“I’ll find something,” Ophelia assured her, slowing next to the curb. “Out you go. Say hi to Robert for me.”
“Okay. Call me when you’re almost finished, and I’ll meet you somewhere. You have my number, right?” Bella leapt out.
“I’ve got it.” She stuck a hand out the window, waving for the driver behind her to go around, but he would rather beep his horn than change lanes. Bella shut the passenger door, and Ophelia swung back into her lane, punching the accelerator.
As Bella watched her sister-in-law veer into the nearest parking lot, a belated sense of uncertainty pricked her. The driver who’d beeped his horn so rudely still followed right on Ophelia’s bumper. Black Friday sales in Center City would make it hard to find parking. Lia, who had an abysmal sense of direction, could probably use her help finding the other lot. All the same, she dialed Robert’s number and held her phone up to her ear.
“Hey, Bella.” His beloved voice distracted her from her private concerns.
“Hey, guess what? I have a couple of free hours,” she admitted, grinning at the prospect of spending time together. “Can you meet me at Starbucks in Center City?”
“Sure,” he said. “Bet I can make it there in under twenty minutes.”
“I’ll time you.” With a light step, Bella turned and waltzed into the café looking forward to his arrival.
Lia couldn’t find a parking spot to save her life.
The same aggressive driver dogged her every move as she circled the lot on Market Street. After three unsuccessful tours of the full lot, she gave up and left in search of the Wannamaker lot. It was right where Bella had described it. At the back of that lot, still tailed by the other car, she spied a tiny space that had gone overlooked due to the oversized SUV’s on either side hemming it in. Careful not to clip her mirrors, she swung her Kia Soul into the aperture, claiming it before the other driver could wrest it away.
“Hah,” she exclaimed, turning off her engine. A glance in her rearview showed no sign of the other driver. “I win.” Snatching her purse off the floor, she verified that her phone was turned on, her ringer set on high, and then she pushed out of her car intent on some serious shopping. A thumb swipe on the exterior handle locked her car up tight. She turned toward the exit for the short hike to Macy’s.
She hadn’t taken three steps when she collided with a swarthy, barrel-chested man rounding the SUV parked to her left. “Oops. Sorry.” Oh, God, it was the angry driver who’d been tailing her. He was probably going to chew her out for stealing the space.
To her astonishment, he threw his burly arms around her, whipped her back to front against his barrel chest, and jabbed something sharp into her upper arm, straight through the material of her lightweight coat.
Ophelia gasped in horror. The burning pinch of a needle made her realize she’d been injected. Sure enough, she looked down and saw a syringe in the man’s hand. Seizing her purse from her limp grasp, he began dragging her back toward her car, her heels scraping over the concrete.
I’m being abducted! The realization preceded a humming in her ears. Darkness hovered at the fringes of her field of sight. She fought its encroachment, keeping her eyes wide open. Removing his hand from her mouth, the stranger unlocked her vehicle using the remote key in her purse to give him access.
Scream! Ophelia commanded herself, but her head lolled, suddenly too heavy to hold up, and a mere whimper vibrated her voice box.
With a dark snow falling before her eyes, she felt herself being lowered across the rear seat of her car. The man grunted, sliding her up until he could shove her feet inside the car and shut the door. Ophelia lay on her side, one foot on the seat, the other on the floor. Stay awake! she ordered herself.
The part of her brain still capable of functioning came to a bone-chilling conclusion. This wasn’t some random abduction. This had to do with her interview with Rawlings yesterday—she just knew it.
He’s going to kill me!
The startling insight preceded utter darkness. Vinny! Her heart cried out in remorse. She ought to have told him the truth—not just the truth about her interview with Rawlings but also the truth about their baby. Now, he would never guess what had become of her, unless Bella told him. Oh, Bella, please tell Vinny. Tell him everything!
Chapter Four
‡
Bella consulted her android, only to frown at the empty display. It was 12:15 P.M., and Ophelia had yet to call her. They’d promised Vinny that they’d be home by noon. At this rate, they would arrive home late, giving Vinny cause to worry for no reason.