we were in and parked.
“We’re here,” she said as they shut off the motor.
“Where?” I asked.
“Shut up!” the driver demanded. “Do not speak unless spoken to. You do not question anything. You don’t so much as whimper unless told to,” he said with a sneer.
Asshole.
Grinding my teeth, I fought saying it out loud.
“Gather your daughter,” the woman softly instructed.
Not needing to be told twice, I did as she said and got out of the vehicle on stiff legs. Ehria woke and rubbed her eyes before she looked at me with a smile. She was such a happy baby, and I’d been so blessed. I prayed I got to remain in her life as long as possible.
Oh Nico, where are you?
We exited the building, and a group of people approached us. The silver-haired man in the center seemed to be in charge as he stepped forward, and the rest stayed behind him. Some seemed surprised, others angry, and the rest wary as they stared at me and the woman.
“Ehria! What is the meaning of this?” the leader roared, and I frowned in confusion as I glanced down at my daughter. What the hell did he expect a four-month-old to fucking say?
“The infant is still feeding from her mother. She needs her until she can be weaned,” the woman said. Time seemed to slow as the pieces clicked in place. The woman was named Ehria. The look on her face when I told her my daughter’s name.
Holy shit. She was Nico’s mother.