“And you… my dear girl… you and that burden you carry will soon join him.”
As if we had given them a signal, four burly men emerged from behind the trees surrounding us. Their faces were hard, their bodies twisted with violence.
Charles shoved me behind him, assuming a defensive stance.
“What do you want?” he shouted.
Dr. Ramirez didn’t answer. He just tilted his head.
The men rushed at me.
Charles fought fiercely—he knocked one down—but four against one wasn’t a fight, it was a beating. One of the men struck Charles hard on the back of the head with a club.
Charles collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
“Charles!” I screamed, trying to run to him, but two other men held me, their iron hands crushing my arms.
I fought—I clawed, I struggled—seized by panic. But what strength does a pregnant woman have against men built like walls?
Dr. Ramírez approached slowly. He took a syringe from his pocket, filled with a yellowish liquid.
"Relax," he whispered in a cloying tone. "It won't hurt. Just a moment... and your worries will be over."
The needle moved toward me.
Panic filled my lungs.
No.
I can't die.
My child...
I have to protect my child.
I gathered all my strength and bit down hard on the arm of the man holding me. He howled and let go for a split second.
I broke free and ran.
I ran toward the main chapel, screaming until my throat burned.
Help! Help! Murderers!
But…
“A strange message,” I whispered, my heart pounding. “Who sent it?”
Alex frowned, searching his damaged memory.
“I don’t know,” he said. “An unsaved number. But… before I left, I gave my alternate phone number to someone. Someone I trusted. Someone who could help you if something happened. I told them that if they couldn’t reach me, they should contact the police.”
I froze.
Who was that person?
The person who contacted Alex was probably the same one who contacted the police to save me at St. Jude.
Someone had been helping us from the shadows.
Alex’s fear resurfaced as he remembered the accident. The nurses helped calm him down. A sedative finally put him to sleep.
As soon as he was asleep, I called Detective Morales. He was stunned, but relieved.
