Page 113 of Never Fall Again

Thirty-Two

Landry held Eliza’s hand and angled her body so she stood mostly in front of her.

Ignacio laughed and rolled his eyes. “Surprise! A good surprise, no?”

“No, Ignacio. This isn’t okay.”

Ignacio took her free hand in his and pulled her toward him. “Let me show you what I’ve done. You’ll love it here.”

She wasn’t sure what told her to keep her mouth shut, but something was giving her a strong “just go with it” vibe. She turned to Eliza and widened her eyes. That look usually meant “You’re in big trouble when we get home,” but she hoped Eliza would understand it to mean “This guy’s a lunatic, and we’re going to try to keep him from snapping until we can get out of here.”

It was probably more than she could reasonably hope to convey in one look, but whatever Eliza thought she meant didn’t matter. What mattered was that Eliza stayed quiet.

“Ignacio, help me understand. I thought you were in Eastern Europe. Now you’re here?”

He winked. “That was all part of the plan to free you, my darling.” His eyes softened, and for one horrifying moment Landry thought he was going to kiss her. “I think I played my role toowell. I never let on, and you didn’t know what I had planned. I understand that you’re confused. Don’t worry. You’ll see. We’re going to have a beautiful life together. Come. Let me show you the house.”

She followed him as he showed them Eliza’s room. It smelled of fresh paint. “I had gone with pink, but then I heard you wanted purple.” He grinned at Eliza. “You made me work hard, but it was worth it. You’re going to love your room.”

Eliza’s eyes were wet, but she mumbled, “Thank you.” Then she hid behind Landry’s body.

Ignacio squeezed Landry’s hand and leaned closer to her. “She’s confused. I understand. We’ll give her time. Once she figures out how happy we are, she’ll settle.”

Landry had to try to get through to him. “Ignacio—”

He put a finger to her lips. “Come, my love. Let me show you our room.”

Landry’s blood iced over, and she managed to gasp out, “Ourroom?”

“You’ll love it.” He opened a door at the end of the hall. The room was gorgeous. Pale gray walls, soft peach and turquoise bedding and accents, a sitting area with a loveseat, a cozy chair, and a TV, and a bed larger than any she’d ever seen.

He patted the bed. “Only the finest, my darling. I special ordered this behemoth. This is an Alaskan king.” He winked at her again, and this time there was an unmistakable predatory glint in his eyes.

The tour continued for several minutes. There was a guest room “for when we have company.” A theater room, complete with popcorn maker, “to watch all the movies we want.” And a nursery. “For our baby.”

Landry had never been much of an actor, and her ability to hide her terror under a veneer of fake interest was waning. She’d knownIgnacio was unstable. She’d expected him to die doing something stupid. She’d never anticipated that when his mind broke, it would devolve into this particular form of madness.

When he’d shown her every room in the house, they wound up back in the kitchen, and Ignacio opened the fridge. It was stocked with fresh fruit, veggies, milk, eggs, yogurt, and assorted condiments. He scratched his face. “I need to grab a shower. That mask is rough on my skin.” He waved to the kitchen. “Why don’t you whip us up some dinner? We’ll have our first meal as a real family tonight before we tuck Eliza into bed.”

Seriously? He was going to leave them alone in the kitchen? This was her chance. She’d made a note of the bowl in the entryway that held his keys. She had no idea where this house was located, but if she could get to the truck, they could get to the road. Then they’d find someone with a phone.

He walked toward the master bedroom. “And oh, don’t worry about anything, Landry, darling. You’re completely safe here. I have sensors on all the doors and windows. My phone will alert if anything is opened. And I have cameras and surveillance set up all along the driveway. No one can get in or out without me knowing.”

Her hopes crashed around her. If it were just her, even in her physically weakened state, she’d have made a run for it. But she couldn’t run with Eliza. So far, Ignacio had given no indication that he planned to harm Eliza. But as erratic as his mental state was, that could change in a heartbeat.

As soon as the door closed behind Ignacio, she turned to Eliza. “Did you see Cal at all?”

Eliza’s lips trembled. “No, Mommy. Is Cal okay?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart. We’re going to pray that he is.” Ignacio said he’d taken care of Cal. But what did that mean? She couldn’t let herself imagine a scenario where he wasn’t fine.

“We should pray for God to show us how to get away from Ignacio. God will help us.” Eliza spoke with all the faith and confidence of a five-year-old. Landry didn’t think she would ever have truly childlike faith again. She knew God didn’t always choose to help. He didn’t always fix things, at least not the way Landry wanted them fixed. But he could help. She knew that. He might not, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

“Okay, baby. Let’s pray.”

Eliza grinned. “I’ll go first.” She folded her hands and bowed her head. “Jesus, there’s something wrong with Mr. Ignacio, and we need to go home and find someone to get him some help. Please help Mommy know how to get us out of here. And help Mr. Cal to be okay. In Jesus’s name, Amen.”

Landry ran a hand over Eliza’s hair. “I don’t think there’s anything I can add to that, sweetheart.” In her mind, she pleaded,God, please. I don’t deserve it. I know I don’t. But forEliza. Please help us.

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