Ultimate Fear (Book 2 Ultimate CORE) (CORE Series) (38 page)

Careful of the precious bundle Chloe carried, she pushed the woman into a sitting position and pulled the harness over her shoulders and around her back, then fastened it at her chest. She adjusted the belt below Chloe’s stomach, then wrapped the additional belts around the girl’s upper thighs. After using the additional padlocks she’d bought for the occasion, and locking the harness so Chloe wouldn’t be able to set herself free, she gave all of the straps and belts a tug. Satisfied the harness was secured and in no way harming the baby, she clipped the short tether to the hook on the back of it, then lay Chloe on the mattress and blankets.

Normally Wayne would connect the opposite end of the tether to a removable roof anchor. To do this would have required her to find a way to secure the anchor to the concrete floor. Once again, God had been looking out for her. The old scratched long dresser, abandoned in the unit, was made of solid wood and weighed a ton. She couldn’t move the dresser, but she had been able to nail the roof anchor to the surface.

She tugged on the tether with all of her might, then, after releasing a sigh of satisfaction, she padlocked the tether to the anchor for added measure. Now there was no way Chloe could be capable of moving the dresser or removing the anchor. Even if she could, there was no escape. She would relock the steel garage door after she left.

While the girl’s screams might be heard if someone walked past the unit, the L sped on the tracks above the storage company every three to seven minutes. The roar of the train would drown out Chloe’s cries, which was a good thing. She snapped handcuffs around the woman’s wrists. Because she had to give the girl limited use of her hands, a gag wouldn’t work.

She stood and dabbed her forehead with the back of her hand. Although the temperature outside hadn’t hit the predicted eighty-five degrees yet, sweat coated her skin, pooled under her breasts and dripped down her back. She’d been in the storage unit several times this week to make preparations, and knew how hot and stuffy it could become. Needing to move the air throughout the room, she set up the two battery powered fans she’d also purchased. Out of concern for the baby, she placed one fan at the foot of the bed, the other near the girl’s head and aimed them at Chloe. She checked the tether once more. Good. Chloe couldn’t reach the fans and, before she left, she would set the lanterns away from the mattress and out of reach, too.

Using her cell phone, she checked the time. Nearly ten, she had hours before she would need to be home. As far as Wayne was concerned, she’d gone on a job interview this morning. When the solicitor had called her cell last night, the timing couldn’t have been any better. God did work in mysterious ways, after all. Thanks to the call, convincing Wayne that she’d been hired as an assistant manager to a convenience store would be easy-breezy. Thank goodness she’d had the foresight to tell him she would likely work evenings and weekends. Should Chloe become an issue, she’d need to be available at the storage unit.

She glanced around. The bucket she’d also bought caught her attention. After placing it near the mattress, along with toilet paper and hand sanitizer, she checked the girl one last time.

Still conked out. Perfect.

She opened the garage door, then quickly closed it and locked it with the padlock. Because she hadn’t been certain Chloe would go with her today, she hadn’t bought any food to leave in the unit. The only thing she’d purchased ahead of time had been bottled water, which was also near the mattress. The water might not be cold, but it would keep her hydrated. Now she needed to make sure the girl had healthy food to eat.

As she made her way past her building and toward the nearby market, her mind drifted back to Wayne. Last night, after his shower, he’d relaxed on the couch in front of the TV and, after drinking a beer, had promptly fallen asleep. She didn’t like that he’d distanced himself from her. The last time Wayne had slept on the couch had been during the year after her mama had rescued him from his demon of a father. Once her mama had consented to their marriage, except when she’d been hospitalized during her coma, there hadn’t been a day when they hadn’t shared a bed. She missed being with him. She missed having his arms around her. Hearing him breathing as he lay next to her.

They’d be back on track soon enough. God would see to it. Only God wasn’t going to provide the paycheck Wayne would be expecting her to receive. Fortunately, she paid the bills, so Wayne wouldn’t know if money was coming or going. Plus, when she’d taken odd jobs in the past, there was always a three week interval before she’s been paid. By that time, she’d have Chloe fattened up and ready to give her the baby God had intended her to have.

When she entered the market, she put her thoughts of Wayne on hold. List in hand, she weaved her way down the aisles, carrying a basket. A shopping cart would make it too easy to load up on items. Since she had to carry the groceries for several blocks, she’d have to keep her purchases light. Fortunately, she’d budgeted for Chloe’s additional expense. If everything went to plan, she would only need to shop every other day to give the girl what she’d need.

After she went through the checkout line and paid with cash, she made her way back to the storage unit. The place really was a dump. Thankfully so. She’d been sure to check, and had noticed no security cameras on the premises, which was probably why the place had been cheap and the owner eager to rent her a unit no questions asked.

She set her grocery bags on the concrete, unlocked the padlock, then slid open the door. The hot air from the unit hit her square in the face and she realized she’d have to buy more fans. She might also have to buy a cooler to keep some of the food on ice, too.

Once she had the groceries inside, she closed the door again, then checked on Chloe. The woman hadn’t moved and remained prone on the mattress. Chloe’s swollen belly, the way her tank top exposed the skin, called to her. She laid a gentle hand on Chloe’s hard stomach, then smiled when she felt a small kick against her palm. “Soon, baby boy. Mama’s going to see you very soon.”

Chloe’s stomach tensed beneath her hand and her breathing changed. She looked up, just as the girl swung her cuffed wrists, catching her on the side of the face. Falling flat on her rear, her cheek stinging, she quickly scooted back as Chloe lunged at her with surprising force. Screaming, Chloe knocked the bucket by her bed, but the tether kept the girl from moving no more than a foot from the mattress.

Although furious that she’d been struck, that she’d been lulled into thinking Chloe had still been unconscious, what had just taken place was a good thing. A test. A way to know that the efforts she’d gone through to keep Chloe in her place had worked. Still, the girl did have a wicked punch and she’d prefer to not be on the receiving end again.

“How are you feeling?” she asked over Chloe’s screams, and rubbed her cheek.

Chloe yanked hard on the tether. “How the fuck do you think I’m feeling, you stupid, sick bitch?”

“Obviously you’re upset.” She stood and reached for the grocery bags. “And rightfully so, but—”

“Fucking bitch. Let me out of this,” Chloe demanded, and tried to pull at the belt straps.

Since this was her first hostage situation, she knew there would be a learning curve. In an effort to give the girl comfort during her stay in the storage unit, she’d made the mistake of cuffing Chloe’s hands in front of her. This would be a mistake she’d rectify before leaving. Thank goodness she’d told Wayne her new job would require her to work evenings and weekends. Cuffing Chloe’s hands behind her back meant she would now have to feed the girl.

“Your language is appalling. Did you know that the baby you carry can hear? Would you talk like this in front of your child?” She tisked and shook her head. “During my last pregnancy I didn’t play Mozart or any such thing like they suggested in some of the baby books I read, but I did pray aloud. Prayer cleanses the soul and—”

“Shut up,” Chloe shouted, jerking her body and glancing to the tether and dresser. “I don’t care about your stupid prayers.” A sob tore through her. “Just let me go.”

“I can’t do that,” she said, pulling a banana and the box of cinnamon muffins from the grocery bag. “I suggest you accept your fate. Here.” She peeled the banana and offered it to the girl.

“Shove it up your ass.”

Outrage had her crossing the room and slapping Chloe across the face. “I will not tolerate your foul language. Do you understand?” She hit the girl again, then quickly prayed to God for forgiveness. Never in her life had she been prone to violence. Until today, she’d never struck a soul because she’d lost her temper. Even when her Eltons had been naughty, she’d never spanked any of them. Hands were for loving. But Chloe needed to understand her place. She needed to realize that God had chosen her, that this was her destiny.

The light from the lantern revealed the defeat in the girl’s eyes. She shifted to the center of the mattress, curled on her side and held her stomach. Chloe’s quiet sobs lessened her temper, but she didn’t regret striking the girl. Chloe could hate her all she wanted, but in the end, the girl would respect her.

“I’m going to establish a few rules,” she said, setting the peeled banana and a muffin on the blanket near Chloe’s cuffed hands. “You will eat and drink. I will watch you eat and drink. If you do not, then I will make your stay here unpleasant.”

“It can’t get any worse than this,” Chloe cried.

“Do you want to bet?” She looked toward the lantern. “If I shut off the lights, this room will become so black, you won’t be able to see the hand in front of your face. Would you like to live in blackness?”

Chloe’s eyes widened and she looked to the lantern.

“If that doesn’t bother you, then maybe I should result to torture.” She picked up the hammer she’d used to knock out Chloe, then waved it. “Broken fingers and toes wouldn’t harm the baby, but I imagine it would be very painful. So, pick up the banana and muffin, and start eating.” She rushed to the mattress, gripped the girl’s foot and tugged at her sneaker. “Or maybe I should give you a reminder that I
will
be obeyed.”

Chloe kicked her legs and nearly knocked her to the floor again. Maybe she should have cuffed the girl’s ankles, too.

“Don’t touch me,” Chloe shouted, and picked up the banana. “I’ll eat.” She took a huge bite, then another and another, before finally chewing.

“My goodness, living on the streets has turned you into a little piglet. Slow down before you choke.”

Chloe obeyed. But after swallowing, she said, “If I choke and die, you won’t get my baby.”

She smiled. “Are you sure about that?” After moving to the corner of the room, she rummaged through her diaper bag and found the dissecting kit. “I’ve recently learned I’m pretty handy with a scalpel,” she said, showing Chloe the tools she would use to remove the baby from her body.

The girl’s eyes grew wild with fear. She stopped chewing her muffin and clutched her stomach. “Y-you’ve done this before?”

Her mind drifted back to Missy Schneider. To sinking her hands inside the woman and touching her unborn child. “Yes.”

“Where’s the baby?” Chloe asked, with a catch in her breathing.

“An angel in the Book of Life wrote down my baby’s birth,” she began, quoting the lines her and Wayne had had etched onto her Elton’s small headstone, “and whispered as she closed the book, ‘Too beautiful for earth.’”

“He’s dead?” she asked, a tear slipping down her cheek. “What about the mother?”

“She’s with God.”

Chloe’s face twisted with agony and she released another sob.

“Now don’t start crying again. The baby wasn’t meant to be, and died with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. As for the mother, she’s better off with God. I know the pain and suffering of losing a child. No mother should have to endure such a horrible thing. Now she and her baby are in heaven together. There’s no suffering there. Only God’s love.”

“If you believe that, then why don’t you do the world a favor?” she snarled. “Kill yourself and join them.”

She chuckled. “Because that’s not my destiny. If I’m dead, who will be the mother to this baby?” she asked, motioning to Chloe’s stomach. “Now finish your muffin and let me finish my list of rules. This bucket will serve as your toilet. If you choose to soil yourself to spite me, you’ll only be hurting yourself. I’ll let you lie in your pee and poop. Do you understand?”

Chloe bit into her muffin.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Now, originally, I was going to give you the freedom to move as far as the tether allowed, but since you hit me, I’ve changed my mind.” She nodded to the last bite of muffin. “Finish that.”

After Chloe complied, she took the keys to the handcuffs from her pocket. “Put your hands in front of you. Good. Now if you make this difficult, I’ll knock you out again. And next time you wake up, you’ll be tied to a chair. After sleeping on the concrete, I don’t think you want that. A bed is what you and that baby are needing. Now, are you going to be good?”

The girl nodded and, without issue, allowed her to cuff her hands behind her back. “Very good. How about a little water before I leave?”

Chloe nodded again. After she gave her a few sips from one of the bottles of water she’d stored in the unit, she stood. “One last thing.” She took the gag she didn’t think she’d be able to use from the diaper bag. “Open wide,” she instructed, then tied the gag at the back of Chloe’s head. “Wonderful. Now we’re all set.”