29

 

Teresa greeted me with a warm smile when I walked into the shelter. She stood at the front desk arranging flowers. Pink and fuchsia carnations bobbed as she moved them into place. I knew she loved this quiet time of the day when most of the residents were eating lunch.

I was doing something to stop my world from falling apart by finding those files. Besides, what could happen to me in broad daylight, surrounded by witnesses?

“Hey, Ruby, guess what?”

“What?”

“Downey stayed here last night. She ate a big dinner and asked to stay. I found her a bed in the children’s section.”

Genuinely surprised, I smiled appreciatively. “Was she still here in the morning?”

“Yup.”

“That’s wonderful news, Teresa.”

“Well, we owe it all to you, Ruby. Those girls don’t trust anyone else out here. She said she even gave another girl one of your cards to the clinic.”

There was no clinic and the truth was, I wasn’t sure I had it in me to rebuild.

“Oh, we told her she could come here for now,” Teresa said quickly, misreading my expression.

“Oh, that’s good, then.”

I set my medical bag down and wandered into her little kitchen area to get some coffee. The file cabinets in Teresa’s office stood facing me. I bit my lip. Maybe I could just explain what I was looking for instead of sneaking behind her back.

If she was caught helping me she could get into trouble and lose the shelter. No, that wouldn’t be good. I could grab the files, throw them in my medical bag, and go read them at a coffee shop. Lost in thought, a loud noise ripped my attention back.

Outside, I heard tires screech to a stop. The hair on my arms stood on end. I peered out the window and froze. Three young guys flew out of a souped-up car and raced towards the shelter. I turned and yelled at Teresa while running for the front desk.

“Teresa, lock the front door!”

Adrenaline burned as I wrapped my fingers around the deadbolt. A second too late, the door slammed open and sent me flying.

Teresa screamed.

I landed near the coffee table in the make-shift living room. Twisting onto my back, I saw two young men. Tattoos and T-shirts told me they weren’t cops. One of them, the shorter one, pointed his gun at me and snarled.

“You Dr. McKinney?”

I nodded dumbly.

The guy with the gun turned to his partner, a man well over six feet with the muscles of a weightlifter, and nodded. “Grab her, Tiny.”

Tiny reached down and hoisted me over his shoulder like I was a rag doll.

Teresa shouted for them to stop, but they turned their guns on her. She put hands over her mouth, shaking.

The gun was in my medical bag. Why hadn’t I grabbed it?

“Please don’t do this,” I begged through ragged breaths.

“Be still, Doc,” Tiny grunted.

I struggled against his large arms, but Tiny’s shoulder dug into my stomach making it hard to breathe. I craned my neck to see Tiny’s partner. He was gone, in another room.

Teresa’s terrified gaze met mine. Silent tears streamed down her face.

“Take her to the car,” the partner shouted from deeper in the shelter.

I panicked; moms and kids were in the back of the building. What was he going to do with them? Tiny hoisted me further on his shoulder knocking the wind out of me. He bounded down the front steps and the jarring made flashes of light explode behind my eyes. The third guy stood by the car near the open trunk. Heart racing, my mouth went dry.

“No, please don’t!” I screamed, but he looked at me with dead eyes.

Tiny unceremoniously dumped me in the trunk.

Thrusting my arms out, I screamed as they slammed the lid down. Crying, I banged on the metal above. The car sped off, ramming me against the sides. Panic squeezed my lungs and I clenched my eyes shut.

Please don’t leave me here alone, Lord. I don’t want to die.

A singular thought resonated in my head and I clung to it desperately.

Trust me.