Woman on the Edge(31)
She assured the older woman she was fine, though she wasn’t, and pushed the stroller down North Rush Street toward East Oak, her eyes drinking in the professionals in tight pencil skirts and lightweight suits, going to and from meetings, to lunches. The sky darkened to the color of silt, but the air was scented with the smell of fresh-cut grass. It made her want to stay out just a little longer, despite the threat of rain.
She walked and walked until she saw the one person from Breathe she never wanted to run into. She stopped the stroller suddenly, making Quinn cry out in surprise. Please don’t see me. Please go away.
“Nicole, is that you?” a bemused voice asked. Lucinda Nestles was standing in front of her on the sidewalk.
Nicole looked up, shame making her face burn. “Hi, Lucinda. How are you?” She covered her mouth with her hand. Had she even brushed her teeth today?
“You look … Is this your baby?”
Nicole nodded and couldn’t speak.
“Well, she’s gorgeous. Congrats!” She leaned in to kiss Nicole’s cheek, her eyes running up and down Nicole’s stained T-shirt and Breathe pants. “I’m on my way to meet with the board, actually.” Lucinda smiled, but it was icy. “I was very surprised when you said you couldn’t do some work at home. I don’t expect you to be at Breathe full-time during your maternity leave, of course, but you are CEO. There’s been some concern about the forecasted share earnings and then that piece in Page Six . . . I’ve called you quite a few times this week. You are returning to work on the thirty-first, right?”
Before she could ask Lucinda what Page Six piece she was talking about, she felt someone else’s eyes on her. Standing in the small alley between the Barneys and Hermès stores was a redhead in large sunglasses, staring right at her.
Nicole squeaked, tightening her grip on the stroller handles.
“I have to go,” she said.
“Are you all right?” Lucinda touched her arm.
She flinched. “Do you see her?” she asked, and pointed to the redhead. “Is she watching us?”
Lucinda’s eyes widened. “Is who watching us?”
Nicole cocked her head toward the alley, but the woman was gone.
“I’m … I’m sorry,” Lucinda managed. “I don’t see anyone.”
The woman was there a second ago. Nicole was sure of it. But she wasn’t there now. Nicole faked a smile. “Forget it. I haven’t been sleeping much. I’m—I’m a little overtired. You know how it is in the newborn days.” Her smile felt warped.
Lucinda watched her cautiously. “Is there something you need help with? Are you sure you’re okay?”
Nicole didn’t answer Lucinda’s questions. “See you!” she said, too loudly. She swung the stroller around and took off, her unused muscles straining and knotting, her incision burning. She ran down the sidewalk, shoving past startled pedestrians and cars furiously honking horns as she hurtled through a crosswalk.
She turned onto East Bellevue Place, her hands shaking so forcefully she dropped her keys on the pebbled walkway leading to her front steps. The sky cracked with a thunderous boom, and rain poured down on her, soaking her hair and blinding her. On her knees, scrabbling among the stones, she finally got ahold of the keys. With tiny rocks now embedded in her skin, she made it up the steps and moved to unlock the door, tripping over an unseen object as she did.
Sitting on her doorstep was a white box with “Nicole” written on it in pink Sharpie.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN MORGAN
There’s no time to think.
“Move!” I scream, pushing Ben and Quinn onto the driveway before I jump out of the way, inches from the Prius hell-bent on crashing into us.
His backpack goes flying, and my ankle slams on the curb. I land hard on the grass as the car spins around and peels off in a cloud of dust.
I moan from the white-hot pain, my heart boxing my rib cage. I frantically look over to where Ben is standing with Quinn—are they safe? His mouth hangs open, and the baby screams against his chest.
“Are you okay?” I yell from where I’m lying on the lawn.
Ben races over to me, Quinn still shrieking. He presses her against his shoulder and kneels beside me, his face creased in concern and shock. “We’re fine. Are you okay? Can you walk?”
That’s when I feel the pain blasting down my leg. “I banged my ankle, but I’m okay.” The terror of watching the car aim straight for us is sinking in. Hot tears spill out of my eyes. So it’s real. My fears are real. Someone really does want to harm that baby. Or me. Or both of us.
Ben runs a hand over his stubbled face as he stares down the road where the car took off. Then he looks at me. “You pushed us out of the way,” he says, with wonder. “You didn’t even think twice.”
“Of course I pushed you out of the way.”
He looks at me with new eyes. I’m no longer a threat but someone who can help him. I try to stand, but a burst of fire shoots through my ankle. “Did you see the driver? Was it a redhead? A redhead in a Prius followed me on the highway and rear-ended me, on purpose, but I thought I lost her.”
“To be honest, I didn’t see. It happened so fast.” He stands and stares down the road, then at me, his expression inscrutable. Cupping his hand around the back of Quinn’s neck, he heaves a sigh. “Look, this is Nicole’s house, and I need to get some clothes and things for Quinn. I don’t know how long she’s going to be with me.” Ben shifts from foot to foot. “Do you want to come inside, and we can call the police? Also, you can explain what the hell you’re doing here and why someone just tried to kill us.”