That terrible fact jammed Lily’s brain as the two men ushered her down the dark and narrow corridor. She was walking to her death. It was only a matter of time. The thought terrified her. But what really horrified her was the thought of her unborn child dying.
She wasn’t above begging. She would do anything—anything—if she thought it would spare her baby’s life. “I’ll do whatever you want,” she blurted out, her voice breathless with fear and adrenaline. “Please…just don’t hurt my baby.”
On either side of her, the men ignored her plea. They led her down the hall a few more feet, then stopped.
The man gripping her right bicep tightened his grip. “Elevator’s out. Frickin’ blackout. We gotta take the stairs.”
The other man looked at Lily. “Where’s Vickers?”
She stared into cold blue eyes that were as lifeless and cold as a Boston winter. “I don’t know.”
His gaze skimmed down the front of her. “If you want to save that kid, you’d better start talking, bitch.”
He was a thickly built man with large facial features that made his head look too big for his body. “I swear to you,” she said. “I honestly don’t know. I was sleeping when he left. Probably to make a call.”
“Who did he call?”
“I don’t know.”
The second man made a sound of frustration. He glared at Lily, and she saw cruelty in the depth of his gray eyes. “Lying bitch.” He sneered at the other man. “She’s yankin’ your chain.”
“I’m not,” she choked.
Where are you, Chase? Please come.
They reached the door leading to the stairs. The second man drew his weapon and shoved the door open. He looked up and down the stairwell, then motioned them in. “It’s clear. Let’s go.”
The man with the blue eyes pushed her into the stairwell corridor, then addressed the other man. “Get on the horn and tell Eddie to meet us at the south exit.”
The second man slid a sleek phone from his coat, punched numbers with a fat thumb. “We got the chick,” he said. “No sign of Vickers. Yeah. Meet us at the south exit. Two minutes.”
Frowning, he snapped the phone closed. “Let’s get the hell outta here.” Lips pulling back, he shoved Lily. “Time’s a wastin’, bitch. Hurry up and get up those stairs.”
Numb with dread, Lily followed orders. Her heart beat so fast the rush of blood made her dizzy. She couldn’t believe the situation had boiled down to this. That these two violent men would kill her and her child, and she would become just another Boston statistic.
She was midway to the landing when she heard a noise, as if something had fallen from above. An instant later an explosion rocked her brain. The man grasping her arm reeled backward, cursing. Lily fell to her hands and knees. Something metallic clanged behind her. She glanced over her shoulder in time to see smoke swirl from some type of steel canister.
“Gas!” shouted one of the men.
“Get the bitch!” said the other.
A scream tore from Lily’s throat when he lunged at her. Acting on instinct, she slapped off his hand and scrambled on all fours up the remaining stairs.
At the top of the landing, Lily sucked in a breath, but it was like breathing in fire. Choking smoke filled the stairwell. The acrid gas entered her bronchial tubes like shards of molten glass. Her lungs seized. Clutching her belly, she doubled over and began to cough.
She screamed when strong arms gripped her from behind. All she could think was that she couldn’t let the men take her back. Fighting for her life, she spun and tried to knee him. But her attacker danced aside.
“Get away from me!” she choked.
“Lily. Whoa. It’s me, Chase. Settle down.”
In the semidarkness and swirling smoke, she couldn’t see his face. But she knew his voice. His touch. Relief washed over her with such power that her legs went weak. Her knees would have buckled if he hadn’t caught her arms. “Chase. My God…”
“Easy. I’ve got you. You’re okay.”
She wasn’t okay. She tried to tell him about the two men, but her throat closed up. Tears from the gas and smoke, and from relief, welled in her eyes.
“Hang on to me,” he said.
The next thing she knew she was being swept off her feet and into his arms, solid as stone. She hung on for dear life as he took her up the stairwell at breakneck speed. She could feel his muscles bunching beneath her, could hear him grunting with the effort.
An instant later, he slammed his palm against a door and they entered a dimly lit hall. The air was clear, but Lily couldn’t stop coughing. Her throat felt as if it were on fire. Gently, Chase lowered her to her feet, but her knees turned to mush.
“Easy.” He steadied her. “Slow, shallow breaths. That’s it.”
Lily looked at him through gas-induced tears and struggled to get oxygen into lungs that seemed to be locked down tight.
Chase was breathing hard and coughing, too. A sheen of sweat coated his forehead and soaked his shirt beneath his arms and on his back.
“You got your feet under you?” he asked after a moment.
Lily wasn’t yet sure, but she nodded.
“Good girl.” He released her. “I’m sorry about the gas, but there was no other way.”