I mean, it’s not likely with these animals, but you never know.
She shakes her head, the curls whipping back and forth. The whimpers turn into sobs, and I uncurl her hands so I can lift her into my arms.
“Shh,” I repeat, scared that her volume might keep increasing. “Let’s get you out of here, eh?”
Her head nods and her arms latch around my neck. Whatever else the poor girl is, she’s devilishly strong.
With her added weight, my ankle isn’t looking forward to the near future. But it’s got me this far. Another dose of adrenalin should see me through until I can get to the carpark.
The carpark.
Sergio would have seen my car. He must know I’m here.
For a moment, despair washes over me, then I remember. Not my car but my cousin’s and it’s parked on the street. I’ve never been so grateful to Tony in my life.
“I’m going to open the door in a minute,” I tell the girl. “And we’ll try to sneak to the door. But you have to stay quiet, all right?”
Her head is tucked so far under my chin that I can’t see her expression, but I feel a little nod.
“Once we’re out of here, you can cry as loudly as you like, I promise, but for the next few minutes, we have to be silent as mice.”
Not the most silent of creatures. Many nights I’d lain awake in my first student flat wondering if they’d eaten steroids the amount of noise they made.
“Okay. One… two… three…”
I tiptoe to the door, my ankle feeling increasingly unsteady. The door opens inwards, and I swing it, glad to hear the continued hum of low voices outside.
With the child in my arms, I can’t crouch, but I bend over as far as I dare. A pair of abandoned skates is close to the shed, and I pick them up, the makeshift weapon better than nothing. The rink barrier isn’t tall enough to hide me, so I stick close to the wall, hoping the shadows will offer enough disguise.
Instead of retracing my steps, this time I circle the rink directly under the office. I figure that should offer enough protection and when I make it to the opposite side, it seems like it was a good bet.
Then I hear an angry shout. I look up, staring straight into Sergio’s eyes at the top of the stairs.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I run, and my ankle rolls again, lurching me to the side so badly that if the girl wasn’t clinging like a limpet, she would have spilled to the ground.
The pain I can handle. The unstable joint is harder to work with.
My sprint turns into a gruesome limping-hopping-stumble that only goes forward because I’m pointing that way.
Luckily, I’m closer to the door than them and close the distance, flicking on the deadbolt as I scurry through and slam it shut.
That should buy me a few seconds.
I need half a minute.
My chest heaves as I try to breathe and run. I’m not used to the weight of the girl. Can’t remember the last time I took advantage of my gym membership.
The car seems to recede with every step, my vision blurring from the sudden spurt in blood pressure. I won’t make it. I can’t.
Behind me, the door slams open. The men emerge.
They instantly gain on me. My slender figure is no match for their greater speed and stable joints.
I can’t outrun them. It’s the end of the line.
Instead of continuing to try, I stop and detach the girl from my neck, letting her down to stand on the ground. I twist the laces from the pair of skates around my hand while pushing her behind me. Taking a deep breath, I face the men.
