He Called Her “Nothing but a Mistake” in Front of His Mafia Family—Then Learned She Was Carrying His Twins

Charlotte didn't think. Instinct, raw and maternal, took over entirely.

As Silas raised the pistol, Charlotte hurled the heavy iron poker directly at his face.

Silas flinched, raising his arm to block the heavy metal. The poker struck his wrist with a sickening crunch. He screamed, dropping the gun.

“Get her!” Silas roared to his men, clutching his shattered wrist.

Charlotte didn't wait. She spun around, hurling her heavy duffel bag into the face of the first guard, and sprinted for the kitchen window. She threw the latch open, shoving the frozen pane up, and scrambled out onto the icy metal fire escape just as a bullet shattered the glass where her head had been a second before.

The cold air hit her lungs like broken glass.

She practically threw herself down the iron stairs, her boots slipping on the ice-covered grating. Her heavy belly threw her off balance, but sheer terror kept her moving.

“She’s on the fire escape!” a man shouted from above.

Charlotte hit the snowy alleyway behind the bakery. The snow was knee-deep, slowing her down to a desperate, agonizing trudge. She clutched her stomach, praying the violent jolts wouldn't trigger early labor.

She ran toward the thick, heavily wooded area at the edge of the town, knowing the dark trees were her only cover against men with guns.

Behind her, she heard the heavy crunch of boots hitting the snow. They were pursuing her.

“Don't shoot her in the open!” she heard Silas yell from the alley. “Drive her into the woods and finish it there! I want no witnesses!”

Charlotte pushed her burning legs harder, diving into the freezing, dark embrace of the pine trees. The snow was falling faster now, a blinding whiteout that obscured her vision. She hid behind a massive oak trunk, gasping for air, her lungs burning.

She felt a sharp, terrifying cramp ripple across her abdomen.