“… we want to settle down, somewhere in the suburbs…”
Jared, sensing his wife’s intentions, cleared his throat and forced his eyes to widen with encouragement. “Yes, we have realised that this life in the RV is no way to raise a family…” his voice faltered at the ‘word’ family, as it occurred to him that now there would never be a family. Just a few hours ago, the couple’s future was uncertain but so full of hope and promise.
Now, Jared knew that his near future consisted of nothing but his own death.
“And so, we know you will support us in our decision to sell up and move back to the US.”
With a final breath in, adrenaline forced Sienna up out of her seat, and the woman scrambled frantically into the kitchen area.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
Urgently, she dragged open the drawer and picked up the first blade she saw, then spun around and held it out in front of her like a sword; the weight of the metal heavy on her trembling wrists. Before she could think or take in the stunned faces of her captors, she lunged towards the nearest family member, Flo, and yanked hard on the little girl’s hair. Flo screeched in pain as she was dragged up out of her seat, and Sienna clutched the child tightly to her, holding the blade to her neck.
“NONE OF YOU FUCKING MOVE!” Sienna screamed, pressing the point of the knife to Flo’s skin. “I mean it!”
Minnie’s mouth fell open, and horrified silence fell over the group. The only sound that filled the air was the cries of the child, who trembled pathetically in Sienna’s arms. She was so small, so weak, it felt wrong. But Sienna only had to take one look at poor Jared to remember that this was not any ordinary situation. This… kid, locked in her arms, was no ordinary kid. She was a twisted, devious little cow who had tricked them and fed them without a second thought to the wolves.
“All of you get the fuck out of here,” Sienna shouted, her voice wobbling. “The guy as well!” she added, nodding in the direction of the driver’s seat, where Ronnie had disappeared to.
“Ron!” barked Minnie, slowly getting to her feet. Her other three children remained quiet; their cheeks drained of all colour. “Ron, we need to get out.”
Sienna watched carefully as they backed out of the RV. Minnie stood aside and let the three teenagers retreat first, then hovered in the doorway, her eyes fixed tightly on the child that Sienna had trapped in her arms.
“Give her back now,” Minnie said, her strong voice wavering. She held her dainty, mud-streaked hands up as if surrendering. “Give her back now, and we’ll leave you.”
“Where’s the man?” croaked Sienna, her heart pounding so hard that she felt dizzy. “Your husband?”
Minnie cleared her throat nervously. “Ronnie!” she called out again, her eyes unmoving, frozen still on her youngest daughter’s precariously positioned jugular. “Ronnie, get the fuck out here!” she bellowed.
A few moments later, there was a rustling and footsteps as the ruggedly handsome man of the family appeared in the living area of the RV. His piercing eyes widened as he took in the scene, and his feet abruptly came to a halt as they fell upon Sienna and Flo.
“Both of you, out,” whispered Sienna, tightening her clammy grip on the handle of the knife. “Or I’ll slit her throat,” her skin crawled as the words formed a vile taste on the back of her tongue. “GET OUT!” she screamed manically.
Ronnie and Minnie swapped glances. It was a mutually silent gaze, but Sienna sensed a million words passing between them. A wave of sadness came over her at the familiarity of it, the exchange that could only be had between a husband and wife who knew each other so well that they could communicate without even speaking.
“Look,” Ronnie said finally, holding his hands up. “We’re sorry, okay?” he cleared his throat. “Just give us our girl back, and we’ll be on our way.”
“We… we stumbled on hard times,” Minnie added hoarsely, “we’re sorry. We weren’t going to do anything to hurt either of you, not really.”
Sienna laughed humourlessly through her devastated whimpers, “except paralyse my husband?”
“He’s not really paralysed,” answered Minnie, quickly. “It’s a temporary shock. He’ll be right as rain after a good sleep.”
Sienna swallowed and looked from one to the other. She tightened her grip on Flo’s neck. Genuine fear seemed to contort the features of both the man and the woman, and it was as if all traces of the intimidating couple that had attacked her earlier were gone. Suddenly, they were just a pair of sad, despairing parents, resorting to crime as a desperate last resort for the sake of their children.
“Get out,” repeated Sienna gruffly. “I want to see all of you walk at least half a mile away, where I can see you. Then I’ll let her go.”
“Right you are,” Ronnie said under his breath. “Go on, Min,” he said to his wife. “We’ll see you in a second, Flo.”
Chapter Seventeen
Summer, 1999
For Minnie, the next twenty-four hours blended into one. Julie fed her enough sleeping pills to knock her out for hours, and even when she woke up, she decided she was happier when she was unconscious. Because being awake wasn’t just being awake anymore. Being awake was being locked into a tight, confined space with a vicious swarm of her own crippling anxiety and paranoia. It made Minnie wonder how murderers that got away ever lived with themselves. Constantly looking over their shoulder, fearful of being found out with every single breath they took, second-guessing every tiny move that they made.
And so she slept. She woke up, and it was dark, then she woke up, and it was light. When
