Page 75 of Single Mom's Undoing

It’s upscale. Rich. Imposing.

“Where am I?” I ask, slowly recovering control of my body.

My toes and fingertips tingle as the last remnants of the sedative wear off. I wrap my arms around Matty and keep him close, if only to further anchor myself to reality.

“You’re on one of my properties,” Bill says. “You are safe.”

“That’s a load of crap,” I scoff. “You kidnapped us!”

“I needed to talk to you, Clara. And I knew you wouldn’t come willingly.”

“Why would I, after everything you did?”

“Momma, who is he?” Matty asks, looking understandably worried and scared. He may be only four years old, but my boy is smart enough to recognize unpleasant people a mile away, it seems. “Where’s Daddy?”

Bill smiles softly and takes a seat on the sofa across from us. “Laura!” he calls out. A few seconds later, the woman who abducted us comes in, and my muscles tighten at the sight of her. “Relax, Clara. Laura is only here to help,” he says, then gives the woman a slight nod. “Take Matty to the kitchen. I asked the chef to put together a lovely PB&J for the boy.”

“You’re not taking my son anywhere,” I snap, tightening my hold on Matty.

Instinctively, he clings to me with equal anguish. “Momma, no.”

“Clara, he is safe here. He’s my grandson. My own blood. I would never do anything to hurt him,” Bill replies.

“I was taking him to the Baker City Hospital to get his heart surgery when you kidnapped us, Bill.”

“You’re not taking him anywhere other than the Hyatt-Masterson Regency Clinic, which is where Margot had herheart surgery. They have the best pediatric cardiology specialist in the entire damn country,” he says. “My grandson is only going to get the best treatment from now on.”

I shake my head as Laura comes closer, smiling at my son. “You need to stay away from us,” I warn her.

“If we wanted to hurt you, we would’ve done it already,” she mutters.

“Clara, please. The boy needs nourishment, and you and I need to talk. He will be right down the hall from here and in good hands; I promise,” Bill insists.

The more I fight him, the harder it will be for us to get out of here. The more I resist, the less inclined he and his people will be to trust me. If I play the role of a compliant woman, it’ll give Matty and me a better chance.

“Play along, baby,” I whisper in my son’s ear. “Go get a snack. Be a good boy. And I’ll be right here, okay?”

“Are you sure, Momma?”

“I’m sure,” I say and give him a wink.

Matty gets off my lap and lets Laura take his hand.

“Have his inhaler handy, just in case,” I tell her.

“Yes, ma’am,” she replies as she gently escorts Matty out of the room.

The anger I feel is downright suffocating, but I need to play my part in order to figure out what Bill wants from us and how to extricate myself and Matty from this place.

“Thank you,” Bill says and takes a sip of his whiskey. “I’d offer you a glass, but I understand you’re with child again.”

I glance down, unwilling to confirm as my cheeks catch fire. I shouldn’t have said anything, but the mere thought of that sedative doing something to my unborn baby made me lose sight of what to keep to myself at that moment.

“Is it also Carter’s?”

“It’s none of your goddamn business,” I shoot back. “What do you want, Bill? This is kidnapping. Haven’t you committed enough crimes already?”

He scoffs and shakes his head slowly. “Clara, I’m trying to protect my family here. It’s all I’ve ever done. You wouldn’t understand because you’re not a part of my family.”