Allison’s gaze swept back up to the rearview mirror. A small smile lifted the corners of her lips. “That’s okay,” she answered honestly. “We’re used to that. Besides, she’s a good sleeper.”
My precious little snugglebug.
Several seconds passed before the other woman spoke up again. “It’s going to be okay, hun,” Sloane offered softly. “I know right now that’s hard to believe, but it’s true. Just promise you won’t give up hope, yeah?”
Another glance in Maddie’s direction, and she knew in her heart of hearts… “I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure my little girl is safe.”
Even if it leads me to my death.
CHAPTER 1
Two weeks later…
Nerves dancedtheir way through Allison’s veins as she approached the sidewalk in front of the Crain Communications Building located on Chicago’s North Michigan Avenue. The sound of moving traffic passed behind her, as did the low hum of conversation and laughter coming from Millennium Park, which was catty-corner from where she currently stood.
She lifted a hand to her brow with a squint as the late afternoon sun’s blinding beams reflected off the massive skyscraper’s peak. But it was the group of men inside the impressive structure that occupied her mind.
“They’re going to help you,” she whispered softly to herself.
They have to.
Despite her own reassuring words, a sizeable ball of doubt settled heavily deep inside her gut. If the private security team she’d come here to see couldn’t—or worse,wouldn’t—help her, she honestly had no idea what she was going to do.
Allison came to a stop just outside the building’s entrance. Taking a moment to collect herself, she drew in a deep breathbefore hanging her head between her shoulders and letting her eyelids fall shut.
Feeling as though this was her only remaining hope, she drowned out the surrounding noise of the city. And then…she prayed.
Please, God. Please let this work. If not for my sake, then for Maddie’s. She’s so pure and innocent. She shouldn’t have to pay for my mistakes.
She opened her eyes, lifted her head, and returned her focus to the building before her. It was the end of the workday, so she needed to hurry.
Glancing around, Allison rushed through the main doors and through the massive lobby inside. The reflections captured within the shiny white tiles beneath her feet were so clear, it was almost as if the floor were constructed of mirrors.
A large seating area greeted her as she entered, the dark leather chairs and couches there a stark contrast to the white floors, walls, and ceiling that surrounded her. Plants that looked so perfect they could be fake adorned boxes painted to match the furniture’s rich browns.
Allison moved quickly beneath a slew of canned lights as she passed a reception desk that was void of human presence. Spotting a set of elevators up ahead, she ignored the handful of other people making their way toward the building’s exit as she began to pick up the pace.
Her phone dinged with an incoming text just as she reached the elevator doors. Pushing the button with the up arrow, Allison checked her phone to see who had sent her the message.
Naomi told me about the plan. The guys of Delta are solid, so trust them and keep me posted.
Allison read Sloane’s text again. And again. And…again. She continued re-reading the sweet woman’s encouraging words as if doing so somehow proved she was making the right decision.
The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Without looking up from her phone, she started to step inside. But Allison’s forward motions was abruptly forced to a stop when she ran smack dab into a wall of muscle.
Strong hands grabbed her shoulders, and in an instant, Allison was back in her husband’s clutches. On reflex, she yelped, jerking her body free from his meaty grasp, moving away from the elevator as quickly as she could.
In the process of saving herself from the so-called enemy, the phone her hand went flying into the air. Allison’s eyes grew wide as she attempted to catch it, but the device began moving in a series of uneven somersaults, thwarting her efforts to keep it from hitting the tiled floor.
A masculine hand shot out just in the nick of time, saving the cell from certain death. The air in her lungs froze when she realized it was the same hand that had grabbed her moments before.
Those aren’t Tommy’s hands.
“Phew! That was close.” The man who most definitely was not her jerk of a husband chuckled, standing straight once again. “You okay?”
As the haunting memories vanished from Allison’s mind, a rush of much-needed clarity finally settled in. This man wasn’t trying to hurt her. He’d only been trying to help.
And I just made a giant fool out of myself.
