Sadie
“SADIE?” RYDER WHISPERED. “Baby, wake up.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked, sleepily.
“I need you to get up, baby. I need you to get into the panic room.”
“What?” I sat up and scrambled out of the bed. “What’s going on?”
“Just need you to get in there with the girls, baby. Don’t have time to explain.”
“Can I pee first?”
“No.” He grabbed my hand. “Go, now.”
He helped me to the stairs since it was so dark, but I had to navigate them alone. I saw the light to the panic room and headed toward it. “Sadie, hurry,” I heard Scottie call from inside the room.
“Just a second.”
“What are you doing?” she hissed.
“I’m sorry, honey, I have to pee.”
“Sadie,” she hissed, but I didn’t hear the rest of what she said, closing myself into the bathroom. After doing my thing, I made a mad dash for the panic room door and Scottie pressed the button to close it.
“Maybe we install a bathroom in here for next time,” I retorted and flopped on the sofa by the wall.
“I really hope there isn’t a next time,” Scottie said. “But there is a bathroom, Sadie.”
“What?” I squeaked.
Scottie smiled and pushed at the wall. A panel pushed in to reveal a toilet and a sink. I groaned. “Well, that would have been good information to have earlier.”
“I don’t think Ryder expected we’d be in here,” she said.
I sighed. “You’re probably right. Is there a bed in here too, you know, in case we end up sleeping here?”
Scottie pointed to a string above her head. “Yep. Murphy bed behind the wall. The string pulls a queen-sized bed down and this sofa collapses.”
“Wow,” I whispered.
“Wow, impressed, or wow freaked?”
“Both,” I admitted, and held my hand out to Molly. “Are you okay, Molly?”
“I’m really scared, Sadie,” she whispered.
“Come here, sweetie.”
Molly climbed onto my lap and curled into a protective ball. I slid her braid aside and stroked her back. She was so small for an eleven-year-old.
Scottie opened the mini fridge and grabbed bottled waters, handing a couple to Molly and me. She took a remote off the coffee table and pressed a button. A panel across from the sofa popped open and four television screens powered up. I leaned forward, totally freaked out by the sudden realization I was trapped in what had earlier felt like a movie plot... now, it was all too real.
“Why don’t I see anything?” I asked.
“Because nothing’s happening,” Scottie said.
“Then why are we in here?”
“Because Hatch is here.”
“What?” I snapped. “I thought he didn’t know where you lived!”
“He didn’t,” Scottie said. “But he does now, I guess.”
I shifted so Molly was on the sofa and I was on my feet. “Crap!”
“Sadie, it’s fine.” Scottie nodded pointedly toward Molly. “Ryder’s got it under control.”
“How could he possibly have it under control if he thought Hatch didn’t know where he lives and now the man is here?” I paced the small space, my hands waving erratically in the air. “And we are here in a tiny little room wondering what the heck is going on out there!”
“Sadie?”
“What if he’s in trouble?” I ranted as I continued to pace. “What if something happens and we don’t know because we can’t see what’s happening on the screens, so we don’t know we’re supposed to call someone?” I spun to wave to the screens and caught sight of Ryder leaning against the frame of the panic room door, his arms crossed and a goofy grin on his face. I let out a squeal of relief and ran for him. He caught me, pulling him close. “You’re okay!” I grabbed his face and then began to check him for injuries. “Are you okay?”
“Baby, I’m fine.” He took my hands and pulled them to his chest. “We’re all fine.”
“What happened? Where’s Hatch?”
“He was stopped about a mile or so away.”
“What do you mean—?”
“Let’s take this upstairs.” He squeezed my hand. “Molly, you and Scottie sleep down here still, okay?”
“Can we sleep in here?” Molly whispered.
“If it makes you feel safer, honey, you absolutely can,” he said.
She bobbed her head up and down.
Scottie smiled. “Let’s pull the bed down, Moll.”
“Ollie’ll be close, Scottie,” Ryder said.
“Thanks, Ride.”
Ryder took my hand and tugged me up the stairs. “You’re sleepin’ with me.”
“I have no problem with that,” I said quickly.
Instead of heading to his room, Ryder led me into the kitchen.
“I thought we were going to bed,” I said.
“Are you sleepy?”
“Not in the least.”
He smiled, releasing my hand, and grabbed a tub of Häagen Dazs pecan praline ice cream. He handed it to me with a spoon.
“You bought Häagen Dazs?”
“Yeah, baby,” he said, grabbing a beer for himself.
“How did you know I love Häagen Dazs?”
“Your freezer’s stocked with it.” He smiled. “I figured now would be the time you’d be lookin’ for it.”
“It’s six a.m.”
“Do you want Häagen Dazs?”
“Like someone in the desert wants water,” I retorted.
“Then have at it.”
I set the container on the counter and threw my arms around him, rising on my tiptoes to kiss him. “I love you.”
He chuckled. “Love you too.”
I stepped away. “So, are you going to fill me in?”
“Yep.” His hand went to the back of my head and he guided me closer. “But first, I need to hold you a bit.”
“Okay, honey.” I burrowed into his chest and held him tighter.
“Hatch wasn’t as close as I thought.”
“He wasn’t?”
“No. Bennie was at the abbey, and he’d given Hatch a general idea of where I live but he didn’t know for sure.”
“The girls?”
“All good, baby.”
“So, why the room?” I asked.
“Because he was in the general vicinity. He’s never been close before. Better safe than sorry.”
I shivered as I whispered, “Yes.”
“Have some ice cream and then I’ll give you whatever details you want. I’d rather not share, just FYI, but I will if you want me to.”
I smiled against his chest. “I’ll eat the ice cream and then decide.”
“Sounds good.”
I grabbed the tub and spoon and followed Ryder to the sofa, sitting down beside him and snuggling against him. “You’re going to get me fat.”
“Not possible.”
“Are you still gonna want to marry me if I gain a thousand pounds?” I asked, and shoved a spoonful of ice cream in my mouth.
“Absolutely.” Ryder grinned, snaking his arm around me and giving me a squeeze.
“Liar.” I took another bite.
“Baby, I honestly don’t care how much weight you gain. I like a little somethin’ to hold onto.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll explain on our wedding night,” he said. “Keep eating.”
I shoved another spoonful in my mouth with a grin.
“That’s my girl.” He kissed my temple and then took another swig of beer.
“I can’t believe I’m eating ice cream at six in the morning,” I whispered, taking another bite.
“Since we’re goin’ back to bed, consider it a midnight snack.”
“Okay.” I set the ice cream on the coffee table and shifted to face Ryder. “I want to know everything.”
“Okay.”
“No, wait. I don’t,” I countered.
“Okay.”
“But I don’t want to be caught unawares again. So tell me.”
“Okay.” Ryder tugged gently on a strand of hair that had escaped my hair band.
“But filter.” I bit my lip. “No, don’t filter because then I won’t know everything.”
“Okay.”
I crossed my legs in front of me and scooped my hair back into my scrunchy. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“Yeah?” He finished his beer and set it on the table beside him.
“Yes.” I nodded and then frowned. “No.”
Ryder took one of my hands and lifted it to his lips. “I’m here, baby.”
“I know.” I scooted closer and linked my fingers with his. “Okay.” I nodded. “Tell me.”
“Hatch and Bennie are on their way to holding cells.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it, baby.”
“No drama?”
“There was drama, but I’m filtering. It’s nothin’ you need to worry about. For the moment, it’s done.”
“Will Hatch go back to prison?”
“I can’t imagine how he wouldn’t, but we’re keepin’ an eye on him.”
“So we’re all safe?”
He ran his knuckles down my cheek. “We’re all safe.”
“And the girls?”
“They’ll stay at the abbey for a while, but they’re safe as well.”
I smiled and let out a sigh of relief. “Can we sleep now, please?”
“Yeah, baby, we can sleep.”
After putting away the ice cream and brushing my teeth again, I climbed into Ryder’s bed, opting to snuggle against his chest instead of spooning (it was a tough choice, believe me), and fell asleep almost immediately. I wasn’t looking forward to only one more day before I was back in the real world, but for the moment, I had nothing to complain about.