by Jane Blythe
Now she was free, and it felt so good to have her whole life before her, to be able to make her own choices and go after what she wanted, but he would never let her do it. She should have known that, she should have known that there was no corner of the world where she could hide. It didn’t matter how small River’s End was he had found her here.
So she had to leave.
That was her only option, and it wasn’t like anything was holding her here. She liked Maggie, and she liked working in her restaurant, but that was it. Abe didn’t reciprocate the feelings that she had for him so she had no ties here, she could always find another chef job someplace else.
Oh, who was she kidding?
She was never going to settle down someplace.
Meadow had no idea how her husband had found her here, but it proved that no matter where she went he would find her, which meant that she would never be settling down anywhere and getting a job. She would have to keep running, and if she was lucky enough, she would be able to keep one step ahead of him long enough to stay alive.
She wouldn’t be able to keep her baby though.
There were no guarantees that she could stay ahead of him and there was no way she was going to let this tiny little baby fall into the hands of someone so evil. The only way she could keep it safe was to let it go, to leave it somewhere anonymously, somewhere that her husband would never find.
Quietly, she moved her second foot down to join her first on the top stair and was thankful it didn’t make a sound, and Abe didn’t suddenly appear before her, so she proceeded down the staircase with excruciating slowness. Her stomach growled, and she wished that she had time to grab something to eat, but the longer she stayed here, the greater the chances that Abe would find her, so she would have to just leave. With no job and no likelihood of getting one in the near future, she would have to get used to being hungry.
Maybe if she was lucky, hunger or the elements would claim her before her husband could get to her. She’d be dead either way, but at least she’d save herself a whole lot of suffering.
He was going to be so angry with her.
She’d spent years trying her best to deflect his anger by doing anything and everything she could to make him happy, but there would be no escaping this punishment. Meadow wondered whether she would survive it. She had defied him in the worst possible way, not only had she left, but she’d taken his child along with her, and she was pretty sure that the punishment for that would be death.
Her own and maybe the baby’s too.
She knew he didn’t care about the child, it was just a possession to him, and she truly wouldn’t be surprised if he ripped it from her womb and killed it in front of her just to show her that he could and that he was the boss of her.
Meadow reached the bottom of the stairs, Abe hadn’t shown up so he was obviously asleep meaning she could slip away quietly, and by the time he woke up in the morning and realized she wasn’t there, she would be long gone. Since she had no money for a bus ticket this time she would have to risk hitchhiking. It could land her with another psychopath, but what other choice did she have?
She could always take some money from Abe before she left.
No.
She couldn’t steal from him, not after everything he had done for her.
When she’d left it had taken her months to scrounge enough spare change and keep a little extra from the money he gave her to do the grocery shopping. Stealing from her husband was different, although in most marriages everything was considered to be shared, that wasn’t the case with her marriage. Everything, including her, belonged to him. He would have punished her if he had found out what she was doing, but he was abusing her and she needed out, so she hadn’t had a choice, she’d had to take the money so she could flee.
But she would never do that to Abe.
So hitchhiking it was.
She tiptoed the short distance from the bottom of the staircase to the front door, and without looking back, she eased the door open and slipped out into the cold night.
That first gust of icy wind seemed to slice straight through her and she very nearly retreated back inside the house, but she couldn’t. She had to get out of there. She had to do whatever it took to keep herself alive, and right now, that meant running.
Meadow was so preoccupied with the fact that Abe might come bursting out of his cabin at any moment that she didn’t notice the truck until the headlights lit up the night.
She gasped.
It was him.
Without pausing, Meadow turned and ran.
She didn’t get far.
“Well, my pet, you thought you could run from me?” the voice of her nightmares growled in her ear as a strong hand clamped around her shoulder, yanking her backward and holding her against a chest as hard as a rock.
She hadn’t made it.
It was over.
“You can’t even imagine how bad your punishment is going to be,” he said as he dragged her toward his truck. Once he got her inside it really would be over. He would take her away, and no one would ever find her. She would be his prisoner until he decided to kill her.
Meadow struggled in his grip but it was like a vice, there was no getting out of it. She could scream, Abe would hear it and come running, but she was terrified that that would only get him killed. He might not feel anything for her, but she had feelings for him, and she wouldn’t risk him getting hurt.
Which left her with no choices.
“Miss me, sweetheart?” he asked when they got to the car.
Experience had taught her never to answer any question he asked her unless he expressly said he wanted to hear her talk.
So she stayed silent and tried not to look at him.
He was so angry, she could feel it vibrating off him, and she wondered if he would even get her back to the house before he killed her. She’d never seen him like this before. His dark eyes glittered like two black holes in the night, his hair was wild, framing his head in a dark mess of wild curls. He was evil personified and she didn’t know how she had ever fallen for his act.
“You are going to pray for death before I’m done with you,” he hissed as he curled one hand around her neck, squeezing hard enough so that she could just suck in enough air to remain conscious, but still make her panic about her airways being closed. His other hand roughly shoved its way into the waistband of her jeans, and he pushed a finger inside her. “You’re my wife, you think you can just leave me, you think you can take this away from me?” he asked, stroking harshly inside her as her body flinched and tried to pull away from him.
But like always there was no place to go.
She had put herself in this situation, she had no one to blame but herself.
She had given herself to him, and she had gotten pregnant by him, and she had run away only to wind up back with him.
The world started to gray around the edges, the pressure on her throat slowly choking the life out of her as his finger inside her tore away another piece of her soul.
* * * * *
2:59 A.M.
The small bassinette stood out.
Bright white against the brown, dusty landscape.
Something was wrong.
Abe knew that.
No one would leave a baby alone out in the hot sun.
Still, he walked toward it.
It was like his feet couldn’t stop even if they wanted to.
When he reached the bassinette, he lifted the blanket.
A baby that looked just like him stared up at him, tears falling down its little cheeks.
Then he saw it.
The bomb.
It was counting down the seconds in bright red digits.
Red.
The color of blood.
Abe went to pick up the baby, but when he tried, he found a chain with a padlock attached to the baby’s ankle.
Keys.
A whole ring full of them.
He had no choice, one by one he had t
o try them in the lock.
The timer ticked down, mocking him.
The baby cried.
The clock ticked.
Key after key didn’t fit.
Then the bomb exploded.
White light blanketed them.
Abe blinked and opened his eyes, surprised to find that even though he was awake now, he was still bathed in light.
It took only a split second for his instincts to kick in.
Headlights.
Someone was out there.
He snatched up his phone, but there were no missed calls or messages so he knew it wasn’t one of his brothers or cousins, they would know better than to turn up unannounced, especially when he had Meadow here, and her husband was on the loose.
Which meant it had to be Meadow’s husband.
No one else would be here in the middle of the night, and since the vehicle had its headlights on, Meadow must be out there. She’d been going to run, and she must have stumbled upon him, and if he didn’t hurry up and do something they’d be gone and he’d never see her again.
He couldn’t allow that to happen.
Grabbing his gun, he moved to the window, easing back the drapes so he could see out. The headlights blinded him, and they blackened everything around them making it hard for him to get his bearings. While Abe hated going into a situation blind, it didn’t look like he had a choice. He had to do something, and Meadow’s husband wasn’t stupid, he wasn’t going to hang around long, especially now that he had what he wanted.
Quietly, he walked through the house and drew in a deep breath, he was only going to have one shot at this and it had to work.
Throwing open the door, he aimed his gun at the headlights. “It’s the sheriff, you need to step away from the vehicle.” Now that he was out there he could see that the driver’s door of the truck was open, and a huge man was standing there, towering over Meadow. The man had his hands around her neck.
No, not hands.
One hand was around her neck; the other was down her pants.
“She’s not yours, Sheriff, so don’t interfere, unless you want me to kill more people here in your charming little town,” the man threatened.
He wasn’t playing that game. He wasn’t going to sacrifice Meadow to keep the people in River’s End safe, he could do both.
“Last chance,” Abe said, giving a warning of his own.
The man wasn’t going to listen, he already had Meadow, all he had to do was drag her with him into the car and they’d be out of here. Already he could see that the shadowy figure had removed his hand from her jeans and was pulling her backward.
Since he couldn’t risk hitting Meadow, Abe aimed at the ground, right at their feet, and fired off a shot.
The man swore but he also released Meadow.
“Meadow, run,” he yelled. He didn’t have time to get to her, he needed to get this man in cuffs.
Meadow took off into the woods at his order, and her husband launched himself sideways and into the truck. Abe fired off another shot, this time aiming for the tires, but the other man was obviously armed as well because a bullet suddenly rammed into the wall beside him and wood chips flew around him.
He had no choice but to retreat into the house, which gave Meadow’s husband enough time to take off up his driveway.
Abe had to make a choice, get in his car and try to follow the man, or go and find Meadow, who was alone and unprotected, running through the woods, no doubt terrified out of her mind.
It wasn’t a hard choice to make.
Shoving his gun into his waistband, he grabbed his jacket, and thankful that he had never gotten around to taking off his boots when he settled into the armchair in his living room, Abe took off in the direction Meadow had gone.
There was a chance that her husband had only driven a short distance away before stopping and going in search of Meadow, so Abe kept his wits about him as he ran, keeping his eyes and ears peeled for any sounds or movements that would indicate that he wasn’t alone. Meadow hadn’t gotten a huge head start, and she was pregnant as well as scared. He was sure he could catch her, but the forest was thick, and it was almost pitch black out, and just because he knew where she had started didn’t mean he knew where she was now.
Gasping.
Abe froze when he could hear someone gasping.
It couldn’t be Meadow’s husband because there was no way he would allow himself to make a sound, which meant it had to be Meadow.
Getting his bearings, he determined the sounds were coming from the east and started off that way, moving slower this time, more cautiously.
He hadn’t gone more than ten yards or so when he caught sight of her. She was just up ahead and she was staggering along, clutching tree trunk after tree trunk as she went.
She didn’t hear him approaching, and it wasn’t until he reached out to grab her that she realized he was there.
“No,” she shrieked, swinging her small fists at him. She was much smaller than him and he easily batted her hands away, spinning her around and yanking her up against his chest, pinning her arms at her sides and clamping a hand over her mouth.
“Shh,” he hushed, “it’s just me, Abe, but I need you to be quiet. If he’s still out here I don’t want you alerting him to where we are. Are you hearing me?”
She was shuddering in his arms, her whole body shaking, and he knew she was crying because her tears were splashing down onto his hand.
“Meadow,” he said, deliberately gentling his voice because he knew she was teetering on the edge and might lose it at any moment. “It’s okay, I’m here now, we’re going to go back to my place, okay?”
She nodded, and tentatively he moved his hand. “Abe,” she said it on a sob, and then she was spinning around in his arms and burying her face against his chest as she wept.
Awkwardly, he rubbed her back. He wasn’t good with crying women, particularly when he was the reason for the crying. If he hadn’t been so blunt with Meadow last night, she wouldn’t have been trying to sneak away at two in the morning. If she had been safely tucked up in bed then her husband would never have gotten his filthy hands on her.
Dipping his head, he rested his cheek on the top of Meadow’s head, breathing in her scent and attempting to convince himself that she was okay.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, touching his lips to her forehead.
She didn’t say anything and he couldn’t blame her.
Meadow was shaking, her teeth chattering, and he had to get her back to his cabin, they were too unprotected out here. Her husband could be lurking around anywhere, watching them, waiting to make his move. At the cabin he could protect them. He’d call in his deputies, let them know what happened, and then he’d make arrangements to move Meadow someplace safe.
Shrugging out of his coat, he wrapped it around her shoulders, then scooped her up into his arms and started walking.
“You don’t have to carry me,” she said softly, and even though it was dark Abe could feel her eyes on him.
He’d made a mess out of things. Meadow was sweet, kind, and thoughtful, and for some reason she seemed to like him, right now, cradling her in his arms, her body warm and soft against him, he couldn’t recall why he’d thought that was such a bad thing.
It didn’t matter now.
Abe was sure that anything that could have been between them was over now. Meadow had intended to run again, she’d wanted out and he was sure she wasn’t going to be pleased when he told her he wanted to lock her away somewhere safe until her husband was caught.
There was no way he was letting her go.
She was his now, he just had to find a way to fix things.
* * * * *
3:13 A.M.
It was hard to breathe.
Meadow could still feel her husband’s hand wrapped tightly around her neck even though he was gone now.
She couldn’t stop shaking, and her teeth were chattering, both of which were adding to her breathing diffi
culties.
Abe was carrying her in his arms, she presumed back to his house, and while she should feel safe, she didn’t. Her husband had found her, she could no longer pretend that he hadn’t, and he had made his intentions clear; she was his and he would reclaim her. She had no say in the matter just like she hadn’t had any say in anything else in their marriage.
The urge to curl into Abe, nestle her face against his neck, breathe in his strength and let him take care of her was strong, but she couldn’t give in to it. He had made his position clear, he had no feelings for her, and he wasn’t going to be developing any anytime soon so she had to accept that.
She was on her own in this.
Which shouldn’t surprise her, she had been on her own most of her life. Even while she had lived with her husband she had really been on her own, she’d just been his favorite toy, one he pulled out when he wanted to play, but if he didn’t want to play then he expected her to make herself scarce. She was used to being on her own and alone, she had survived everything else life had thrown at her so she could make it through this too.
Meadow wasn’t going back with her husband. She would run, she would fight if a chance presented itself, but in the end, she would rather be dead than his prisoner so if it came down to it, she would end her own life before she would let her husband have her back.
Light suddenly washed over them, and a moment later, Abe was carrying her inside his cabin. He paused to close and lock the door behind them, then took her into the living room, set her on the armchair right in front of the fire, which he turned and stoked, making the flames spring to life.
Then he stood and stared at her for a moment.
She didn’t want to meet his gaze, she didn’t want to see the frustration that must be on his face. Abe had to be tired of her drama. She’d crashed his car, she’d nearly gotten him shot, and he probably wished she had run away so he could be done with her.
His eyes watched her for what felt like forever before he finally sighed and disappeared from the room.
Meadow relaxed, glad she was no longer under scrutiny and concentrated on trying to get more air into her lungs. Her throat was starting to hurt, and she knew he had held it tight enough to leave bruises. Tears were building up but she blinked them back, she had already allowed herself one moment of weakness, one moment to lean against Abe and cry and pretend that she wasn’t all alone in the world.
