Are you okay?
Four Months Later
It was a sunny day in Saloosa and I and the baby were making the most of it. I had him in a wrap and as I walked, he happily cooed against me.
I could certainly see why. He was warm and snuggled in against me with a belly full of rich milk and the sun was shining after several days of wind and rain, who wouldn't be happy?
Going by people on the sidewalk, I greeted each of them in turn. All of them wanted to know the latest about the baby and I did my best to humor them, often having to repeat myself over and over, but their interest was genuine and so I responded in kind.
Reaching the jail I was disappointed to find that Caleb was gone. Janet wasn't around either, nor were any of the other deputies.
Going back out onto the street I debated about what to do. I turned to go left when my gaze happened to land on the Diner parking lot just down the street.
It being midafternoon it was an odd sight to see the parking lot of the Diner to be so full of customers. What was more striking than that were the types of the cars filling the parking lot.
They were all very expensive and of a distinctly urban taste. Not at all what you typically saw in a place like Saloosa.
As I gazed with misgiving at the cars I felt my heart slowly freeze over. It had taken them a very long time, but finally they had come for me.
I looked to the left and then to the right as fear threatened to overwhelm my heart. Turning I quickly reentered the jail.
Going to Caleb's office I worked swiftly. Before long I had a baby proof little nest made and sliding Roland out of the rap I laid him down gently on the blankets.
He cooed with delight and reached for me. I kissed his little fingers and leaned down to nuzzle against his little face one more time, deeply breathing in his baby scent.
I dislodged his fingers from my hair then and forcing myself to do what was best for him I got up. His face wrinkled up and he began to cry.
Crying myself, I reached into a desk drawer where I knew Caleb kept an extra handgun. Finding it, I checked to see if it was loaded. It was.
Going to the door, I tried Caleb's cell phone number only to get his voicemail. Again, I tried and still got his voicemail.
I left a message detailing my fears and at the end, I finished with, "Honey... I... if anything happens to me, Roland is by your desk in the jail on the floor. I... I love you!"
Hanging up feeling like a bucket full of tears as my newborn wailed in the background, I opened the door and stepped outside. I needed to get away from the jail if my son was going to have the best chance to survive.
With an expressed cry of alarm, I saw that it was already too late. They were in the street and headed straight for me.
I turned about both ways only to see scouts of theirs coming down the sidewalk in both directions. Everything within me shaking, I whispered, "Oh God, please help me! You cared enough about me to give me the new life that You did and I'm grateful, but please don't let them kill my baby! I'll do anything you ask! I..."
"Anya." The feeling of a voice spoken directly into my spirit brought me to a place of utter stillness.
In a very deep beyond the physical realm way I held still listening for more as the tattooed henchmen that my mother country was prone to manufacturing came step-by-step closer.
"Put the gun in your pocket and stand in belief that I will deliver you."
With resolve I slid the gun into my dress pocket and when I did that I felt strength from somewhere invisible straighten my back and give me courage where I'd had none before.
"Hold your ground and know that I will surely deliver you and your son." Came the voice from within once more and seizing all my hopes and dreams together in one moment I released them to my Creator all at once and the tears disappeared from off my face as if they'd never been there.
The men came within ten feet of me and stopped. There were twelve of them.
"Anya this country air and bright sunshine has done you good, but now we go back."
Staring the speaker fully in the eye I said, "I can't do that Victor. I have a new life here. A family, which is more than I ever knew in Russia. Your brother was a pig and you know he got exactly what he deserved."
Victor shrugged with a gregarious smile, "This is true, but I cannot pick family can I. Yuri was family and... you know our ways Anya. Now do not make scene and I will see to it that things go smoothly for you."
I shook my head no. Victor nodded and several of his men moved forward toward me, all of them smiling.
The audible shucking of a shotgun had the motions of everyone coming to a halt with an almost frozen in time like quality. Slowly the heads of the men before me turned to behold the old veteran that I had worked for two years for at the Diner.
He may have been old, but there was still fire in his eyes and the pressure of the finger that squeezed against the trigger of the express gun still had passion to its touch as if it had found the embrace of a long lost lover.
"Like hell you'll take our Anya away. No Sir, that just ain't gonna happen."
Victor laughed coolly and as one the whole mob drew out their arsenal of guns and took aim at the old man.
"What you do now, old man? Shoot all of us with pop gun?"
"If I only get the chance to take out one of you buckos, be sure it's gonna be you that I gut like a pig before I fall. Anyways, I ain't alone."
