When I burst through the heavy glass doors of the lobby into the bright morning air, the contrast was blinding. The city was moving at its usual, indifferent pace. A mail carrier was pushing a cart; a woman was walking two poodles; the bell above the coffee shop door chimed cheerfully. They had no idea that a subterranean nightmare was unfolding right beneath their feet.
I sprinted toward the preschool, my eyes scanning every parked car. A block away, I pulled out my phone and dialed the school’s front desk.
“Pinnacle Preschool, this is Clara.”
“Clara! This is Claire Marquez, Leo’s mom!” I gasped, trying to maintain enough breath to speak legibly. “The woman who came for Leo—is she still there? Do not let her leave with him!”
“Oh, Mrs. Marquez, I’m so sorry, they just left about two minutes ago. The woman showed a notarized temporary custody form signed by you and your husband. She said there was a family emergency—”
“Call the police!” I screamed into the phone, abandoning all pretense of civility. “She kidnapped him! Call them now! Tell them a black sedan!”
I hung up and rounded the corner onto the avenue. There, parked illegally in the loading zone behind the bakery, was a sleek, black sedan with tinted windows. The engine was idling, a thin plume of exhaust rising into the cool air.
Through the rear windshield, I caught a glimpse of something small and bright green.
Leo’s toy dinosaur.
Panic morphed into an icy, calculated rage. I didn’t think about the consequences. I didn’t think about whether the driver was armed. I only thought about the four-year-old boy who thought his father was playing a game in a hole.
I lunged toward the car, grabbing the handle of the rear passenger door. It was locked. I threw my weight against the glass, banging my fists against it.
“Leo! Leo, open the door!”
Inside, I saw my son turn around. His eyes wide with confusion, the colorful cereal box spilling onto his lap. Next to him sat a woman with sharp, bleached-blonde hair—not Elena, but an accomplice. The driver, a broad-shouldered man in a leather jacket, swore loudly, his face visible in the side mirror.
“Mommy!” I could hear Leo’s muffled cry through the thick glass.
The driver slammed the car into drive. The tires screeched against the asphalt as the vehicle surged forward. I was thrown off, scraping my palms and knees against the rough pavement of the alleyway.
“No!” I screamed, pushing myself up despite the burning pain.
The sedan didn’t accelerate onto the main avenue. Instead, a massive delivery truck for the bakery was backing into the narrow alleyway, completely blocking the exit. The black sedan was trapped, wedged between the brick walls of the buildings and the heavy steel rear of the truck.
