I wasn’t sure how that could possibly work since I’d already made a witness statement to the police, and that was what my testimony was supposed to be about. But I couldn’t risk my life or my daughter’s. I’d do whatever it took to keep Alexis safe.
Both men stared at me with suspicious, narrowed eyes, and I knew I had to get away from them immediately. Fear wrapped around my lungs, making it hard to draw a full breath.
“Please…” I said, “Just let me go. I’ll do what you say.”
“You’d better,” the man with the knife said. He released my arm, pushing me into my car. My hip collided with metal, and I hissed in pain. “We’ll be watching you, and if you don’t follow through, we’ll take your daughter.”
“And don’t even think about going to the police,” the other man said, his eyes cold. “We know your mom watches her during the day. We know she takes her to Riverside Park every morning around ten. We know which bench she likes.” He leaned closer. “All it takes is one second when she’s not looking.” “Oh God, please don’t,” I begged, tears springing to my eyes.
They didn’t look moved. Instead, they both chuckled as they got back into the van. I scrambled into my car, locking the doors with shaking hands as I watched the van pull out of the parking space and leave the lot.
They left terror behind,
They left terror behind. My heart wouldn’t slow as their words replayed in my head—the jacket, the park, my mother—each detail proof that this wasn’t an empty threat.
Finally, when I couldn’t hold it in any longer, I covered my face with my hands and burst into tears.