Hide 'N Seek

by Yvonne Harriott

  “Fair?” She jumped up out of her chair facing him. “Your sister-in-law has kidnapped my sister. You knew about Phoenix/Melanie whatever her name is and didn’t tell me.”

  Something else occurred to her. With the hatred that laced the woman’s voice and her willingness to hurt anyone around Beck just to get back at him, this was personal. Very personal. Then a thought occurred to her. Before she even had a chance to process it she voiced it.

  “My God, did you have an affair with her while you were married to Monika?”

  It was the question that hung in the air that no one wanted to ask. All eyes fell on Beck, but he only looked at Marklynn.

  Disappointment, hurt and anger all played out on his face. She was accusing him of infidelity.

  “I can’t believe you asked me that. We never had a relationship of any kind. I never knew Monika had a sister until O’Malley told me about her today. Monika was never close with her parents. We rarely saw them and when we did, they never talked about Melanie.”

  Relief fought with anger and anger won hands down. Although she believed him about not having a relationship with Melanie she was still angry. He didn’t want to help in getting Sydney back and he’d deliberately lied to her.

  “The picture was familiar to you and you suspected something. Instead of talking to me, you ran to O’Malley. You lied to me.”

  O’Malley opened his mouth to speak and Beck cut him off. “I wanted to help and made the decision to do so.”

  “It wasn’t your decision to—”

  “Time out!” Jamie did a time out sign like a referee calling a game. “We’re all on the same side.” He didn’t try to touch her again, but he stood close like a guard between her and Beck.

  Beck moved back towards the window dragging his hand across his face. He started to pace again. Hardness settled over his features.

  Markie was breathing so hard she was shaking with anger, which was now directed at Jamie.

  “No. We’re not all on the same side. We all want different things here. I want Sydney safe at home. Beck wants to keep his precious company and O’Malley gets a second crack at catching the one that got away. I don’t know what you want out of this. Perhaps your name on the door.”

  Jamie drew back as if she had struck him. He had been with her from the beginning and had always been honest with her. He had never kept anything from her. Yet, he sided with Beck. He knew what Beck was up to and didn’t tell her. She was probably making more out of Jamie’s involvement than it was, but she couldn’t help it.

  The three men stood staring at her. They all looked at her as if they wanted to say something to ease the fear that was tearing her apart, but nothing was said.

  The woman could kill Sydney and there was nothing anyone of them could say that could ease the pain she felt. She knew it and they knew it.

  The ringing of O’Malley’s cell phone broke the silence that had settled over the room like a blanket.

  “Yes,” O’Malley turned away and barked into the phone. “I’m on my way. There may be two hostages. They may or may not be on site. Have a couple of ambulances standing by just in case.”

  Markie turned towards O’Malley when he requested the ambulance. He was covering all the bases she told herself. Don’t panic. Sydney is fine.

  When he got off the phone he turned to Markie and said, “We got the search warrant. You can come along, but I call the shots.”

  She didn’t respond to O’Malley’s words. Her heart beat in her chest like a drum. They were close to finding Sydney.

  Markie turned to Jamie as he was packing up his laptop ready to go with them. “You stay here and finish what you’ve started. You said Melanie is getting into Beck Security Systems through some sort of back door. Find the door and shut it!”

  Grabbing her handbag from the table, she was behind O’Malley when he opened the door and followed him out of the conference room. Carlos was leaning against the wall and he pushed away when she stepped into the hallway.

  “You’re with me, Carlos.”

  He looked past her shoulder to Jamie with a confused looked on his face. His eyes were asking what was going on, but she didn’t have time for his questions. Markie was half way out the door when Beck caught up with them just before they reached the elevators.

  “I’m coming O’Malley and don’t try to stop me,” Beck said with a determined look on his face.

  “Fine. You ride with me and as I mentioned to Brooks, I’m in charge.”

  They all rode down to the underground parking lot in silence. Carlos and O’Malley found a spot on the wall staring straight ahead. Markie stood behind them watching the light move from floor to floor while Beck leaned against the control panel in the corner willing her to look at him. The elevator doors opened and everyone rushed out. Markie followed Carlos to his red Bronco.

  “Marklynn wait,” she heard Beck call. He ran to catch up with her, but she kept up her brisk pace. She didn’t want to talk to him.

  “Beck, let’s roll,” O’Malley yelled and a long curse followed.

  “Gimme me a minute,” he hollered back.

  “Now!”

  She climbed into the Bronco and slammed the door. Beck yanked it open ignoring Carlos’ glare.

  “We have nothing to say to each other.”

  “When this is over, you and I will talk,” Beck said leaning in close to Markie’s ear. “And that’s a promise.”

  He slammed the door and ran over to O’Malley’s car.

  • • •

  “Sydney.”

  A voice called to her out of the darkness but she ignored it. The darkness was a source of comfort to her and she didn’t want to leave it. There was no pain in the darkness.

  She couldn’t feel the throbbing in her head or the pain in her side. And the stinging of her wrists caused by the rope burn, yes that was also forgotten.

  She was going to die and accepted it. Yes, there was fear, but she would not give in. That would make it worse.

  Was this how Derrick felt when he stepped on the roadside bomb?

  Derrick.

  In the darkness, she could be with Derrick. They could get married and have kids. Lots of kids. He was going to ask her to be his wife when his tour of duty was over Macy said so. But he never got the chance. They never had a chance at a life together because he never came home. She was so lost without him. He was the only one that understood her.

  Derrick didn’t want her to be anyone but herself. He loved her for who she was. She was unique. He said so and she believed him.

  “Sydney, Sydney baby open your eyes.”

  The voice was stern yet gentle. Although it sounded familiar, she ignored it.

  “Please talk to me.” The voice begged for a response and she did.

  “Nan?” Her eyes fluttered open and focused on the light in the corner of the room by the door. No, it couldn’t be Nan. She had to be hallucinating.

  Closing her eyes, she rolled over to the other side of the cot and grimaced in pain. Her head pounded as nausea rose up in her throat.

  “Yes baby, it’s Nana.”

  Sydney opened her eyes again squinting at the light shining in the corner of the room as she tired to sit up, but couldn’t.

  “Nan? Is that really you? How did you get here?”

  “Yes baby. You know I’m always with you. No matter where you go. Help is coming.”

  “I don’t feel so hot,” she groaned. “My throat is dry and it hurts when I swallow.”

  “I know baby. Hang on.”

  “I can’t,” Sydney said closing her eyes again welcoming the darkness. In the darkness, it was safe.

  No pain.

  No fear.

  She could be who she wanted to be and not worry about disappointing anyone. Hot tears flowed. She’d hurt Nan and Marklynn too many times to count. In the darkness she didn’t have to worry about hurting anyone.

  “Yes you can. Hang on for a little longer. Marklynn is coming.”

&n
bsp; “I don’t know why she would,” Sydney mumbled. “It’s not like I was there for her. It was always about me.” Hot tears rolled down her cheeks. “I wasn’t there for anyone but myself.”

  Sydney had started out wanting Markie to come and rescue her, but not anymore. Thoughts of the woman with the taser gun changed her mind. What if she came back when Markie was trying to rescue her? Her sister could get hurt and she would rather die than see Markie get hurt. She didn’t want to put her in danger.

  She wanted Markie to be safe, to be happy again. They were all happy once. It seemed so long ago. Death had stolen her parents, Derrick and it was knocking at her door.

  “You’re not the only one baby. We all depended on her a little too much because of fear I guess.”

  “Fear?” The light moved towards her.

  Nan afraid? She had always been so strong.

  “That’s right, Sydney. But we’re going to make it right. To do that, you need to hang in there. You want to make it right, don’t you baby?”

  “Right? Yes, Nan. I want to make it right.”

  The light faded. Sydney felt a warm hand on her forehead and closed her eyes.

  “Make it right,” she mumbled and slipped into darkness. She wasn’t alone someone was holding her hand.

  • • •

  “Fools!” Phoenix slammed down the cordless phone on the kitchen counter after her conversation with Lee Kane. She breathed in and out slowly counting to ten between each breath trying to stop from shaking.

  The only thing he and his cousin had to do was to get rid of the pickup. Nowhere in her instructions had she told them to park it at a gas station. Did she have to do everything herself?

  Yes! When she depended on other people they messed things up. Reaching for the bottle of pills, with trembling hands she twisted off the cap. She needed one but shook out two into her sweaty palm, tossed them in her mouth. No water. Then waited for the shaking to stop.

  With the police impounding the truck, it was safe to assume that they dusted it for prints and the two idiots would be picked up soon. She didn’t hire them because they were choirboys.

  They both had criminal records and that meant the police would be busting in her door soon, or she had to assume that they would find her somehow. The two idiots didn’t know where she lived, but precautions must be taken.

  She had slipped away once before and had a life along with a job. Back then no one knew she existed. Sam O’Malley had found a trail. He’d contacted the hospital according to her source. It was safe to assume he was out to get her.

  Phoenix paused for a moment before pushing away from the counter heading for her bedroom. She should eat something. But she couldn’t. Her stomach was in knots.

  “You can still finish this.” She assured herself when the shaking finally stopped.

  For a split second Phoenix thought about calling her parents, but chased the thought from her mind. They didn’t want to be around her let alone help her. They had made that clear.

  She remembered the day when Monika came to visit her at the hospital to tell her about her engagement. Beck had just given her a ring. Big and sparkly.

  Monika had asked her to be the maid of honor. They’d talked about it all day. The colors for the wedding were simple. Her dress would be the color of espresso and the bridesmaid’s cream and espresso. But she could only participate in the wedding and meet Beck if she took her meds and stayed on them. She’d promised Monika she would because she wanted to be in the wedding…to feel like a part of the family.

  Two days before the wedding they all came to see her. It was the first time she’d seen her parents in six months.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, packed and ready to go when they came into the room. Monika didn’t answer or even look at her. It was their mother that had started off the conversation.

  “We don’t think you’re well enough to attend the wedding or even meet Mr. Beck and his family.”

  “Really mother,” Monika said. “It’s just one day. I promised.”

  “You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep. You should have consulted with us first.” Her mother looked at her father, who nodded in agreement. “She’s sick, Monika and this is where she belongs. Here she can get the help she needs. Remember what happened with that boy?”

  “That wasn’t my fault mom. He tried to—”

  “They were friends of ours which we lost because of your lies. You’ll stay right where you are, where you belong with your kind.”

  “Monika you promised,” she cried. “I took all my meds. You promised.”

  “I’m sorry,” Monika said and mom pulled her out of the room. She needed their money to pay for the wedding. That was how their parents controlled them with money.

  Dad stayed back in the room. He took her hand and stroked it. “You know I love you, don’t you? I’m the only one that loves you just the way you are. It’s best that you stay here for now as your mother suggested. After the wedding, you can come home for a weekend and we’ll see how it goes.”

  She dragged her hand away. “Get out!”

  Three weeks later Monika returned after the wedding and honeymoon with pictures. The wedding she wasn’t allowed to attend. Her mother had said she couldn’t go because she would bring shame upon her family. Everyone was at the wedding except for her. There were pictures in the society pages the following day with people she didn’t recognize.

  She hated her parents. When she’d called to inform them of Monika’s death they had told her back then they wanted nothing to do with her unless she was back at the hospital.

  Her father had given her another option. She could come home, but she knew what that meant. There was one way she could go home. No. Don’t think about it. She would never go back to that house.

  Since she had chosen none of her parent’s option, she couldn’t touch her trust fund. They had taken away her money because they couldn’t break her. She didn’t need their money. She was a survivor.

  Monika didn’t know what the word survivor meant. She’d allowed Dalton Beck to use her and then discard her like trash. Well, he wouldn’t get away with throwing her aside and replacing her.

  “He will pay,” she vowed as she packed. Throwing a couple of jeans and T-shirts in a backpack, she headed to her office to grab the laptop.

  Phoenix looked at Malcolm slumped over in the chair, he was barely breathing. His role was complete. By the time anyone found him or Sydney they would be dead.

  Placing the laptop carefully in the backpack, she took the only picture she had kept of Monika, tossed it in the wastebasket and headed out the front door. She had no one.

  Stepping out onto the sidewalk into the bustle of Chinatown, she put on her sunglasses. Chinatown was located in downtown Boston. One of the reasons she liked Chinatown was because people minded their own business especially where she lived. They didn’t look at you unless you talked to them and she talked to no one unless they were a part of her plan.

  Phoenix had chosen Chinatown because of its close proximity to Beck’s office. Now she would have to find another place to finish what she’d started.

  What she needed was a place to regroup and she knew just where to go. If she were lucky, Marklynn Brooks would come to her.

  • • •

  Markie jumped out of Carlos’ Bronco when the vehicle screeched to a halt in front of a three-story apartment building. It had only taken ten minutes to arrive at Phoenix’s apartment, but it had seemed a lot longer with every stoplight and stop sign.

  All she could think about was Sydney. What if she was too late? How would she live with herself? She had promised Nan and had made a promise to her parents that she would take care of Sydney. She couldn’t go back on her promise.

  Three police cars with sirens blaring and two ambulances arrived at the same time. One of the cars blocked the street. She joined O’Malley, ready to enter the building but she had to wait for him to get organized. He was doing what he was trained
to do but to her it was taking too long. They were wasting time.

  “You two take the back entrance,” O’Malley pointed to two of the six uniformed officers that had gathered around him awaiting instructions. The two he’d given orders to sprinted down the alley to the rear of the building.

  “You two,” he pointed to two of the four officers left, “stay here at the front entrance. No one enters or leaves the building until we’re done. As for you two,” he said to the last two officers. “You’re with me and Brooks. Someone get Brooks a vest.”

  Markie thanked the officer who brought her the vest and secured it tightly around her torso with the wide Velcro straps. Markie checked her gun and nodded. She was ready and waiting for O’Malley.

  The front entrance of the building was deserted. She didn’t see an elevator, just three flights of stairs through the large glass window to the left of the building.

  “Beck, you and the Jolly Green giant wait here.”

  Markie saw O’Malley motion to the officer he assigned to the door to ensure his orders were carried out.

  “O’Malley—” Beck started to object.

  “Brooks can handle herself and she is armed. This is as far as you go. Don’t make me sorry I allowed you to come along,” O’Malley warned.

  Beck held up his hands and backed off. Markie could tell he wasn’t pleased but too bad. He can kick up a fuss, but he would be a lot safer away from that crazy woman. She didn’t want to worry about him getting hurt.

  “When this is over we will talk.” Breathing deep, she focused on the task ahead pushing Beck’s words and the disappointed look on his face from her mind.

  “Markie?” Carlos shot her a questioning look ignoring O’Malley’s orders. He didn’t like being referred to as the Jolly Green Giant. Carlos’ face was set in a stubborn line. He was gearing up to enter the building with her despite O’Malley’s orders.

  “Take care of him, Brooks or I’ll have him arrested,” O’Malley warned.

  “It’s okay, Carlos. Stay put,” she laid a hand on his chest. “I’ll be fine.”

  O’Malley turned the beak of his black cap to the back of his head and shouted, “Apartment 220. Let’s move!”