SAFEHOUSE

But then I actually heard him from somewhere, calling out for me. At first I thought it wasn’t real, that it was all in my head. But then Gervaise whipped his head back and looked at me, clearly hearing it as well.

I lurched forward towards him, ready to push him out of the way and look above this hellish hiding hole, to see if I could see Julien. Gervaise pushed me back, clearly not letting me go that easily.

“Amira! Please baby, where are you?”

Gervaise gave me the most solemn look ever, practically begging me not to call out back to him. Tears welled up in my eyes as I clawed at him, trying to move him out of my way so that I could reach Julien somehow. I had to see him, had to know that he was okay.

What if they found him before he did? There was no way he was just standing out there armed and ready for these bastards that had come after me. And why was he here? What had happened to make them come home?

Gervaise slowly shook his head at me again, as if he could hear all of my thoughts in my head.

He climbed back down the step, pulled me in for a hug, patting me awkwardly on the head before climbing up the steps again, very quietly. He looked down at me one last time. “I find him. You stay.”

And with that Gervaise creaked open the cellar door, looking through the slant of light that was flooding in, before peeking his head out above ground. After what felt like forever, he finally stood up through the hole, letting the door go very quietly back into place.

I shivered to myself, trying to keep it together as I realized I was all alone once more. The thoughts that ran through my head scared the shit out of me, and I moaned to myself, trying to think of my baby. I couldn’t go out there, couldn’t risk it. If I got hurt he was hurt, and I wasn’t sure I could take that risk. Gervaise would find Julien. I just knew he would… At least I hoped he would.

A set of new footsteps came running toward my hiding space, and I climbed behind the furthest set of wine racks that I could, crouching down low so that no one would see me in the dark corner. I didn’t know if anyone had seen Gervaise pop up out of the hole, and I didn’t know whether whoever was trying to now open the door was a friend or foe.

The tiny bit of light that backlit the man’s shadow that came in down into the cellar flooded in, making me hunch even more into the corner. I clutched the knife in my hand, ready to strike out if the person got too close to me.

Another man’s figure stood in the doorway, climbing down the ladder carefully. The first man stepped into a patch of light, catching my eye when I saw the way his light brown hair curled slightly around his ears.

It was Julien.

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Chapter 38

I blinked my eyes, wiping at them for good measure. He was really there, it wasn’t just my imagination… And Gervaise followed him into the wine cellar. I couldn’t bring myself to stand up on my own, so I was much relieved when Julien finally found me, pulling me into the tightest hug ever.

“Oh my God, oh my God. Thank God you’re okay,” he said, his breath warm against my neck. “I had no idea… I didn’t know where you were. Jesus Christ, I can’t believe this.”

I cried out for him, desperately grabbing on to his neck as he pulled me up to a stand. “So glad you’re here,” I sobbed, relieved but still shaking.

Julien pulled something out of his long coat pocket, and I heard a click, startling me. I looked down and he was holding out a small handgun. I backed away quickly, not wanting to be anywhere near the damn thing.

He held out his hand to try and call me down. “Amira, you can’t be afraid. I need you to take this and to protect you and the baby. I have to go back out there. I have to make sure everyone else is okay.”

I vehemently shook my head no. “No. You can’t leave me. You just got here.”

He reached out with his free hand and stroked my jawline softly. “I know. But these people are my responsibility and I need to make sure everyone is ok. I’ve already alerted the authorities. I need you to stay here. Gervaise is coming with me again. We need to find Marie.”

I looked over at Gervaise who was standing there solemnly looking away from us. I wondered if Julien knew about Alain.

He carefully placed the gun in my hands, the weight of it making me feel like it was dragging me down. It was so heavy compared to what I thought it would feel like, and holding the very thing that scared the hell out of me… I felt like I was going to lose it at any moment.

“Please don’t leave me,” was all I could say, before the sobs wracked my body again, Julien pulling me close against him for one final squeeze.

“I love you, ma

chérie.” I could hear the wavering his voice. He didn’t want to leave me anymore than I wanted him to leave. But that’s just the man he was.

He wrenched himself for me, wiping his eyes before taking back off with Gervaise. I was alone again.

I didn’t want to contemplate what would happen if Julien and Gervaise ran into the two men that had managed to sneak their way into my home, but it was all I could end up thinking about. After Alain’s death, I knew it would be only too easy for the men to harm anyone else. If it weren’t for the baby I might’ve already given myself up at this point, just to make sure everybody else was safe. But I had to think about our son. I crouched back down into the same corner as before, working on keeping my mind clear and focused.

Julien wouldn’t want me panicking down here with no one to help me out, so I tried to pull my act together. If someone was coming for me, then there would be hell to pay.