Sarah bit her tongue. Making him angry wasn’t going to help anything. “What are you going to do with my baby?”
He stood back and folded his arms. “There’s a buyer.”
Fear prickled along her arms. “Why do they want a baby?”
He laughed. “Who wouldn’t want a baby dragon?” He turned and walked away.
“Wait!” she called after him, but he ignored her and left.
She sat on the cot and opened the bag. Relief poured through her that at least she had food. She dumped out a bunch of fruit, granola bars, meat sticks, rolls, and chunks of cheese. As her stomach again rumbled, she took a bite of a roll and moaned in satisfaction as the buttery flavor filled her senses.
Once she had eaten her fill, she tucked the rest back in the bag. She walked over to the door and examined the bars where the window should be. There were only two, but they were evenly spaced to prevent escape. She shook her head. "Like you'd fit through that window with your belly anyhow, even if you got the bars out."
With a sigh, she turned and paced again. Boredom was now going to kill her quicker than starvation. She tried to think happy thoughts of Luke, but she always ended up in the mindset that she'd never see him again. She finally laid down to attempt a nap. She wanted to stay fresh in case an opportunity presented itself.
She rubbed her hands over her belly and felt the baby move. "Little Aleena, how did we get in this situation? All because your mama heard a baby cry." It was becoming second nature to her to refer to the baby by name. "Aleena Vinia Ardec. Maybe we can call you Ava for short and just use your initials."
She sent up a silent prayer that she got out of her predicament and had a chance to run the idea past Luke. She refused to think any other way.
When the outer door opened again, Sarah jumped up to peak out the window. The same man was returning, but this time, he had someone else with him. All she could tell was that they were both male, and they were talking low so she couldn't make out their words.
The opportunity she had wished for took shape when the door was unlocked. Unfortunately, both men entered her cell and blocked the door. She stared at the new man. Something about him was familiar, but she couldn't place why.
"So, you're the one who is going to provide me with a baby."
"No, I'm not," she responded simply. "My baby is not for sale."
His smile warped into a sneer. "I didn't ask if you were. I said that you were."
She stiffened her shoulders. "And I said you can't have my baby, so I guess we're at a standoff."
"You have spirit, but no matter. It can be trained out."
"Who are you?" It was bothering her that she couldn't work it out. "Do I know you?"
"Not yet," he replied with a sarcastic grin. "But you will."
His confidence was unsettling, and Sarah instinctively took a step backwards. She watched him but didn't say anything else.
"You still have two months until your due date?"
She refused to answer. He let out a huff and turned to the apparent guard. "Make sure she is fed properly. I don't want a sick baby. And for God's sake, get her a better mattress. Treat her like gold because she has a long time to be down here until I get what I paid for. She needs to be happy, comfortable, and healthy."
"Happy?" she spat him. "Do you really think that I'lleverbe happy down here? Are you crazy?"
He pointed at her. "Don't you ever call me crazy; do you hear me?"
She bit her tongue. Obviously, the man had a trigger. She just didn't want to end up shooting herself with it.
The guard started to argue that he wasn't a babysitter, and he wasn't getting paid to be a maid. As the two started to argue, Sarah stepped sidewise. The door was behind them, and she gauged whether or not she could make it out the door before they caught her.
If I go out and slam the door, will it lock?She didn't think she had the strength to hold it shut on both of them, not to mention she would never be able to let it go if she couldn't lock it.
The arguing grew more heated, so she took a couple more steps sideways. Her heart was beating so hard she thought for sure they would hear it, but neither seemed to be paying any attention to her.
She waited a second as she got around them and had a straight shot for the door.You have one chance at this.
She propelled herself forward and out the door before the men even noticed her. She slammed it shut, disappointed when it didn't automatically lock. Her shoulder thumped painfully as the door was kicked from the other side.
