Chapter 1 - The Voice That Wanted the BabyEmily Whitmore had never understood how loud fear could become until the wind stole her scream.
“PUT ME DOWN!”
The helicopter thundered above the mountains of Southern California, its rotors beating the evening air while Emily hung below it inside a professional rescue harness.
Eight and a half months pregnant.
Hundreds of feet above empty wilderness.
Her long brown hair whipped across her face.
Every muscle in her body screamed from fear.
She gripped the harness straps with both hands.
“Margaret!”
No answer.
“PUT ME DOWN!”
Inside the helicopter cabin, Margaret Whitmore sat comfortably beside the open viewing window.
Sixty-two.
Silver-blonde hair still perfectly styled.
Cream designer coat.
Diamond earrings.
A glass of red wine in one hand.
Margaret leaned toward the window and looked down.
Emily could see her smiling.
“Now you’re frightened?” Margaret called.
Emily stared up at her mother-in-law in disbelief.
“I’M PREGNANT!”
Margaret raised the glass.
“That’s exactly why I knew you’d behave.”
Emily’s breath came too quickly.
The harness was designed for professional rescues.
She knew that.
The pilot had assured Margaret it could safely support her.
But nothing about hanging beneath a moving helicopter while carrying a nearly full-term child felt safe.
Emily squeezed her eyes shut.
“Please.”
Margaret heard her.
She simply didn’t care.
“Remember one thing,” Margaret shouted.
Emily looked up.
Margaret lifted her wine glass toward her like a toast.
“Never think you can use that baby against me.”
Emily’s fear briefly became rage.
“You’re insane!”
Margaret smiled.
“No.”
She leaned closer.
“I’m teaching you who makes the decisions in this family.”
The words barely left her mouth before Emily felt something change.
A sudden pressure deep inside her abdomen.
Then warmth.
She looked down.
Fluid ran along her legs.
For half a second, Emily’s brain refused to understand.
Then she knew.
“No.”
Her hands instinctively moved toward her stomach.
“No, no…”
A second contraction tightened across her belly.
Much harder.
Emily screamed.
“MY WATER BROKE!”
Margaret was lifting the wine glass toward her mouth.
She froze.
“What?”
Emily gasped.
“The baby!”
Margaret’s smile disappeared.
“THE BABY’S COMING!”
The wine glass slammed against the cabin table.
Margaret stood so fast the red wine spilled across the leather seat.
“Get her up!”
The pilot, Jack Lawson, glanced back.
“We need somewhere to set down.”
“LAND!”
Margaret rushed toward the cockpit.
“NOW!”
Jack looked at the mountains below.
Steep terrain.
Trees.
Rocks.
No prepared landing zone.
“I can’t put us down here.”
Margaret’s face went white.
“What do you mean you can’t?”
“There’s nowhere safe.”
“Find somewhere!”
“I’m looking.”
Margaret grabbed the back of his seat.
“We were only supposed to scare her!”
Jack looked at her through the reflection in the windshield.
His expression changed.
“What?”
“Nothing can happen to that baby!”
Another contraction hit Emily below.
She screamed.
Jack reached for the radio.
“I’m calling an emergency.”
Margaret’s phone vibrated.
She almost ignored it.
Then she looked down.
UNKNOWN CALLER.
The phone vibrated again.
Margaret answered.
“What?”
A man’s voice spoke.
Low.
Calm.
“Do not put her down.”
Margaret stopped breathing.
“Who is this?”
“I didn’t pay you just to frighten her.”
Margaret’s eyes moved toward the window.
Emily hung beneath them, clutching her stomach.
“What do you want?”
A pause.
“The baby.”
Margaret’s face collapsed.
“What?”
“The mother is irrelevant.”
Margaret looked at Jack.
He was focused on the terrain and didn’t seem to hear.
The man continued.
“Keep flying.”
Margaret lowered her voice.
“You told me this was about frightening her into leaving Daniel.”
“That was what you needed to believe.”
Margaret’s eyes widened.
“You lied to me.”
The man laughed softly.
“You locked a pregnant woman beneath a helicopter for money, Margaret.”
Her grip tightened around the phone.
“Don’t suddenly pretend you’re the moral one.”
Emily screamed again.
Margaret flinched.
“What are you planning?”
“You’ll know soon.”
“Who are you?”
“You already know me.”
The call ended.
Margaret stared at the screen.
Jack glanced over his shoulder.
“Who was that?”
“No one.”
Jack didn’t believe her.
Below them, Emily shouted.
“Margaret!”
Margaret rushed to the window.
Emily was crying now.
Not from fear.
From pain.
“Something’s wrong!”
Margaret’s cruelty disappeared.
“Jack!”
“I found a possible emergency site.”
“How long?”
“Eight minutes.”
“We don’t have eight minutes!”
“That’s the best I can do.”
Margaret looked down again.
Emily clutched her stomach.
Then she screamed something Margaret barely heard through the wind.
“What?”
Emily shouted again.
Margaret’s blood turned cold.
“I said someone was waiting for us!”
Margaret stared.
Emily pointed toward the ground.
Far below, on an isolated dirt road, two black SUVs were moving through the wilderness.
Not toward the direction the helicopter had originally planned to land.
Toward the only clearing large enough for an emergency descent.
Margaret slowly looked at Jack.
“Did you tell anyone where we were going?”
“No.”
“Anyone?”
“No.”
The SUVs continued toward the clearing.
Margaret’s phone vibrated again.
A message.
NO HOSPITAL.
NO POLICE.
BRING ME THE CHILD.
Margaret read it twice.
Then looked at Emily.
For the first time since this nightmare began, Margaret understood something.
The helicopter stunt had never been the plan.
May you like
It had only been the delivery method.
And she had personally put her unborn grandchild into the hands of whoever was waiting below.
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