When we reach the booth containing balloon animals, Blake helps Natalia pick out a balloon crown and a balloon monkey. The monkey goes straight to her mouth as the sounds of her little teeth and gums squeaking against the rubber fill the air. Blake attempts to pull the defenseless balloon animal from her mouth, but she won’t have it. The war cry she releases is enough to scare off even the hardest of criminals.
“So, I guess we’ll just let her gnaw on it until she pops it,” Blake says matter-of-factly.
“Just watch her so she doesn’t swallow the plastic,” I tell him.
“I think we just need a new distraction,” Blake says as he walks to the next booth containing a ball toss game. It reminds me of the old Bozo game show I watched reruns of when I was younger.
Blake tosses a few bills at the young girls running the game and positions Natalia in front of the buckets. With precision and expertise, he extracts the balloon from her mouth and hands it to me. Then, I watch as they toss three balls into the buckets. Blake helped Natalia make it to the second to last bucket, earning our daughter a new pink teddy bear. Natalia latches onto it before Blake completely lets go, and it’s in her mouth a second later.
“Like a charm,” Blake says with a broad smile as he joins me on the sidewalk. His smile is genuine and open. He appears stress-free, like he doesn’t have a care in the world. It’s as if he’s finally able to enjoy himself. Even though I’ve caught him looking over his shoulder more than once, I can tell that he’s enjoying himself and the time with our daughter.
An hour later, we’ve covered most of the festival. Natalia is sitting back in her stroller again; alternating between chewing on her new teddy bear and the Teddy Graham cookies I carry in her diaper bag. Blake and I walk side-by-side, drinking cups of warm apple cider. A few times his arm brushed against mine. Those little grazes send heat spiraling downward towards my center. My face flushes warm with each touch. Add in the memories of his hands on my body and I’m basically a walking hot flash.
“I’m going to take her inside and change her diaper,” I tell him as we reach an Internet café on the street corner. We’re at the far end of the festival as traffic moves along the busy street next to the building and festival-goers drive their vehicles around trying to find any available parking spot.
“Okay. I’ll hang out here with the stroller,” Blake says as he moves to the side to stay out of the walkway.
After unbuckling Natalia from the stroller, we step inside and find the restroom in the back of the café. I talk animatedly to my daughter as I change her diaper and make sure she’s cleaned up. She doesn’t even seem to mind having her diaper changed as long as she has her new teddy bear to chew on.
I slip out of the bathroom, chatting with Natalia about taking a nap, when a gentleman stops me in the hallway. “Excuse me, do you have the time? I’m supposed to meet someone here, but I think she’s running late,” he says, his smile seemingly tight and forced. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as a wave of recognition starts to set in. I know this guy, but where?
“Umm, sure,” I start to say, adjusting Natalia to my other hip so that I can catch a glimpse at my watch. “It’s almost three o’clock,” I add.
Before I can glance back up, the man wraps his strong hand around my upper arm and pulls me into his side. “Scream and I’ll kill your daughter.”
I have no time to think. No time to react. No time to speak.
It happens so fast I have no time to summon the man I love for help. I’m led very quickly towards a waiting van at the back of the café. All I can think about is protecting Natalia. I don’t know if this man is serious about hurting my daughter, but I can’t risk it. I will never put her in jeopardy or risk her life.
I just hope that Blake can figure out what in the hell is going on here before it’s too late.
Chapter Twenty-Eight – Hell On
Earth
Blake
Something is wrong. I know it instantly. Besides the fact that Carly and Natalia have been inside the café restroom for nearly ten minutes, but I can feel it deep down in my bones. Something bad has happened.
I search the café for any sign of the girls before heading down the hallway towards the restroom. When I reach the doorway for the ladies room, something in the corner catches my eye. A little pink teddy bear. Grabbing the little stuffed animal off the floor, I throw open the bathroom door. A feminine scream from the woman washing her hands fills the room. Even though both stall doors are open, I search the room.