Page 104 of Protecting Addison
But it wasn’t until he told them where he’d left little Yana and Ellory that true fear hit.
They’d been locked inside one of those huge metal containers, scheduled to be loaded onto a ship.
No, he didn’t know which one, only that it was blue. No, he didn’t know when the ship was scheduled to leave, only that it was soon. Yes, he’d tell them the name of his contact, but it was probably a pseudonym.
The more he talked, the more horrified and scared Addison became. This man, the father of her child, had kidnapped, sold, and as good as murdered her. And there he sat, obviously feeling more sorry for himself than worried about the life of his own daughter.
“We’ll call the cops, you guys go to the shipyard,” Wolf said.
Without a word, Ricky turned toward the door, pulling Addison with him. Once again, she was thankful he didn’t try to talk her into staying home. She needed to be where her girls were. She just prayed that they weren’t too late. That they wouldn’t see a huge container ship pulling out of its dock on its way to Asia. If that happened, she had no idea how they’d find Ellory and Yana. The clock was ticking, and she was deathly afraid it was too late.
CHAPTERNINETEEN
Ellory grinned. They’d done it! She and Yana had used the stupid tiny hammer and cheap screwdriver to make a large enough hole in the floor of the container that they could both fit through. Of course, there was nothing underneath but the concrete the box was sitting on top of. But eventually it had to be moved, and that’s when they could make their escape…she hoped.
“Good job, Yana!” she told her little sister. Staying busy had done them both good, taken their minds off of their current situation. Thank God the container they were in was old and crappy.
“Come here,” she told Yana, pulling her back into her lap. It made Ellory feel better to have her near, as much as she hoped it comforted the little girl.
“Bad man. Father,” Yana said.
“Yeah,” Ellory agreed. “Brady is not a good man.”
“Why?”
She sighed. “I don’t know. He can’t have always been that way, because our mom is smart enough not to be with someone who treats her badly.”
“Ricky good,” Yana said.
“He is,” Ellory agreed.
“In Ukraine, he help. Good. Food, water. Hide.” Then the little girl sighed and said something in Ukrainian. Ellory assumed she was explaining in a language she knew why she thought Ricky was a good person.
She looked up at Ellory. “He find. Save. Like in Ukraine.”
“I hope so,” Ellory said, with a deep sigh of her own. The Christmas song was making her head feel as if it was going to burst like a watermelon hit with a sledgehammer. She busied herself turning off all of the toys except for the one Yana was clutching. The decibel level of the sound was immediately much more manageable. The lighting wasn’t as good, but now that they’d done what they could to rescue themselves, their only option now was to wait. Might as well wait in the light coming off one bear rather than ten.
She picked up one of the toy frogs and put it in her pocket. It was silly. But maybe, just maybe, it’d be good luck. While Ellory felt good about what they’d done, it was still a long shot that they’d be rescued. And getting out of this container while it was being moved would be dangerous and tricky. They’d have to get out fast, because if they went out the hole when the container was too high, they could be hurt or even die by falling to the ground. Even if they managed to get out, they had to worry about someone seeing them and taking them captive again.
The truth was, Ellory was terrified. Not only for herself, but for her little sister. Yana didn’t deserve to be here. She’d already been through so much in her short life.
Not wanting to cry and let the little girl know how scared she was, Ellory pressed her lips together tightly. She wanted her mom. Wanted to feel her arms around her. Her mom’s hugs always made her feel better.
Ellory had no idea how much time had passed since they’d made the hole in the floor of the container, how long she and Yana had been sitting in the semi-dark, quietly waiting…when suddenly, the container jerked.
It was time! They were being moved.
Yana scrambled off her lap and looked at Ellory with wide eyes.
“This is it. We’ll have to move fast. I’ll go first and as soon as I’m out, you follow. I’ll help you. Okay?”
“Okay,” Yana echoed. She looked terrified but she wasn’t crying, which Ellory was taking as a good sign. Reaching out, she turned off the stuffed bear, and the sudden darkness was almost as jarring as the abrupt cessation of sound.
Ellory hesitated, then stuffed the toy down her shirt. The bear had saved their lives, and Yana seemed attached to it. She didn’t want to leave it behind.
The container swayed back and forth slightly as it slowly lifted off the ground. Ellory stared down at the hole and blinked, the sudden light making her squint. It was still light outside, but not terribly bright. She guessed the sun was about to set, and she couldn’t decide if that was a good or bad thing. Good because it would let them see where they were, where to run…but probably bad because it would allow others to see them more easily too. If the man Brady had met at the docks was the one moving the container, he’d obviously know who they were, and he’d do whatever it took to get them back.
Ellorywasn’tgoing back. No way. Brady had been dumb enough to tell her their entire plan. She was still using her organs, thank you very much, and she didn’t want to give them to anyone else.
