by L Chapman
“Hi, Jenny. How did today go?” I ask.
“What? You’re pregnant? That’s wonderful.” A smile lights up my face, and I begin dancing up and down in my seat. I’m so happy for her. She is finally getting what she has dreamed of. I just hope nothing goes wrong. She is great with Lucy and will be a wonderful mum.
“Oh my God. You need to tell me everything. How did the test go?” I probe.
As expected, we spend a while talking about what happened with her. She had tried to ring me earlier in the day, but I couldn’t talk to her. I couldn’t talk to anyone. I only wanted to know that Mark was okay. I was a mess, and I still am.
“Jenny, someone attacked Mark today. They got into Annabella’s house while we were in the garden. Mark had gone to walk Jessie, so I don’t know what happened. No one really does. The doctors say that he is going to be okay, but we are still waiting on test results. He is a mess with cuts and bruises. It’s horrible.”
“No, stay there. You have bump to think of. I’m safe. I have Connor, and there is some other security around. I don’t know, but I will be fine. Mia is coming too, so we will all be together. Well, except for Mark, since he is still in the hospital.”
Mia walks straight into the lounge, looking down. I can tell she isn’t happy. She has a face like a slapped arse. I know I will find out soon what’s happened. Oh God.
“Jenny, I have to go. Mia just got here. I’ll text you later.”
“I’m fucking sick of men!” Mia yells as she walks over towards me, turning around to see if anyone else is in the room. Luckily, it’s just us. Annabella is still upstairs with Lucy, and Connor hasn’t returned yet.
“What’s happened?” I ask, even though I’m not at all sure I want to know. I’m not in the mood for Mia’s ‘all about me’ attitude. She should be worried about her brother, not herself. He could have died today.
Connor rang her earlier and told her about what had happened. He has kept in touch with Scott all day, and she hasn’t once contacted him to check on Mark. When Connor rang, Mark had just been admitted into the hospital. You would think she would care about him, as he has always taken care of her.
Mia sits down beside me on the sofa. “Am I ugly?” she asks, looking up at me.
“No, you’re so pretty, hun. What happened?” I shake my head in disbelief. Who would say something like that to her?
“Scott said it. I asked him to kiss me, and he refused,” she admits.
“He is here to protect you, Mia, nothing else. Your brother would have killed him for kissing you. You will find Mr. Right. It took me years to find my Mr. Right.” Mia is going through some faze right now. She doesn’t seem like the girl I first met. She seems so immature for her age, and she is only a couple of years younger than me. Thank goodness I never went through the ‘throwing tantrums over boys’ kind of stage.
“Thanks, Megan.” She moves her hand dismissively. “You’re right. Anyway, he is like forty. That’s old. He does not have much life left in his cock.”
“Mia! You can’t say things like that. Age is just a number.”
“If you say so.” She pauses. “Are you ready to eat?”
“I guess,” I say, letting her leave to get everything sorted for tea. Although she is young, she is very organised when it comes to work. However, when it comes to men, she is terrible. She thinks everyone wants to sleep with her. I hope she grows out of it soon, before she gets herself in trouble. You can tell that Annabella has rubbed off on her in some ways, but not the ones that matter the most.
I don’t want to eat anything, but I know I need to in order to have energy to look after my daughter. What I really want is to sleep in Mark’s arms. Yes, for once, I want to sleep.
Chapter Nine
Thankfully, last night went really quickly, especially after we finished eating. Well, I mostly played around with my food, but I did eat a little. I took a quick shower and crawled into bed. I couldn’t sleep without Mark, so I got up and looked around for something of his. I found his favourite hoodie and hugged it in my arms. You don’t see him wearing it much, only when he is having some down time. He looks so relaxed and cute in it. I miss him like mad. I’m so worried. Who would do this? Why?
After hearing a tapping on the door, I sit up in the bed. “Yes.”
“Hey, Megan,” Connor says, standing in the doorway. “I came to check on you.”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m going to get up, check on Lucy, and then get ready for the day. What time can we see Mark?” I ask.
“Not until one, unless he is released earlier.” He pauses. “I’m sorry.” He must have been in touch with Mark. There was no mention of him being released when I left him last night. Once I’m dressed, I will ring the hospital and check on him. I don’t know what they will tell me, so I may have to ask Mia to do it. I need to know that he is all right. One o’clock is too long to wait.
“It’s not your fault. Do you have any leads?” I enquire. I want to know what is happening. I know the police were talking to Scott and Connor last night.
“None at all,” he responds, sitting on the side of the bed. I’m glad I put on pyjamas last night. “The cameras at Annabella’s did pick up the incident with Mark, but no faces are visible.”
“Faces?” I question.
“Yes, two people,” he informs me. “It looked like a man hit Mark, though.”
“Oh no,” I say, taking a deep breath to calm myself.
“Do you want me to sort Lucy for you? It will give you a little more time to get up,” Connor states. “I know Mark normally gets her ready for the day to let you have some alone time.”
“I don’t want you to feel used, Connor,” I tell him. I can do everything by myself. Mark helps me out of love. Connor would be doing it for the fact he is getting paid to do it.
“I’ll do it. I actually want to get her up. I love having a baby around the house. It makes me think of my Kate when she was that small.” He smiles. I love seeing the spark in his eye when he talks about his daughter. I can’t wait to spend a longer amount of time with her and get to know her more. I wonder if she is going to be a mini Connor or be more like her mum. I have only seen a couple of pictures of her mum, and right now it’s still hard to tell who she looks like more.
“Okay, go on then,” I say, sliding out of the bed and opening the curtains.
There is no sun in sight. All I can see is the rain bouncing from the path. It’s not going to be a nice, clear day. The sky is so dull. Without even moving, I can tell it’s going to be one of those days where I will probably be cold, no matter what I wear. Opening the drawer, I pull out black matching underwear and a black jumper with a few sparkling gems scattered around the front. I reach for some dark blue jeans and immediately smile. These will do. Mark loves those jeans, or should I say, he loves my arse in these jeans.
“Megan,” Connor says, walking into the room. “Sorry, I didn’t knock. Do you know where Lucy is?”
“In her cot next door,” I reply, walking out of the room and feeling my heart begin to race.
“She isn’t.”
“What? Has anyone got Lucy?” I shout, running around in sheer panic.
Connor follows me, reaching for the other security guards. “Search the full building,” he says in a steady voice.
“Who has my baby?” I yell.
“Calm down, Megan. The guys are going to look for her. She’s probably with one of the girls,” he says, placing his hand on my back.
I pull away sharply. “Don’t touch me.” Sprinting towards Mia’s room, I barge through the door. “Have you seen Lucy?”
“No, not since last night when you placed her to bed. Why?” she asks, standing there in a flower-patterned dress and no makeup. She could go without makeup; she looks better without it on.
“She is missing,” I say with tears rolling down my face. I turn around and run into Annabella’s room.
“Have you seen Lucy?”
“No, I haven’t since I we
nt to bed last night. What’s going on?” she asks.
“She's gone,” I cry, running out of the room and looking down at the floor. I’m unable to see anything through the tears pouring from my eyes. I suddenly feel my head crash into something soft followed by two strong arms wrapping around me, pulling me in close. I can’t do anything but freeze.
“Megan, we will find her. Everyone is looking for her. Would you like a drink?” Connor suggests.
I stand there, crying harder. “No.” Why the hell would I want a drink? I need my daughter, not a drink.
“You need to keep strong, Megan,” Connor says.
“I’m getting dressed. I will find my daughter.” I run around him into my room, taking my clothes off as I walk inside. I don’t care what I look like now. I fling on the clothes I had laid out, grab my mobile, and walk onto the landing.
"What is going on?" Mark asks, storming into the front room of his house.
“Mark?” I ask, shocked that he’s home.
“Sir, what are you doing here?" one of the security guards enquires as he walks quickly towards Mark. I don’t even know the guard’s name.
"Something isn't right. Megan isn't answering her mobile and neither is Connor. Now, tell me what’s going on," Mark demands, placing his hands on his hips.
"Lucy is missing," Connor replies hastily.
"What?" Mark shouts.
"She was in her cot at three when Megan checked on her, and now she is gone. We can’t find her anywhere," he explains.
I stand there at the top of the stairs, shaking as I try to fasten the buttons on my jacket. I need to search for her. I have to find my baby. I don't want anyone except Lucy right now.
Chapter Ten
“Megan?” Mark calls after me as he runs up the stairs. Pain is clearly shown in his eyes.
I turn around to answer him. “What are you doing here anyway?” I ask. “You were in hospital. Now, you’re here. I don’t understand it.”
“Megan, I felt something wasn’t right, so I called Connor. He always answers his mobile, and when he didn’t, I rang you and you never answered either. I just knew something wasn’t right.”
“You should still be in hospital. You need to be looked after,” I plead.
“No, I was discharged. Well, I was being discharged when someone came for me.” He pauses. “I walked out and got a taxi. I did get my prescription before I left, though.” He smiles sheepishly.
“You’re silly,” I state.
“But, you needed me,” Mark says, pulling me close.
I pull away from him. “Where is she?” I ask as I sit on the top step, absolutely exhausted.
“Oh,baby. I will find her,” he says, sitting down next to me and rubbing my head. His voice is such a nice sound to hear. I know he will do all he can to find Lucy.
“Who would want her? How has anyone gotten inside the house?” I ask, sitting up and looking directly into his eyes.
“I don’t know, but I will find out,” he says, placing a little butterfly kiss on my forehead as tears flow like a waterfall.
“I need to phone the police,” I state. Why didn’t I think of that before?
“Connor has already done it. I asked him to. The guys are searching everywhere,” he responds.
I quickly stand up, cover my mouth, and run into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. I bend down over the toilet and throw up. I don’t know where that has come from. After cleaning myself up, I slide down the bath, bending my knees up towards my chest. I sit there, allowing the tears to freely fall down my face.
“Megan.” I look up to see Mia in a pair of black jeans and a long, vertical striped blue and white top. Why is she wearing a different outfit? She looked better in the dress, but it isn’t the right weather for the outfit she had on earlier. She has put on makeup, too. We don’t have time to play dress up.
“Where is she?” I ask.
“I don’t know. Come downstairs,” she begs, reaching her hand out to me. I use her hand to stand up and flush the toilet as I walk past it.
“Baby, contact Jen. Let her know just in case she hears something,” Mark commands as he opens a cupboard and looks inside.
I take a deep breath and dial her number, but I don’t think I can talk to her. I don’t want her stressing out. It’s not healthy for her in her condition.
“Jen, she’s gone. Lucy’s gone. We can’t find her. Someone has taken her,” I say in one breath before passing the mobile to Mia.
Why is this happening to me? I slide down onto the sofa, slightly listening to Mia explain everything to Jenny. I see Mark walking up to her.
“Megan, do you want Jenny to come up?” Mia asks.
“No.” I pause. “Tell her to stay home.”
I sit there in a daze thinking, not hearing any of the noises around me. I see so many people running around and looking at things. I lower my head, peering at the floor. I need to leave and do something. As I raise my head to prepare to get up, I notice a male and female in police uniforms and Mark standing in front of me.
Chapter Eleven
“This is Police Constable Blair,” Mark informs me, pointing towards the woman, “and PC Carter.” He motions at the man. “They are from the local police station. I have worked with Steven Carter in the past,” he comments as he pats his hand on Carter’s shoulder. PC Carter then walks into the kitchen.
“Hi,” is all I can utter. I just want my daughter back. I feel like I’m going to be sick again, so I place my hand over my mouth.
Mia stands there, smiling at me before walking away to the kitchen to join Annabella, who is talking with PC Carter.
“Hi, I’m Becky,” PC Blair says, sitting on the sofa beside me and stroking down her uniform. “We need to know all about Lucy and when you last saw her. I plan to be as quick as I can.” She takes out her notepad and pen.
“Sorry, Megan. Here is some water,” Mia says, handing me the glass and a little packet of tissues. “I don’t want you to get sick again.”
“Thank you,” I say, taking a little sip of the water before turning back to PC Blair. “Lucy is my only child.” I inhale deeply, trying to hold back the tears. “I don’t know anyone around here. I don’t know who could have taken her. They got into the house. It makes no sense.” I feel myself opening up to her. I have nothing to hide. I just want my daughter back.
“Megan, this is Natasha. She is a liaison officer, and she is going to spend some time with you. She will keep you up-to-date with everything that is happening. We will find your daughter,” she says, motioning for Natasha to come and join us. I didn’t see Natasha enter the house at all. Why didn’t she come in with Becky? It would have made more sense.
Natasha is tall with skin like chocolate and brown hair that is tied neatly into a bun. As she comes to sit next to Becky, she lets out a beaming smile with pearly white straight teeth. “Hi, Miss Madden. I’m Natasha.”
“Call me Megan,” I state, looking down at the floor. I have never liked being referred to as Miss Madden or Ma’am. It makes me seem old. I have always been told you use those names for your elders, and I am definitely not an elder.
“Megan.” She pauses. “I’m going to sit with you and help you with everything until we locate your daughter. If you want to know anything at all, just ask me. I will give you all the information you need and help you as much as I can.”
“Thank you,” I say, trying to remain calm. “Who has my daughter?”
“I don’t know, Megan,” Becky says. “Can we ask you a few more questions?”
I nod, feeling some movement behind me. I turn around to see Mark sitting on the arm of the sofa. He pulls me close to him. I need to be as close to him as I can get. I don’t want him to let me go. I just want it to be Mark, Lucy, and me. It was supposed to be the three of us for a planned family day today. Mark even bought some films that were appropriate for Lucy. I was looking forward to it; it was just what I needed.
“Are you both Lucy’s parents?”
she asks, looking over at Mark who sits there shaking his head. I smile at him, turning back around to face Becky. A tear rolls down my face.
“No, a man named John is her dad. He lives in Yorkshire. He has never had any contact with her. In fact, he has no interest in her,” I state. Tears are now streaming down my face. “He cheated on me or on his wife. I don’t know who came first. He has other children.”
I lose count of how many questions she asks me about my past and past lovers. I feel like everything about me has just been said. I don’t understand how that information is going to help find Lucy. I don’t even know how Mark coped listening to that stuff. I said things that I have never shared with him or anyone else.
Mia passes my mobile back to me. She winks at me before walking over to Carter. I can tell she’s trying to flirt with him, and I’m not at all surprised. He is a male. I just hope she behaves herself. He isn’t here to flirt; he is here to find my daughter.
“Will someone please find my daughter?” I yell.
Chapter Twelve
I have spent the past two hours pacing back and forth in Mark’s home. Thank goodness he has not left my side.
“How do you know PC Carter?” I ask Mark. I need to know.
He moves himself away from me. “Steven and I used to work together,” he says, turning his face away from me.
Why has he moved away from me? Is it something bad? What happened? There can’t be any secrets between us now. “What, you used to be in the police or something? One of those community ones?” I continue pushing for answers.
“Megan, please. Leave it,” he begs, tilting his head towards the floor.
“If you can’t trust me with this, then how can I trust you to keep Lucy and me safe? Look what happened,” I say, standing up and storming away from him. He is supposed to trust me. What the hell can be that bad? I head straight out the front door, slamming it behind me. I don’t want him near me. If he can’t trust me, then I can’t trust him.