Chapter 2 - The Locked Door
My blood turned completely to ice.
I stared at the photograph of Julian, my mind violently rejecting what my eyes were seeing.
I had attended his closed-casket funeral six months ago.
I had watched the heavy mahogany box get lowered into the frozen ground.
“How is this possible?” I gasped, clutching my baby so tightly he let out a soft whimper.
“We don't have time for your endless questions,” my father snapped, pulling a thick stack of legal documents from the folder.
“You are going to sign these custody transfer papers right now.”
My mother pulled a silver pen from her designer purse and clicked it open.
“If you sign Elliot over to us, our private security team will extract the baby safely to Switzerland,” she explained coldly.
“And what about me?” I demanded.
“You will stay here and distract Julian,” my father said without a single ounce of hesitation.
I looked back and forth between the two people who were supposed to love and protect me.
They were entirely willing to serve me up as bait to a monster.
“I am not giving you my son, and I am not staying here to die,” I hissed, throwing the documents onto the floor.
My mother’s perfectly manicured hand slapped my face so hard my ears rang.
“You arrogant little fool,” she snarled.
“You think you can outrun the cartel with a newborn infant?”
Before I could process the word 'cartel', heavy footsteps echoed in the hospital corridor outside my room.
My father cursed under his breath, scooped up the dropped papers, and grabbed my mother by the arm.
They practically sprinted out the door, abandoning me completely without a second backward glance.
I instantly ripped the IV line from my vein, ignoring the sharp pain and the sudden spurt of blood.
I wrapped Elliot tightly in his gray blanket and swung my weak, trembling legs over the side of the hospital bed.
I desperately grabbed my duffel bag and staggered toward the heavy wooden door of my room.
I reached for the metal handle, fully prepared to run for the fire exit.
The handle would not turn.
A loud electronic click echoed from the locking mechanism.
I slammed my fist against the thick glass window of the door.
Nurse Miller, the sweet woman who had been smiling at me all morning, was standing on the other side.
She held a digital keycard in her hand.
May you like
She looked me dead in the eye, gave me a cold, empty smile, and walked away.
I was locked inside.
