I hated their plan. Hated it. It was stupid and reckless, and I was convinced it would get one or both of them killed. That would leave me to protect Abby and I wasn’t so sure I was up for the job. I wasn’t ready to be an instant mommy by default. I assumed I’d be the one to take care of Abby. Maybe her mother had family.

I groaned, shaking my head. I was worrying about something that hadn’t happened.

“You okay?” Rose asked, from her seat beside me on the couch.

Colton and Kevin had gone out to run an errand. I had a feeling that errand involved buying guns or retrieving guns he had stashed around his house. That was another discussion we were going to have, assuming we all made it through this thing alive.

“Ya, my thoughts are running in a million different directions.”

She scoffed. “You and me both. If I call in sick another day, I’m going to be out of a job.”

“I’m sorry. This is so unfair to you.”

My hand stroked through Abby’s hair as she sat between us. She had to be going a little stir-crazy sitting in this rather cramped hotel room for nearly two days. I knew I was.

Rose shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t think it’s fair to any of us. It just is what it is.”

I nodded, not quite as accepting of the situation, but knew it was probably a good attitude to take. We couldn’t change it. We were at the mercy of Colton, Kevin and Frank. They were the ones in charge of our fate, which was one of the hardest things to swallow about all of this. I hated having no control.

“Thanks for hanging with me.”

She laughed. “I don’t know that I had a choice, but I would have done it anyway. You’re my best friend, my sister from another mister. I’m here, thick or thin. I got you,” she said, winking at her over-the-top cheesiness.

The signature knock on the door alerted us to Colton and Kevin’s return. I jumped up, checked out the window first and then opened the door. I was overly cautious, but I had to be.

“Is it over?” I asked, hopefully.

Colton shook his head. “We’re going to wait until nightfall.”

Dread, thick and heavy, filled my stomach. I wanted everything to go back to normal. I wanted to go back to my shitty job at the diner. I looked up, meeting Colton’s eyes and had the sudden realization I didn’t want everything to go back to normal.

“What happens if you don’t come back?” I whispered.

“We’ll be back,” he said, then went to sit by Abby, making it impossible for me to push the issue.

Later, as Kevin and Colton were clearly preparing to leave, I asked again.

“Seriously, what if you don’t come back?” My voice was harsh as I cornered him in the far corner of the room, my back to everyone else. It was impossible to have any real privacy. I could hear Kevin and Rose talking too loud. They were trying to be loud enough to drown out our conversation.

He took a deep breath before reaching out to take my hand. “Then you and Rose take Abby and get the hell out of town.”

I shook my head, tears filling my eyes. “What about her grandparents?”

“She doesn’t have any. I’m it. If I’m gone and Kevin doesn’t make it back, I would appreciate it if you got her out of here. I know it’s a lot to ask, but please make sure she’s safe.”

I hated this conversation and didn’t want to have it. I was profoundly sorry I’d pushed the issue.

“I don’t want to talk about this,” I said, shaking my head.

“I understand. I’m leaving you some cash to order takeout. If we’re not back by tomorrow morning—”

I shook my head and held up a hand. “Don’t say it.”

He nodded, pulling some cash out of his wallet and handing it to me. I took it and put it on the table, exchanging a look with Rose. I gave her a weak smile, letting her know I was okay.

“You know the drill,” Colton said to me from across the room.

I nodded my head watching as he dropped to his knees and motioned for Abby to come to him. She immediately walked into his arms. I watched him embrace his daughter as if it would be the last time he would get the chance. I felt a lump in my throat and had to turn around to avoid breaking out into an all-out crying fit.

“Be a good girl and listen to Jenna. If she says you need to leave, you go with her. I’ll find you.”

“Where are you going, Daddy?”

He cleared his throat. “Me and Uncle Kevin have to go do some stuff. We’ll be back soon.”

Colton stood, looked at me and then Rose before heading for the door.

“Be careful,” I muttered as he walked out.

Kevin waved as he followed Colton out the door. I stood there staring at the closed door for several seconds, wondering if that would be the last time I ever saw him.

“Throw the lock,” Rose whispered.

I nodded and did as she said, then took a deep breath and turned to face Rose and Abby, doing my best to look normal.

I clapped my hands together. “So, what are we going to order for dinner?” I said, trying my best to sound cheery.

Rose picked up the various brochures that had been left in the room. We were on the edge of town and had slim pickings.

Abby looked at Rose. “Pizza?” she asked.

Rose smiled. “I love pizza. Good choice. Jenna?”

“I could go for some pizza. I’ll make the call. I’ll get some soda and breadsticks as well.”

I ordered a couple of pizzas in case Kevin and Colton were back early and wanted dinner. I had to think positive. With the pizza ordered, there was nothing else to do. I looked over at Abby, she was sitting on the couch, her feet dangling as she kicked back and forth. She was bored. The pizza wouldn’t be delivered for at least thirty minutes. We had watched cartoons all day and I knew Abby was burned out. I looked at Rose for help.

“Hey! I think we should have a makeover party!” Rose exclaimed.

“What’s a makeover party?” Abby asked.

I remembered then that Rose had brought her very well-stocked makeup bag that rivaled that of a professional stylist.

“It’s a slumber party where we paint our nails and put on lots of makeup and—” I was at a loss as to what to do next.

“Dance! We dance!” Rose jumped in.

Abby jumped off the couch, her eyes bright as she clapped her hands. I turned the TV to one of the music stations and turned it up.

“Let’s dance! We need to get our wiggles out.”

Rose jumped up and raised her arms in the air, waving them while wiggling her fingers and bouncing around. Abby quickly imitated her. I joined in on the fun. It felt good to get our heart rates up while we danced around the room.

Before long, we flopped down on the couch, worn out by our exertions. There was a knock on the door, which sent a shiver of fear racing through my body.

“Pizza!” a woman’s voice rang out.

“I’ll check,” I whispered.

I rose from the couch and peeked through the curtains to find what appeared to be a woman carrying a pizza delivery bag. I grabbed the cash from the table, paid for the pizza and quickly locked the door.

“Let’s eat!” I announced.

“What about our nails?” Abby asked.

“We eat first and then do our nails,” Rose explained.

After finishing off almost an entire pizza ourselves, we were too full to move. The dancing part of our party was over. I would blow up if I tried to bounce now.

“Alright, let’s pick out our nail colors!” I said, after we washed our hands and cleaned up after our feeding frenzy.

Rose grabbed her bag, unzipped it and revealed the contents to Abby. The little girl’s eyes bulged.

“Wow,” she gasped.

Rose was beaming as she unzipped the see-through plastic and revealed even more cosmetics. “I like to experiment with lots of colors.”

“That’s a lot of nail polish,” Abby said with awe in her voice.

“What color do you like the best?” I asked her.

She seemed overwhelmed by the many choices.

Rose pulled out a light shade of pink. “How about this one? It’s one of my favorites.”

Abby grinned. “Okay. It’s my favorite too.”

I picked a dark blue color and Rose, who already had another pale pink on decided to skip the nail portion of the night.

“Why don’t we find a movie to put on?” I suggested.

We spent the evening painting nails, dancing and watching a movie. Just having a good time. At least, I was faking it pretty well. I couldn’t stop worrying about Colton. Questions filling my mind. What was happening? Was he okay? Was he dead? Was he being tortured?

I covered my mouth when another yawn escaped.

“We better get you in bed little lady,” I said to Abby, who looked like she was exhausted.

“I’m not tired,” she argued.

I laughed. “I’ll make the bed and you can watch TV.”

“Okay.”

She would be passing out before long, no doubt.

Rose stood and stretched. “I think I’m going to lay in bed and watch TV too.”

I wanted to wait until they got back. I didn’t think I could sleep without knowing Colton was safe. I got Abby tucked into bed and laid down next to her to watch Moana. She was asleep in no time. I carefully removed my arm from around her and climbed out of the bed.

“She’s out,” I whispered.

When Rose didn’t reply, I turned to look at her and found that she was asleep as well.

“Alright then,” I mumbled. “Way to be a party animal.”

I was left alone to worry and stress over what was happening back in Beatrice. Colton wasn’t perfect. He had baggage. I didn’t care. I had fallen for him and all of his flaws. I had run out on him and he still rescued me. We still hadn’t talked about that situation. I didn’t think there was much to say. He had lost his cool and I had overreacted. If we never talked about it, I would be okay with it.

He had to come back though. He had to be okay. I began to pace the room, though it was a little difficult to get a good pace in with the hide-a-bed stretched out into the room. I glanced at the clock. It was almost midnight. They’d been gone for hours with no word. I didn’t dare call him and risk revealing his presence.

I changed into a pair of shorts Rose had lent me and climbed in bed next to her, leaning against the headboard. I flipped through the channels, finding nothing of interest. I finally settled on some old reruns of Friends.

Midnight.

“Come on, Colton. Call me. You have to be okay,” I whispered into the room.

I could feel my eyes drifting closed. I fought against the sleep that threatened to pull me under. I didn’t want to sleep. I lost my fight and slid down, resting my head on the pillow, silently praying Colton would be doing the special knock any minute.