“When he gets here.”
“And I’m just to sit here?” Does he actually have a plan? Did I give him more credit than I should have?
“No, you’re going to start researching. This is your first artifact.” He slams down a small rock, making me cringe at how rough he is with it.
I carefully pick it up, curiosity getting me more than anything, and find that it’s a small vase stuck in stone. He’s lucky he didn’t shatter what’s exposed.
Nico grabs a chair and sits across from me, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest.
I glance around, hoping there’s something in the main space I can use to contact Adam or Lex. Maybe I can incapacitate Nico with something. Lord knows I wouldn’t be sad about doing that. But this place is spotless, unlike the bathroom upstairs.
My stomach tightens again. Why couldn’t I be the type of person who wore a watch? There’s a sense of urgency to time how far apart these are, although I’m convinced these aren’t real contractions. I’m only thirty-six, almost thirty-seven, weeks pregnant. It’s too early, so I assume these are Braxton Hicks.
I blow out a breath, closing my eyes as it finally passes.
Fuck.Why is this happening right now? Is it the high-stress situation? Because this whole damn pregnancy has been high stress. My body should be used to this shit by now.
Apparently, I’m destined to just be incredibly unlucky all the time. I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop with Adam, and what do you know? I’m about to be kidnapped and forced to give birth alone, with zero medical help. Without Adam, who is going to be so crushed he wasn’t there for any of it.
Tears well in my eyes, and I pray they don’t fall. I refuse to give Nico any kind of gratification from this.
“I don’t hear any typing,” he grumbles, not moving an inch.
My fingers make a point to be obnoxiously loud as I type random letters. I need to think, and research isn’t fitting into that agenda right now.
How do I let Adam and his team know where I am? Adam has to know I’m gone by now. He wasn’t all that far away to begin with. But he thinks Nico is as dead, as I did.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
There’s no plan. No way to help Adam and his team. My throat closes, trying to hold in the tears that want to so desperately fall.
A ringing phone slices through the silence.
“Yeah?” Nico answers almost immediately. “We’re here and ready.” Then he hangs up. “Looks like we’ll be out of here soon. Boss is five minutes out.”
“Great,” I mumble. That tight-clenching band across my back and stomach happens again, stealing my breath.
“No one asked your opinion,” Nice grunts.
Five minutes is almost up when I feel tremendous pressure.
“I need to use the bathroom.” My words are strained as I try not to show Nico how fucking freaked out I am right now.
Nico rolls his eyes and waits. “Let’s go. We don’t have all day.”
His intimidating stature follows me back up the stairs, where I eventually end up back in the small, disgusting bathroom.
Then I feel this weird, tight pop deep in my pelvis.
I immediately think I’ve peed. Looking down, there’s a wet spot in my pants.
I’m frozen, not sure how to even handle this or how to proceed. Do I tell Nico? Do I just wait until Hunter Page shows up?
I need an adultier adult to handle all of this.
My hand goes to the wet spot, realizing it might be my water breaking. I tentatively bring my hand back up to my face and sniff, hoping to God it’s not pee. When there’s no scent, my body feels like it drains of blood.
I can’t be in labor.
