“No. Jacob left the room, so I sneaked over here.”
Belinda’s brown eyes widened. “Annalise, go before you get caught. You need to stay safe so you can take care of the children. Please...just go.”
Annalise knew she was right, but she hated to leave the wounded woman without being able to help her in some way. She got up and ran to the closet where most teachers kept a first-aid kit. She found the metal box on the top shelf, pulled it down and then quickly ran back to Belinda’s side.
Tears blurred her vision as she opened it and stared down at the contents. Bandages, antibacterial ointment, adhesive tape...things for small wounds and scrapes. There was absolutely nothing in there that could help a woman who had been shot in the stomach.
“Go, Annalise,” Belinda said. “Go before you get caught.”
Reluctantly she rose and shot back across the hall and slid back into her place against the wall just moments before Jacob walked back in.
Her heart pounded a million beats a minute, making her feel half-nauseous. Had her phone message been received? She’d been so frantic to get the information out she hadn’t given the 911 operator a chance to say anything. Would the message find its way to Evan?
And what about Belinda? She had to do something to get the woman help. “Jacob, I know there’s somebody wounded across the hall. We can hear her moans. Won’t you please let her go so she can get medical treatment?”
“You need to mind your own business,” he replied tersely. “I’m not letting anyone go, and I don’t want you talking to me about it again.”
Annalise sighed in frustration. She sat up a little straighter as two men she hadn’t seen before came into the room. How many of them were there?
The men spoke in low tones, and she couldn’t hear any of the conversation. Were they plotting something? Her blood chilled as one of the men turned and looked at the girls.
Were they planning on using the girls as human shields to escape from here? Worse, were they here to take the girls for some sort of human trafficking?
No, surely not. Unfortunate as it was, there were much easier ways to grab little children off the streets. This was far too big a scheme. They were after something else, but what?
She tried to stop her imagination from running wild with horrible scenarios, but it was difficult not to think of terrible things in the position they were in and considering the man who was in charge.
One of the men left the room while the second man remained. Sadie awakened, and before Annalise could stop her, she jumped to her feet and walked over to Jacob. “Did I say that you could get up?” he half snarled at her.
“No, but I wanted to ask you if you would please get us something else to eat. My belly has been growling and growling because I’m so hungry. And what about Miss Annalise? She needs to eat, too.”
“You’re Sadie, aren’t you?”
“I’m Sadie Louise Brubaker. What’s your name besides Jacob?” she asked, her blue eyes big and wide.
“Jacob Joseph Noble. Now, Sadie, go back and sit and don’t get up again unless I tell you that you can get up. Understand?”
Sadie nodded vigorously and quickly returned to her place. Annalise wrapped her arm around Sadie, shocked by the little girl’s actions.
Jacob turned to the man standing next to him. “Mick, get something for Sadie from the food closet.”
“And the others, too,” Sadie said. “All of us need something to eat, not just me. I’m not going to eat if everyone doesn’t get to eat.”
Jacob looked at her for a long moment. “Okay, Sadie, since we want to keep you happy, then Mick will get everyone something to eat.”
By that time Tanya and Emily had awakened from their naps. The man named Mick left and returned a few minutes later. He had carrot sticks and apples for all of them. It was hardly a real meal, but at least it was something.
Would they all still be in here when the food closet ran out of snacks? How many men were eating those snacks beside these girls? Were Belinda and Amanda getting something to eat?
She’d hated leaving Amanda there instead of bringing her over here with the rest of the girls, but she’d been afraid of Jacob’s wrath if he knew she’d gone to the other classroom.
“Do you have lots of friends here with you, Mr. Jacob?” Sadie asked.
“I got enough, and you talk too much,” Jacob replied.
Annalise pulled Sadie tighter against her side. “You need not to bother Mr. Jacob anymore,” Annalise said to her.
“Maybe if we’re all really nice to him, then he won’t kill us,” Sadie replied. The matter-of-fact way the child said it made Annalise wonder how many times in the past Sadie had thought she’d be killed by the monster mother who beat her regularly.
Annalise hugged her close. “Honey, I think the best way to be nice to Mr. Jacob is if we don’t talk to him unless he talks to us first.”
“You think about what your teacher just told you,” Jacob said gruffly.
“People in the school.” Evan’s deep voice sounded from outside. “We would be glad to work with you all to get the deceased removed from the premises. Just let me know how we can get that done.”
Annalise tensed as Gretchen came into the room. “Hey, baby, you need to arrange for them to get the bodies out of here.”
Jacob frowned. “Yeah, yeah.”
“Be careful in making the arrangements. Those cops out there will kill any of us if they get half a chance.”
“I know they’d like to put a bullet in my head.”
She smiled at him. “We definitely don’t want that. Figure out a plan that gets the dead out and still keeps us all safe.” Gretchen placed a hand on his big shoulder. “Figure it out, baby. Take the trash out for
