TRAPPED (Breaking Free Book 2) (23 page)

Dan:

            
 
“
Anything
?
” I call out, as I hear Dean walk through the front door.

He does
n’
t reply as he walks in to the front room, looking me up and down and plopping in to the arm chair without responding to me
.“
Well
?
” I ask impatiently.

            
 “
Nothing
.
” He picks up the remote and scrolls through the programmes, ignoring me.

              The bloke has been pissing me off lately, He has been talking down to me, if he even talks at all, and not answering his phone when I have called him.

              I throw the newspaper on to the floor, holding my hand out for the car keys and tapping my foot against the floor
.“
Why do
n’
t we just give up? She is obviously happy and not causing you any harm. Just let her go and le
t’
s focus on finding some fresh pussy to have fun with
.
” His words are apprehensive and shaky.

              How dare he tell me to stop chasing Connie?Sh
e’
s mine, and on some level I know she wants this, we belong together and she knows it. Flying from my chair I grip his shirt collar, pulling him forward till we are almost nose to nose and sneer at him
.“
Do
n’
t fuck with me. I want her back, and
I’
m not stopping until I have her. If you do
n’
twant to help then do one and
I’
ll do this alone
.
”

            
 “
Mate calm down
,
” he frantically grabs at my hands
,“
I did
n’
t say I would
n’
t help you, I just wanted to make sure you really wanted this, tha
t’
s all
.
”
 
I release him on a growl, throwing him back against the seat.

              Fucker better not mess this up for me.

I do
n’
t give him the chance to talk anymore, I pick up the car keys and stalk to the front door, ready to start watch again.
I’
m sick of this cat and mouse shit, I want her back, and I want her back now.

The car screeches as I pull out of the drive, hitting the accelerator and speeding my way back to where she is staying, the place has so many spots to put the car and keep watch, there is too much cover for this to be a safe place, especially if you are thought to have a security threat.

Parking up, I pull out a share size bag of crisps and bottle of drink and get comfortable, the second my opportunity comes I am going to take it.

Hours, days or weeks, i
t’
s all the same to me, I will get Connie back, and Hunter will pay for taking her.

Connie:

    
Rushing around like a headless chicken, I throw on a pair of leggings, jumper and Ugg boots. I grab my handbag, double check I have my phone and check on the kids before answering the door to Lottie and filling her in on my predicament.

          "So what are you gonna do?" I can't tell her my true intentions, if I did that she would lock me in and call Hunter, so I think fast.

          "I'm going to get Hunter and find out if there really is a baby." My heart is beating rapidly, and I try my hardest to act nonchalant. She stares at me for a beat, and it feels as if she is staring deep in to my soul, seeking out my lies.

              She finally nods at me, “Be careful.”

              Smiling, I peck her on the cheek, “I will. See you in a bit.”

              I’m almost at the elevators when she calls my name, “have you got your phone?” I can see her chewing on her lip and wringing her hands together, and I know I haven’t got long before she calls Hunter to see if I am with him. The sooner I can get out of here and get this done the better.

              Hopefully he wont find out until after it’s been done, and hopefully I can give him something to make him happy, a baby.

              “I have, I won’t be long, I need to get this sorted
chick, you know that right?"

I turn on my heel and enter the elevator without waiting for her to speak, the girl can read me so easily, she obviously knows I’m up to something.

              My heart is pounding as I approach the ground floor, if I get caught sneaking out, Hunter is going to hit the roof, I have to do this cleverly.

             
Upon reaching the lobby
, my
heart sinks at the sight of Ryan behind his desk, this isn’t going to be easy, or as quick as I was hoping either.

              “Connie.” He nods and smiles at me as I
near him.

Please work, please work, I repeat like a mantra in my head. “Sorry to be a pain, but can you check Lottie’s
floor
please? Someone keeps knocking on her door and shouting
crude
things,
but
running off before she can open it
and confront the person."
I have no idea what the hell I am spouting about, just thinking off the top of my head and attempting to get him to leave for a few minutes.

              His eyes snap to the monitors before him and he looks at me questioningly, “Are you sure? Nothing is showing up on
here?"

              Fuck, blood whooshes through my ears, and I feel mildly sick again. “yeah, she didn’t want to come down and disturb you, but I thought she should so I kind of took the initiative and did it for her. It could be anyone up there.”

              He frowns at me, sticking his thumb in his mouth and biting his nail, “Okay, I’ll call someone to have a look.”

              “NO!” I shout on impulse, “Er, I mean, it will be so much quicker if you just go and do a quick check, I can wait here or go back up to the apartment. It’s up to you?”

              His eyes do a sweep of the lobby, and he checks his watch before offering up a small nod, “Okay, wait here.”

              Waiting for me to agree, he then turns walk to the elevators, speaking on his radio before entering the
lift
, keeping his eyes on me as the doors close.

              The second they shut I spin on my heel and make my way down to the car park, rushing through the codes and jumping in to the driver’s seat of my car.

Ryan is going to be fuming when he realises I played him, but I’m hoping a case or two of beers will help win him round, and keep
him
quiet.

              The car peels out of the space, the tires screeching as I try to leave in a hurry, fearful I am going to be stopped.

              I spend the next fifteen minutes driving around and looking for an all-night chemist or supermarket, becoming increasingly irritated when I
realise I am
lost and end up going around in circles.

              This needs to work, if I can buy a test, find out the result and be back before Hunter, then everything will be okay.

              Checking my mirrors, I am relieved to see I don’t have a tail, Hunter would do his nut if he found out about this.

              A small supermarket by the side of the road catches my eye, and I pull in to a loading bay, grabbing my bag and rushing in to the store.

              A young girl looks up from the counter as I walk in, eyeing me up and down before turning her attention to the
op
en magazine in front of her. My heart is pounding so hard that I can almost hear every beat aloud.

              I bypass the fridge and reach the aisle I was hoping they had, finding it fitting that there would be pregnancy tests and nappies side by side. It almost feels like an omen for me.

              I grab one of every test they offer, four boxes in total and take a deep breath. I can do this, this baby will be happy, loved and want for nothing if I am pregnant. It may be early, but Hunter will make a brilliant father. This may sound cheesy, and slightly presumptuous of me, but I know I am going to spend the rest of my life with this man, and us having a baby together is something to celebrate and be happy about, I just need to get over the shock of it and fully accept it.

              With that thought in mind, I place a tight grip on the boxes and start making my way to the till, pausing to turn and look at the nappies, a plan forming in my mind. I grab a packet and take them to the tills with me, anxious to get this over and done with and find out if there is to be a new addition. If I’m not, then we already have two beautiful children who are more than enough for me. I’m happy either way.

              “Anything else.” The girl eyes me again, popping her gum and speaking in a manner that suggests she would rather be anywhere else than here.

              “Er, yeah.” I point out a bottle of whisky, and small pack of beers, praying Ryan accepts my bribe.

              She breathes out tiredly, turning to collect what I have asked
of
her and dumping them on the counter. “That it?” I nod, “Want a bag?” I nod again. “That’ll be thirty nine pound and forty seven pence.” No please, no thank you, she doesn’t even look at me as she says it.

              I pull out my debit card, place it in the machine and enter my pin as the girl begins bagging up my items, giving me a curious look as she bags the tests. I take the opportunity to look at her more closely, wondering if I ever behaved in such a rude and offhanded manner at her age. The girl could be pretty if she didn’t have a constant scowl on her face, shoulder length brown hair, a slim but toned body, and a pretty face, with a small, straight nose and pouty lips, her eyes a striking grey colour.

              She notices me staring and I drop my eyes to the machine holding my card, following the prompt and removing it.

              Pocketing my card, I look up to see her stood with her hands on her hips, unmoving and waiting for me to take my items and leave.

              If she wants to be rude then so can I, I don’t say a word to her as I pick up my bags, placing one in each hand and walking away without so much as another word. I hear a huff come from behind me, and I smirk to myself, maybe if she put a smile on her face, or didn’t act so rude, then she wouldn’t receive the same reaction back, and would probably find people striking up a conversation with her, making her shift go faster.

              I shrug the thought off, and focus on the more pressing matters at hand, getting home before Hunter finds out and finding out if we are to be parents.

              I’m becoming increasingly nervous the more time passes, and I find myself checking up and down the road, a feeling of being watched passing over me. There are several cars driving about, but none that would cause me to become suspicious.

              Throwing the bags in the boot, I run around to the driver’s side, practically throwing myself in the seat and locking the door behind me, an increasing feeling of unease settling over me. I talk myself in to calming down, telling myself it is nerves and anxiety causing me to panic.

              Taking several deep breaths, I check my mirrors and pull out, wondering how I should go about making my next move. It needs to happen if I am to be at peace from Dan, I’m just scared it’s about to go tits up and backfires.

              Programming the route into my satnav, I attempt to steady my nerves, needing to keep my cool and savvy about me for what I am about to do.

              The roads are pretty clear, and I phone Lottie, getting her voicemail and leaving a message telling her where I am going, what I plan on doing, and telling her she is not to call Hunter unless she doesn’t hear from me within the next hour. That leaves me enough time to get where I need to be, do what needs to be done and hopefully be on my way home, with Hunter none the wiser.

              I still can’t believe I am about to do this, the nerves are skyrocketing, and a lump is forming in my throat, making it become increasingly difficult to swallow. I haven’t been here for years, but I know if anyone can get a handle on Dan it should be him. He tried to put Dan’s Dad on the straight and narrow, but it was too late for him, and it resulted in his Dad going out drunk one night, getting caught up in a bar fight and ultimately not returning home.              

              I toe the accelerator, desperate to get this over and done with. I haven’t seen the man in years, and I can only hope he still lives there, and actually still gives a shit. He always told me if I were to have any problems, or Dan went down his Father’s route that I was to call him and he would sort him out, Dan always had a fear of letting him down, so he is my last hope before things get messy and somebody gets seriously hurt.

              Pulling the car on to his road, I take note of the row of cute bungalows, all belonging to families or elderly people, and all well cared for. The road was always quiet, everybody knowing everyone’s business, but also being there for one another in any way they could.

              My heart pounds and sweat drips down my back, the urge to turn this car around
and flee i
s so strong I have to white knuckle grip the steering wheel.

              Parking the car on his driveway, I suck in several deep breaths, drawing the oxygen down to my lungs as a way to stop the shakes and sick feeling creeping up on me again. I throw the car door open, standing on shaky legs and gathering courage.

              I can do this, I have nothing to be afraid of, this man is the complete opposite of Dan in every way, and if someone can rein Dan in, it’s him.

              I hear a car slow as it passes me, but choose not to turn around, fearful that Hunter has tracked me down. I need to get in and out, as fast as I can.

              Raising my hand to knock on his door, I hear shuffling coming from inside, and know he has already seen me, the man has a serious case of paranoia, whatever happened to him in the army changed him completely and made him jumpy and on edge about who could track him down.

              The door swings open, and stood before
me i
s Dan’s Uncle, well, his Father’s best friend, who he classes as his Uncle. I take in his appearance, with the exception of a few grey hairs, the man hasn’t changed a bit, he is still a monster of a man, over six and a half foot tall, a wall of muscle, and has one of the hardest faces you will come across. His personality though couldn’t be any more different, he is the biggest softy, wouldn’t hurt a fly unless he had a reason to, and is also as gay as they come.               Most people cringe and walk the other way upon seeing him, not realising just how sweet this man can be.

              “Connie, oh my god sweetheart, is that you?” His face breaks out in to a grin and he opens his arms to me, wrapping them around me.

              I rest my head on his shoulder, all nerves fleeing upon receiving this reaction from him.

              “Ant, it’s so good to see you.” My voice trembles slightly, and he pulls me in to the hallway, eyeing the road before closing the door behind us.

              “What’s wrong?” He is all business immediately, picking up on my distress.

              I pause unsure of how to tell him this, he is going to be so ashamed, and angry I didn’t come to him sooner, “It’s Dan, he has completely gone of the rails, I’m fearful for mine and the kid’s lives and I didn’t know who to turn to. He has the police and several forms of security after him and nobody can seem to stop him.” His jaw ticks and he frowns at me, I begin to panic that I have made the wrong choice, he is Dan’s family after all, and I should have realised his loyalties would always be to him.

              Backing up towards the door slowly, his face softens and he grabs my wrist gently. “Start at the beginning, I need to know everything.” I sigh, knowing this is going to take a while, but also knowing this has to be done.