Page 29 of Taschen (Chosen Few #4)

Natalie hummed Rock-a-bye-baby in the second-hand wooden rocking chair she’d picked up from a garage sale that morning. Bray lay snuggled in her arms, his stuffed dog clutched tightly in his grasp and his favorite white fluffy blanket around him.

The chair wasn’t as nice as the one she’d left behind at Keetan’s, but Bray had been happy to have their rocking routine back. And other than the wood digging into her back, the antique piece would offer the soothing time they’d both missed.

Bray passed out quickly, making her all the more glad she’d taken him swimming at the indoor public pool earlier.

Standing in the darkness of their shared bedroom, she moved to the wall where his crib waited. She laid him on the thin mattress and he immediately flipped onto his tummy and sighed.

Sweeping her hand over his dark curls, her heart ached. Leaving their home had been tough. But after two weeks, he’d finally settled in their new space.

And Bray hadn’t even asked about Keetan .

She slipped out of the room and shut the door. Padding her way to the living room, she lowered herself to the single sofa. The apartment had come partially furnished, and the owner was nice enough to pull an old crib out of storage for her.

She’d finally broken away from Keetan. She was still in disbelief that she no longer had to walk on egg shells. Nor did she have to count the hours until he went to work, or dodge him when he was home. She also didn’t have to pretend to fall asleep with Bray so he couldn’t try to get in her pants.

Keetan’s lack of response to her leaving him had her reeling though. She’d fled while he was at work and after a nasty text message when he’d finished his shift to find them gone, she hadn’t heard from him since.

Which was unsettling, because Keetan was a loud mouth. A hot head. Someone who needed to unleash on people just to get his point across. Other than that one text, there’d been none of that.

But the more time that passed, the more she let her guard down. Maybe he’d moved onto another woman—god, that’d be fantastic. Not for the new lady, but for her and Bray, it’d be a dream.

She curled her feet under her and picked up her phone. A text message lit the screen. She tensed, and looked at the number—Keetan.

Dammit, she should’ve blocked him. She opened the text .

Last chance, bitch . You know what I can do and I’ll fucking do it.

Fear punched her in the gut. Her fingers trembled as she began to type, then deleted it. There was no way to diffuse him. She had no choice but to call his bluff. She looked at the time the message was sent—almost an hour ago. She’d left her phone in the living room while doing Bray’s bedtime routine and hadn’t heard the text come in.

Bang, bang, bang!

A rough fist pummeled her front door. “Police, open up!”

All the blood drained from her face. Her heart beat in triple time and she rose to her feet. She wrapped one arm around her waist, the other toying with the neckline of her t-shirt.

Her gaze shot to the hallway where her and Bray’s room laid. He hadn’t woken—and she didn’t want him to be scared. Keetan would be furious if she didn’t open the door but doing so would only make her and Bray vulnerable.

She inched her way carefully to the door. Each footstep like walking a burning path to hell. Could he have actually called the cops? It’d been his voice, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t reported her—what he’d promised to do for the last ten years.

“I know you’re there, Natalie. I can fucking smell you.” His voice drifted through the crack in the door .

Panic rooted her feet to the floor. He couldn’t see her. Certainly couldn’t smell her. But he still paralyzed her. She pressed her hand against the wall next to the front door to steady herself. She sunk her teeth into her bottom lip as terror slapped her between fight, flight or freeze.

Summoning all of her strength, she pulled back her shoulders. She was the only person standing between Bray and a madman—she couldn’t cower. “You need to leave, Keetan.” She forced steel into her voice. “Bray’s asleep. We can talk tomorrow.”

A low, gruff laugh sounded. “Oh, I’m not going anywhere, baby,” he crooned. His voice so close he might as well be in her ear.

Ice cold terror coated her skin. She backed away and ran to the couch where she’d left her phone. Calling the police was an absolute last resort, but here she was. Her thumb fumbled the unlock screen.

Bam!

The door bounced on its hinges. She let out a sharp squeak.

Bam!

Bray let out a terrified wail, startled from his slumber. Instinct ripped her in two. The need to run to her baby and comfort him so great, but the need to protect him greater. If she went to his room, he’d go there looking for her. If he found her right there, he might leave Bray alone. She might even be able to talk him down .

Crash!

The wood door banged open.

She finally got the lock code open on her phone. Keetan charged across the room in his police uniform, a gun trained on her. “Hands up!”