The car reeked of cheap perfume and mothballs. Little Wyatt sat in the backseat without a carseat or seat belt securing him in. Only a muscular man clad in black sweatpants and a hoodie kept him from sliding around when the driver made reckless sharp turns.

"I wanna go home," Wyatt whimpered, struggling to glimpse out the window.

A gloved hand reoriented his head, forcing him to gaze ahead of them at the driver and passenger. He didn't like letting the boy peer out the window. Someone might recognize him, and that was the last thing they needed.

"Where's Daddy? I wanna see Daddy."

"He's gone," the man beside him snapped. "Didn't want you anymore cuz you whine too fucking much."

Tears gathered in Wyatt's eyes. "Not true! Daddy would never leave me!"

"Jesus Christ." He tugged his hood down, revealing a neon green mohawk. A snake tattoo wrapped around the right side of his shaved head. "Can we just throw him out here on the highway? I doubt he'd survive the impact."

Wyatt froze upon hearing the man's words. More tears gathered as he bit down on his trembling lip, trying to hold back his sobs.

"Bruh, they'd arrest our asses for sure if we did that. You wanna go to jail for killing a baby? You know what they do to people like that there?" The driver asked, sparing a quick glance back at them.

"If he keeps bugging me, I'm pushing him out the door." Jon glared at Wyatt. "You hear that, you little shit?"

"Jeez, just ignore him. He'll be out of our lives soon enough. Can't imagine the money we'll make off him." The driver chortled. A snake tattoo circled around his fat neck, where a gold chain dangled beneath his sweatshirt.

"Serves that bitch Veronica right. Can't wait to see the look on her face when they break the news to her." Jon smirked, reclining back in his seat.

The silent woman in the passenger seat finally spoke up, "Yeah, that family's gonna pay us a fortune to get him back."

"Oh, we ain't fucking with them no more, Sierra. Ain't like they got much money to spare anyway," the driver replied.

"Huh? Then where are we getting the money from?" Sierra asked. "I thought we'd do another ransom."

"I know a guy who knows a guy that's into this kinda business. People are willing to pay big bucks for twerps like him."

She frowned, brows knitting in confusion. "Like, to adopt illegally? Won't someone recognize Wyatt when they've got him?"

"I mean, if that helps you sleep better at night, then sure." The driver shrugged.

"Wait, you don't mean..." She gazed back at the trembling little boy in the backseat, guilt clouding in her eyes. "He's only two years old. How could someone..?"

"Lots of sickos in this world. You get used to it."

"I dunno about this." She bit her nails until they almost reached the nub. "I just thought we'd make the family pay another ransom. We can let them have the stupid kid. Not like Veronica can be a mom to him anyway."

"When that little shit turns eighteen, he can see her in there all he wants. She'll have him replace her and end us," the driver explained. "This shows her that she has nobody. Same for that fucking baker and his nosy mom we got rid of."

"That's stretching it. He's literally a toddler. Not someone about to rise up in ranks and kick us out."

"Better safe than sorry," Jon intervened. "Plus, we get a bigger payout this way."

"But it's not like this is the kid's fault. Detective Lockhart was a nosy bitch and deserved what she got, but that boy ain't done nothing to us. Can't we just let him go?" Sierra pleaded. "If Casey finds out we're behind this, he's gonna kill us all."

Jon scoffed. "As if he's got the balls to do that. I'm sure he's crying to the cops right now, hoping they'll help him."

Further into the countryside, Wyatt tried his best to keep still in his seat. They blared rancorous music throughout the speakers as they rolled the windows down to smoke cigarettes. The stench made Wyatt cough a few times, but he tried not to do it so loudly after receiving a dirty look from the rough-looking man beside him.

"Let's make a pitstop at the next gas station while we're out here," the driver suggested. "We need to change the license plate again and that kid probably needs a bathroom break. Don't need him making a mess in the car."

"Good idea. Make sure to choose a place without many folks around. Don't need nobody nosing around us," Jon replied.

Soon enough, they pulled off into a ramshackle gas station that only had one other car in the lot. The driver parked at the pump and climbed out to fuel the tank. Meanwhile, Jon got out to smoke another cigarette and leaned against Wyatt's door, ensuring he had his eye on him.

Sierra turned her head back toward Wyatt, asking, "Hey, you wanna try and use the bathroom?"

Wyatt nodded, eager to climb out of the seat and follow her outside when she propped the door open for him. Surrounded by nothing but acres of grassy plains, Wyatt tried to find a place to run. His jittery steps caused her to reach down and grasp his hand tightly, enough to leave little crescents in his wrist from her sharp nails.

"Come on, I'll take ya. But you gotta promise me you'll be good, okay? Don't make a scene. Don't tell anyone what's going on. Just pretend I'm your mommy."

"You are not my mommy," Wyatt told her matter-of-factly.

Sierra scowled. "No shit, that's why it's pretend. You better behave. Or my friends won't be happy with either of us."

Wyatt frowned, lips pouting.

Inside the gas station, an older woman greeted them as Sierra pointed toward the restroom in the back, offering an apologetic smile. Wyatt didn't utter a word as she yanked his hand and maneuvered around all the snacks to the restroom. She pushed him into the single stall and closed the door, leaving him all alone in the restroom.

She guarded the door. Nobody gave her any peculiar looks as she waited, checking her phone for the time as she spotted the Amber Alert that flashed across her screen. When she tapped on the notification, Wyatt's photo popped up along with details of the vehicle used to kidnap him.

"Shit," she cursed under her breath, gently knocking on the door. "Hurry up in there, okay? We gotta get back on the road. We'll be home soon."

The door creaked open as Wyatt stepped out; a look of wonderment and excitement glinted in his eyes. "Home? With daddy?"

She bit the inside of her cheek. "Uh, yeah. We'll get you back there. Just need to make some more stops. Let's go."

As they made their way through the snack aisle, Wyatt froze in front of a package of cookies. He tugged on the woman's hand, pointing to them. With a frustrated sigh, Sierra swiped them up along with a carton of milk in the back fridge. She grabbed herself a coke and pack of chips while Wyatt wandered over to the small toy section, plucking out a stuffed tiger.

"You want that too?" she asked.

Wyatt nodded. "Yeah."

"Fine, but come on. We really need to leave now," she told him.

Up at the register, the cashier rang up their snacks and the new stuffed tiger. The older woman gave her the total, which she paid with in cash. Wyatt clutched the stuffed animal close to his chest, standing on his tip-toes to get a better glance at the cashier.

"He's sure a little cutie," the woman said. "What's your name?"

"Mason," Sierra lied on the spot. "And thank you. We gotta get back on the road, but couldn't resist a snack."

"Understandable." The cashier chuckled. "Y'all have a nice day. And you enjoy those cookies, young man. They're some of my favorites too." She winked.

Wyatt grinned. "Daddy bakes the bestest cookies ever. And cupcakes."

Sierra forced a half-smile as she bid the cashier goodbye, hurrying to tug Wyatt out of the store with her. She gazed back, hoping that woman didn't recognize Wyatt. By the way she acted, Sierra didn't think she'd noticed. Probably didn't even own a cell phone or check the Internet.

Outside, she rushed across the lot and dragged Wyatt alongside her. The other two guys waited inside the car, having already filled up the tank and changed the license plate. She got Wyatt shoved into the backseat, where she also sat beside him now.

"Took you long enough," the driver grouched.

"Sorry, he wanted some snacks and stuff," Sierra explained.

Jon rolled his eyes from the passenger seat. "Whatever, let's just go."

As they sped off toward New Syracuse, Wyatt held the toy close while munching on the pack of cookies she bought him. She leaned over for his seatbelt, snapping it into place although it was much too huge for him. When he dropped crumbs in his lap, he gently brushed them off and chased the sweet treat down with his milk.

"Where are we gonna keep him?" Sierra asked. "They already posted a damn Amber Alert."

"Maybe we ought to dye his hair?" Jon suggested. "Or cut it all off."

The driver shrugged. "Kids all look similar. As long as we keep him inside, nobody ought to see him. We should be good. They're looking for us in Crittendale County with different plates. We just need to ditch this car a while and lay low. Was thinking about that motel. Lazy Bear. Perfect place to hide out. I know the guy who runs the desk."

"That place isn't really meant for kids," Sierra pointed out.

The driver scoffed. "Ain't like he's going to a nice place anyway. Let it prepare him for the worst."

Tears gathered in Wyatt's eyes as he turned toward the young woman, pleading as he tugged on the sleeve of her shirt, exposing fresh cuts inflicted to her pale skin.

"You said I can go home," Wyatt whimpered.

The driver let out a guff chortle, sparing a glance in his mirror back at them. "Guess she lied to ya."

"He's just a kid," she argued. "You're only gonna make it worse by scaring him."

"Nah, just telling it how it is. I don't wanna hear him whine the whole drive about when we're taking him home. Best he understands what's going on now."

She crossed her arms over her chest, pouting. "This ain't what I signed up for."

"Well, too fucking bad. You're just as deep in this as us. No lawyer will spare a child abductor prison time. Or a murderer."

She slouched down in her seat. "Sorry. I just thought... Never mind."

Wyatt gazed out the window as tears trickled down his rosy cheeks. He pressed a small hand against the glass, as if someone driving by would notice him and call for help. While he wanted to cry and scream, he didn't want the bad people to yell at him again. It would only make matters worse.

🧁

Meanwhile, back at the gas station, the owner of the establishment grabbed her landline phone and called the police. From behind the counter, she watched as the young woman escorted the little boy to a car with two other men. She detailed both of their appearances, along with a description of the car.

She recognized the young boy from the local news. Kidnapped in broad daylight out at the community park.

The bell above the door chimed, and her eldest son entered the place, adjusting his cowboy hat. "Did my best to see where they was headed. Guys told me they names was Jarrod and Will, but they probably bullshitting me. Asked em where they was heading and they said up to New Syracuse, where the boy's daddy lives."

The woman also gave that information to the 911 operator, who told her they'd have a police unit out on their property shortly.

"Poor little guy, I felt so bad for him. That bitch kept a tight hold of his hand. Wish I could've gotten him around this counter." She sighed. "Could've gotten my gun out if I needed to but I didn't wanna do that in case she hurt him."

"Yeah, I know, mamma. We did what we could," her son replied. "Just gotta wait on them cops and hope they can reach them in time. Dunno what their plans are for him."

She shook her head, gazing out toward the parking lot. "There's no telling. Not when it comes to that god-forsaken town."