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n472 Cold

n~ SASHA ~

nNathan wasn’t smiling. He wasn’t the cartoon villain who took delight in scaring others. He didn’t seem to feel anything at all. He barely looked human.

nSasha opened her mouth, but Nathan pressed the barrel of the gun harder against her temple. “I’d recommend keeping your mouth shut. You’ve already pissed me off one too many times. I’m still tempted to just kill the three of you and start over.”

n“Don’t,” Nick snapped. “She might be pregnant.”

n“If she is, it’s likely implanted by now, so we’re screwed.”

n“Not if you keep her alive.”

nNathan rolled his eyes again, as if they’d had this conversation several times already and he already knew the answers.

nSasha didn’t move, just watched that gun and held her son as tightly against her body as she dared. Her heart pounded in her ears until she could barely hear the beeping of the equipment in that other room.

n“Sasha, give me the baby,” Nathan said coldly.

n“No.”

n“He’s not your baby. He’s a decoy—”

n“I don’t believe you.”

n“We’re expecting the board to visit tonight and I can’t show them your real son, so I needed to—”

n“Let’s get one thing straight, Nathan: I will do as you say when you have a gun to my head. I will follow instructions. But I will not believe a single word that comes out of your mouth.”

nNathan made a small growling sound and shook his head. “Fine, I’ll show you.”

nThen, faster than she would have thought possible, his free hand shot out, grasped her baby by the skull and yanked him out of her arms, throwing him across the room so he was slammed against the wall behind him. 𝑛𝐎𝑣𝓔𝒍𝗎𝒮𝓑.𝓬𝒐𝓜

nSasha screamed, “NOOOO!” and leaped after him, but even as the little body flew, she registered the unnatural flail of the limbs—as if the joints didn’t bend properly—and when the head hit the wall, there was a tone to the thud, as if something heavy, but plastic had slammed into it.

n“Where is my real baby?” she asked finally.

n“He’s utterly safe and healthy and thriving. I’ve been taking a very personal interest in him.”

nThey were the creepiest words she’d ever heard.

n“I don’t believe you. Show him to me. Show me to him!”

n“You think you’re in a position to give orders here?”

n“No, I think you want me here for some reason, so… if you’re going to target me, at least let me meet my son!”

n“Why would I ever give you anything you want?”

n“Because if I know he’s real, and I know he’s mine, he’s the best power you’ll hold over me in this world.”

nNathan went quiet. She could hear Nick shifting around Zev—what was he doing to him? But she couldn’t see them from this angle, and didn’t trust Nathan not to get trigger happy if she tried to turn.

n“I can respect a logical argument,” Nathan said and she could hear his smile. It made her skin crawl. “Nick, keep an eye on Zev. I’m going to take Sasha into the nursery.”

nSasha kept her hands up as Nathan took hold of her arm and steered her towards that empty doorway into the next room. As they approached, it looked like a smaller version of the first, but without the rows of work surfaces and equipment. There were computer monitors and blinking lights, and a rhythmic beeping.

nBut as they stepped through the wide frame of the door, another area in the room was revealed—a large crib, in white, with yellow and beige blankets and a stuffed, black wolf, there was a lot of equipment behind the crib—which was where the noises were coming from. But as they approached, Sasha’s eyes blurred, because laying inside the crib, swaddled just like the doll had been, was a baby.

nHis skin was light brown, his hair and lashes black. His face was wrinkled and as she watched, he yawned, his little mouth opening so wide it seemed like it might crack his face in half.

nBut then he closed it and his chin…

nIt was Zev’s chin.

nShe didn’t know how she could tell. But she could. He was Zev’s boy.

nThis was her son.

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