Page 83 of Requiem

He’s right. Without use of my mouth, the crying is causing my nose to run.

“Can I take my hand away now?”

I nod and he very slowly uncovers my mouth. I don’t move.

“Okay, good. I’m going to let go of you but so help me God, if you try anything and I mean anything, Jules, I’ll kill both of you. Him first so you can watch. Do you understand me?”

I close my eyes and nod again, not trusting myself to speak yet. Jeremy lets go of me just long enough to grab ahold of my shoulders and spin me around so we’re facing one another. His newly blonde, clean-shaved image smiles down on my tear-stained face. So, Natalie’s instincts were right. I want to kill myself for not paying closer attention.

“Hello, Jules!”

“What do you want, Jeremy?” I rasp, my eyes meeting his.

“Everything, Jules. Absolutely everything. And you’re going to give it to me.”

“Where’s Natalie? Did you … is she alright?”

He’s still smiling.

“Oh, she’s just fine. She’s passed out on your bed. I put her there after I shot her up with a sedative. She’ll wake up in a couple of hours with a nasty headache.”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to steady my frantic pulse and concentrate on the situation at hand. I have to keep my baby safe.

“What’s next?”

“We’re going to leave now. All three of us. Like a happy little family!”

I look over my shoulder to the crib where I can see David pulling on his feet and hear him chattering nonsense to the mobile animals hanging over his head.

“Where?” I panic.

He doesn’t reply.

“Jeremy, do you have any idea how much work he is? He’ll fuss and cry and whine. He runs all over the place now, and he throws temper tantrums at the drop of a hat. You don’t want to take him anywhere, believe me. He’s more trouble than you need,” I entreat him, trying to sound sincere and reasonable even as the panic within me is starting to reach critical mass.

I see him considering this. He looks at David, then at me, then back at the crib again.

“Fine. He stays here. Let’s go.”

“But we can’t just leave him here alone!” I exclaim a little too loudly. He gives me a warning look.

“I’m sorry.”

“He’ll be fine,” he says, grabbing my forearm and pushing me toward the door of the nursery.

“Jeremy, please …”

“Now, Jules,” he orders, clearly starting to lose what little patience he has.

I notice the diaper bag on top of the changing table, a bottle sticking out of one of the front pockets. Jeremy wasn’t bluffing, he’d been prepared to take us both.

“Let me just give him his bottle …” I say, reaching for it, but he yanks me back hard.

“Uh-uh. I don’t know what the hell you and Xena Warrior Princess have hiding in that bag.”

Dammit! Think, Julia. Think.

“Then you get it,” I blurt. “Please, Jeremy, it’ll keep him quiet, and then he’ll probably fall asleep.”