The Baby Assignment. Christy Barritt

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СКАЧАТЬ froze beside the heavy wooden desk as silence stretched outside the room where she and Addie were hidden.

      She’d heard the gunfire. The shouts. But she had no idea what was going on out there. She had no way of finding out—unless she opened a door, which she had no desire to do.

      Tanner probably hadn’t realized there were two doors that led into the room, and she hadn’t had the chance to tell him. He’d probably assumed the other doorway was a closet. In reality, it connected this office with the reception area.

      Leaving Addie on the floor, Macy had locked that door and shoved a bookshelf in front of it. Would it be enough? She prayed it was because she was out of options in here.

      A slight noise caught her ear, and she raised her head high enough to peer over the top of the desk.

      Her gaze stopped at the door that was partial blocked by the bookshelf. The door handle jiggled ever-so-slightly.

      Her breath caught.

      That wasn’t Tanner. Or was it? No, he would announce himself.

      She gripped the edge of the desk, hardly able to breathe. Fear rippled up her spine, fear like she’d never felt before. How was she going to protect Addie if these gunmen confronted her? She had nothing to defend herself with. Nothing that would stop them. Macy had no doubt they would kill her if she stood in their way.

      She swallowed hard. She didn’t want it to come to that, but she’d do whatever necessary to protect this child, even if it meant sacrificing herself in the process.

      Who were these men? She assumed they were connected with Addie. It was the only thing that made sense to her. But she supposed they could in some way be tied with the counseling center. An angry client suffering with a psychotic break maybe. It had happened before, though never to this extreme.

      It didn’t matter right now.

      Survival was the only thing that was important.

      She glanced beside her. She’d placed Addie out of sight beneath a heavy wooden desk. The baby lay on the carpet there, oblivious to danger but getting agitated by the minute. Thankfully the child hadn’t screamed amidst the commotion. It made Macy wonder if Addie was accustomed to chaos and unaffected by it. Children had the amazing ability to cope throughout life’s traumas.

      Thank goodness she couldn’t crawl yet. Macy hoped the baby was safer there, out of sight, than in her arms. Macy remained beside her, comforting her. Praying. Warding away worst-case scenarios.

      Her back ached as she hunched over. Her legs cramped from the confined quarters. But those things were the least of her worries.

      This wasn’t ideal. None of it was. But Macy couldn’t stand out in the middle of the room like an open target.

      And she could no longer just stay here defenseless. Certainly there was something in this room she could use as a makeshift weapon. There had to be.

      Before she could lose her courage, she scrambled out from her hiding place. With trembling hands, she opened the door to the supply cabinet behind her.

      She scanned the shelves there. Was there anything she could defend herself with? A stapler? Not ideal. She picked up a bottle of toner, and an idea fluttered through her mind.

      She ducked back under the desk, unscrewed the cap on top, and waited.

      Her stomach clenched tighter and tighter with each second that passed. What was happening on the other side of that door?

      Addie let out a little squeal, and Macy tried to shush her. The sound was so sweet and such a contrast to the dangerous intensity of the moment. Macy wanted to relish the sound, to absorb it and the innocence it emanated. But this wasn’t the time.

      She held her breath, listening, trying to anticipate what would happen next.

      Another round of gunfire exploded outside.

      Tanner...had Tanner been hurt? She didn’t care about the man anymore, but she didn’t him to be injured...or worse.

      She closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing. Tried to use the techniques she taught others who suffered with anxiety. Tried to visualize positive outcomes.

      You can do this, Macy. You’re smart and capable.

      But the mind had always been her battleground, not her office space. Not guns or violence. Her weapons were self-control. Faith. Reprogramming thoughts. Prayer.

      A surge of anxiety rose in her, and she gripped the toner more tightly.

      Shouts sounded outside.

      What was going on? Part of her hated hiding out, while the other part was too terrified to move.

      All of this over a baby? That’s what her mind kept going back to and tried to wrap itself around.

      Every child was important...but what made Addie such a commodity to someone that they’d go to these lengths?

      Or maybe this wasn’t about Addie at all, she reminded herself. It could be related to one of her other cases, one of her clients. There was so much she didn’t know, but she was certain that she had to protect this child.

      “It’s going to be okay, precious,” she whispered. She gently poked the baby’s stomach, and Addie kicked her legs, temporarily distracted from her growing agitation. “We’re going to get things figured out for you. Somehow. Some way.”

      We? She meant Tanner. Tanner would figure this out. Macy would do whatever she could to help, but this was above her skill level.

      Just then, she heard something scraping against the floor.

      The shelf, she realized.

      Someone had gotten the door open and was now shoving the bookshelf out of the way.

      The scraping sound stopped.

      That meant someone was inside the room with her.

      The skin on the back of her neck crawled.

      Macy gripped the toner more tightly. If only she could see what was happening.

      She put a finger over her lips, urging Addie to remain quiet. As if the baby could understand.

      She lowered her head, trying to peek through the crack between the desk and the floor. She saw black combat boots headed her way.

      She sucked in a quick breath.

      It was one of the gunmen.

      Her blood went cold.

      Her heart pounded furiously into her ears as she pushed herself deeper under the desk. No, no, no...

      Please, baby Addie. Stay quiet.

      The baby was getting tired and irritated. It was probably time for her to eat. Or her gums could hurt with incoming teeth. Or her diaper could need to be changed.

      From СКАЧАТЬ