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“Yeah.”
“Say I do. What happens then?”
I cross my arms, which is hard to do, because what I really want to do is hold Charlie and make sure he’s OK, but as tough as it is, this is more important. “I just saved your son’s life. Which means you and I are going to have a talk, and you’re going to give me all the answers I want.”
Nick tilts his head sideways and then raises his gun and points it right at my head. The silence is cut by the menacing sound of the hammer being cocked.
“What makes you so sure I won’t just blow your head off right now?”
Chapter Eight
Hunter
I level the gun at her head and peer into her eyes. Looking’s the easy part — she’s got eyes I could get lost in for days — but it’s the searching that’s hard. This life has taught me that there comes a moment when someone is facing the end of theirs that, if you look hard enough, you can see the truth in their eyes. Maybe it’s the soul prepping to leave the body, maybe it’s the brain dumping a flood of chemicals through the body to prepare it for the end, but whatever it is, it’ll show you the truth of their character if you’re looking for it.
I need to know just who it is that I’m dealing with, so I aim the gun at Emily and I put her in that situation, as hard as it is to do.
Her eyes dilate, go glassy, then glassier still.
Then wet.
Then she cries.
Thick, wet tears that build at the brims of her eyes and leave trails down her cheeks.
“Oh shit,” I mutter. “Oh fuck. Don’t do that.”
My hand shakes, just like my resolve, and I look away for a moment. This isn’t what I wanted. All I wanted was to know who she was and if I could trust her, not to make her cry.
A sob breaks her lips. “I’m sorry. All I wanted with all of this was to make sure that your baby is OK. He’s tiny and really cute and he seemed sick. I just wanted to help you. I don’t know anything else. Sophie doesn’t either. You have to believe me. Please. And if you don’t, if you’re going to kill anyone, just kill me and let her go. Sophie’s here because she’s my friend, and I asked her to be. She doesn’t deserve to be hurt.”
“Listen to her,” Sophie calls out from the kitchen, where she’s still bound to the chair. “Well, not about the killing part. If you shoot her, you’re going to have to shoot me, too, because I’ll fucking come for you when you least expect it and rip your eyes out with my fingernails. I’ve done it before. But listen to her about the baby stuff. Emily loves babies. She’s great with them, and she knows medicine, too. We were just trying to help.”
I barely hear Sophie’s entreaties. All I hear, all I see, is the weeping woman in front of me.
“Fuck, I didn’t mean to—”
A new sound cuts me off as Charlie adds his wails to the mix.
The baby’s cry pierces through the tense air, sharp and desperate. I lower the gun slightly, my heart clenching. I didn’t want this. I never wanted this.
“Goddamnit. Both of you, please, stop crying,” I say. “Fucking hell.”
I glance back at the couch where Charlie writhes, his tiny fists balled up with a fury that only a baby's cry can convey. The room feels suddenly too small, the air thick with tension and guilt. Emily’s tear-streaked face blurs in my vision, and I feel the weight of my mistake pressing down on me like a thousand stones.
Emily’s tears come thicker now, and she glances over towards the couch, where Charlie wails louder with each second
It doesn’t matter that I’ve got a gun in my hands, these two have disarmed me.
“Please,” Emily whispers, her voice trembling. “Let me help him.”
Sophie’s eyes meet mine from across the room, fierce determination mingling with fear. “If you care about that baby at all, let her do what she does best.”
My hand lowers the gun, almost involuntarily. This isn’t who I am; this isn’t how I wanted things to go. Trust is such a fragile thing, but right now, for Charlie’s sake, I need to grasp it.
“Alright,” I say hoarsely, taking a step back and lowering the gun to my side. “Help him. But know that if you try anything—”
“I won’t,” Emily assures me quickly, wiping her tears on her sleeve. She moves towards the crib with purposeful strides, her maternal instincts taking over as she scoops Charlie up into her arms.
