The Cradle Conspiracy. Christy Barritt

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       ONE

      Sienna Thompson lay in bed, trying to get to sleep.

      But she couldn’t rest. She hadn’t been able to get any shut-eye for the past two days.

      How could she sleep knowing that something terrible might have happened to her friend Anita? Little two-year-old Colby’s life would never be the same if something happened to his mama.

      So why couldn’t Sienna get in touch with the woman?

      Anita was supposed to pick up Colby on Monday. Today was Wednesday, and Sienna had heard nothing from the boy’s mom. An ominous feeling churned in her gut, and she tried to push away the worst-case scenarios that flooded her mind.

      A car accident? Medical emergency? Had she been the victim of some kind of crime?

      Maybe the answer was simpler. Maybe Anita was just irresponsible. Maybe she’d lost track of time. Or maybe it was just as simple as Sienna misunderstanding her.

      As Sienna turned over in bed, a sound at the other side of the house caught her ear.

      What was that noise? She hoped Colby hadn’t somehow gotten out of his crib.

      Sienna threw her legs out of bed and tugged a sweatshirt on over her T-shirt and yoga pants. With quick—but quiet—steps, she hurried into the hallway and paused, waiting to listen.

      There was the noise again. It almost sounded like a scratch—and a grating one, at that.

      Concern began to rise in her.

      She rushed across the hallway toward her guest room, where Colby had been sleeping soundly only thirty minutes ago when Sienna had put him down.

      She cracked his door open and saw the boy still in the crib, his chest rising and falling peacefully. Pausing for a second, Sienna could hear the sweet, reassuring sound of him breathing.

      Sienna released the air from her lungs. The boy was asleep still. And he was okay.

      So what had that noise been? Just a scratch in the night? Maybe a critter beneath her house? That had happened a couple years ago, and an exterminator had discovered a stray cat in her crawl space.

      Sienna wasn’t normally given to paranoia, but the hair on her arms seemed to rise with each second that ticked past. Her gut told her that was no cat. No, the noise sounded too close. Too loud. Too consistent.

      Swallowing her anxiety, Sienna grabbed the only potential weapon she could find—a rolling pin. It was also known as Colby’s new favorite toy. She’d left it on the hallway table, telling herself she’d put it away in the morning when she wasn’t so exhausted. Being the only caregiver of an active two-year-old was more exhausting than she would have guessed.

      Carefully, Sienna crept down the hallway. Her senses were on hyperdrive as she listened again for some signal to confirm her gut instinct that something was wrong.

      All she heard was silence.

      She tiptoed into her living room and froze.

      The window above an armchair was open, and a cool summer breeze slithered inside. Sienna wouldn’t have left it open. She never slept with the windows cracked—not as a single lady.

      She stepped into the shadow of her hallway where the effervescent moonlight couldn’t reach her and scanned her surroundings.

      Something or someone had opened that window.

      She needed to figure out what or who, and she needed to figure it out quickly.

      Something moved near the wall across the room.

      A figure.

      In her house.

      Creeping toward her.

      Sienna swallowed a scream. She didn’t want to awaken Colby and upset him—even if every instinct in her wanted to panic. No, she had to keep a cool head for Colby’s sake.

      Her limbs trembled as she slunk back down the hallway toward Colby’s room.

      Just as she reached his door, she looked back. The dark figure appeared at the end of the hallway. He wore a black ski mask. But Sienna could still see the reflection of his eyes as his gaze hit her.

      Something about the gleam confirmed that this man was no good. He was dangerous. And he was coming for her.

       Please, God. Help us!

      She sucked in a breath and darted into Colby’s room. Her hands shook as she grabbed the lock. She had to twist the mechanism in place before the man got here. Before he got them. Yet nothing cooperated.

      No, no, no!

      Finally, Sienna’s fingers got the grip they needed, and the lock turned in place.

       Thank You, Lord.

      But Sienna knew the flimsy metal barrier wouldn’t last long. She’d picked locks like these as a child, using only a bobby pin, while pretending she was a spy. The memory didn’t comfort her now.

      Turning, she glanced around, searching for something—anything—that would protect them. There was nothing but a lamp, a dresser, a twin-size bed and a portable crib.

      Her heart raced. Why hadn’t she grabbed her phone?

      Sienna hadn’t thought she would need it. Worst-case scenario, she’d thought she’d have to rock Colby back to sleep. Never had she imagined this.

      The dresser, she realized. She needed to move it in front of the door. It was wooden, solid and heavy and could serve as a blockade.

      Without thinking about it more, Sienna shoved her hip against it. Slowly, the furniture scooted across the wooden floor.

      As she inched it forward, the doorknob rattled. Not just rattled. Rattled furiously. Unrelentingly.

      She sucked in a quick breath of air.

      The man on the other side wanted in. Why couldn’t he just take whatever he wanted and leave? Not that Sienna had much in terms of material possessions. In fact, she hardly had anything. No money. No jewelry. Nothing of true value.

      That was when the truth hit Sienna.

      He must want her. Or Colby.

      Her lungs tightened.

      No, no, no... Neither of those options was acceptable. Especially not Colby.

      The sound СКАЧАТЬ