by Iris Deorre
She grasped her arm tighter.
‘Ouch, you’re hurting me!’ she cried.
‘Shut up you little brat!’ She let go.
Lucia stepped back, took one last look at the little girl, and then left her alone.
‘My daddy’s a policeman; he’s going to find you!’ She screamed as the door shut.
Lucia got back to the third floor and back into Paige’s room. The plate was clean, and she’d drunk the apple juice.
‘Well done!’
‘Can I see her now?’
‘Not just yet, there a few things we need to do first, like get you washed up and brush that hair.’
‘I want my mummy!’ She cried. ‘I want my mummy! I want my mummy!’
The whining grated at Lucia! She wanted it to be all over, but the seven figure income that would come her way, kept her at the job.
‘You will, we just have to get you all cleaned up first.’ She lied.
Paige stopped crying a moment.
‘We need you all clean and tidy, and get that hair sorted out.’
‘Then can I see my mummy?’
‘Yes, then you’ll see your mummy.’ The woman smiled and held out her hand. Paige took it happily and followed Lucia out of the room.
Paige was washed and cleaned. Her hair brushed and put into two pony tails. She looked like the little girl who had been taken from her mother a few days ago. Satisfied, she dragged the child to the waiting car.
‘Are we going to see my mummy?’ Paige asked.
‘Not yet, but soon.’ She smiled.
Paige seemed satisfied enough by the answer. But they didn’t stop outside her home. Paige didn’t even understand or realise she was in another country. Instead she was dragged into a studio where pictures of her were taken. At first Paige wouldn’t oblige, but the more Lucia used the lie, that she would soon see her mother; the more she worked with them. Later she was taken to some offices where they dealt with each child, took more photos, filled out paperwork, and then it was back to the warehouse. The moment the door closed on Paige, she let out a loud scream.
‘I want my mummy! I want my mummy!’
But her responses were greeted by the key turning and complete silence.
****
The first page of the newspaper caught her eye. Victor Adamovich’s theme park had been shut down. She was drawn into the story, her lips curled the further down she got, and the more detailed it got. She sat back and let out a long breath. It was about time Victor got a taste of his own medicine. She’d tried to keep in touch with Von, but he didn’t want to cross Victor again. She tried to reassure him she had enough dirt on Victor, to put him away for a lifetime. Von still wasn’t convinced. It was Victor they were dealing with, he was very hard to beat!
But as she sat there, taking her morning coffee on the balcony of the house Victor had bought for her, she wanted nothing more than to get her revenge. He’d shipped her out to a country where she had no family, and he had her under surveillance like a prisoner. This wasn’t the way she wanted to live for the rest of her life. Somehow she’d get back at him, and he would pay for what he’d done to her.
After she’d sipped the coffee, she ran over the article again. There was a number she could reach if anyone had any information. She reached for the mobile phone she’d bought while she’d been out and about. She was certain, Victor had her private mobile bugged.
‘Detective Gates, may I help you?’
‘Yes, I think I might have some information on Victor Adamovich, you might be interested in.’
‘Who is this?’ He had had several prank calls.
‘This is Nadine, his ex wife. It may not be the information you’re looking for, but I think you might be interested in what I have.’
This got the detective’s attention. This might be the break he needed to take Victor down once and for all.
‘I’m listening.’
‘I’m out of the country, because Victor has shipped me out, so I don’t cause trouble. But if you send me a private address, I can have some very important information sent to you. Information that will allow you to put Victor away for a very long time.’
Gates loved the sound of that. He quickly gave her his home address, so that the package got straight to him. Nadine promised to have it delivered to him as soon as possible, and was certain he would have everything he needed to deal with Victor.
‘Thank you for your call Mrs Adamovich.’
‘It’s a pleasure, and please call me Nadine. If there is anything else you need, or questions that might arise from what I send to you. You may contact me on this number.’
‘Great, thanks.’ He hung up. Maybe there was justice after all!
****
‘I can’t believe you’re going to see him.’ Portia stood at the doorway to the room and watched her daughter put on the purple lipstick.
‘Mum.’ She turned around. ‘I have to do this. He asked me to dinner, I said yes.’
‘This is hardly the time to be going on dinner dates, your daughter is missing.’
‘What would you have me do? Sit here at home, in my dressing gown, smelling? How will that bring her home?’
‘How will this bring her home?’
‘He’s the only hope I’ve got.’
‘Honey, listen, this man is dangerous.’
‘You know this how?’
‘I have a sixth sense about these things, and he told you what he’d do to the people who took Paige.’
She’d heard him all right, and deep down within her she wanted him to do it. She wanted every single person who was involved in the capture of her daughter, to be killed, slaughtered. It wasn’t like her, it wasn’t the way she’d been raised, but nothing like that had ever happened to her before. She would kill them herself if she could.
‘I have to do this. He’s helping me, I want Paige home, so I’m doing this. A mother’s got to do what a mother’s got to do, right?’ She turned back to the mirror and put on a pair of pearl shaped earrings.
Portia didn’t like the sound of that one bit. She worried that her daughter was sacrificing herself to get Paige back. She worried that she was giving into the bad, instead of trying to wait for the good.
‘The police are doing their job.’ Portia tried.
‘But they’re not doing a good job of it, are they? Victor has given me so much information in such a short space of time. This is the person I trust will find Paige.’ She was so confident about it.
‘He might want something in return. This isn’t for nothing.’
‘Then I’ll give it to him. If it gets Paige back, I’ll give it to him.’
Her mother gasped. It pained her to hear her say that. She didn’t want her daughter getting into trouble, but she also knew she couldn’t control her. London had decided, and nothing and no one would change her mind.
She looked at the time. The car would be outside the front of the house within ten minutes. She made sure she felt comfortable enough in the black dress. She was grateful to be leaving the house, being cooped up wasn’t doing her any good anyway, it wouldn’t bring Paige back.
She walked downstairs, and Portia followed behind and tried to convince her not to go, but London had to do to this. The emptiness in the pit of her stomach was still there, but she could continue to live. Ever since Victor’s visit, she’d been able to get out of bed in the morning, have a shower and try to get on with the day. For Paige’s sake she knew she had to.
The car hooted outside. London picked up her handbag.
‘You don’t have to do this, honey.’
‘I do.’ She leaned forward and kissed her mother’s cheek. ‘Don’t wait up for me. You can go home if you wish, I’ll be fine.’
Portia nodded as she watched London step out and walk towards the waiting Jeep. The driver stepped out and opened the door. She slid in and waited. Anything could happen, she knew that, but somewhere deep down within her, she felt she would be okay with Victor. They drove for a good thirty m
inutes; London didn’t take time to note where they were going.
The driver opened the door, and she stepped out in front of a huge hotel. Bradley met her at the door and they took the lift to the twelfth floor that opened onto a penthouse. The sight took her breath away, she’d never seen so much beauty, she didn’t even know it existed.
A man to the left of the room played music on a piano gently. Another man in a suit took her coat and led her to the balcony of the penthouse. Victor sat at a table; his face lit by candlelight.
‘Ah, London!’ He stood up as she stepped in, and opened his arms.
‘Victor.’ She walked towards him and into his arms. ‘It’s good to see you again.’
‘Please...’ he pulled back and pulled out a chair for her. ‘Have a seat.
London sat and gazed out at the beautiful city lights around them.
‘This is lovely,’ she said.
‘Yes, yes it is.’ He smiled as he sat down. ‘Thank you for coming.’ He gazed at her. His eyes wandered down her neck towards her chest. He just couldn’t help himself. A woman hadn’t done that before, she hadn’t made him feel out of control. He always felt in control of his relationships, but with London, it was the opposite.
‘I’m glad you invited me. I’m glad you came to see me. It made a huge difference in my life. You gave me hope.’
‘I’m glad to hear it. And we will find her, I promise.’
‘Can you promise such a thing?’ she had to ask.
‘I can, and I don’t want you to give up hope.’
She watched the handsome stranger a moment. He’d just promised he’d bring her daughter back to her. Could she believe him? Or would she just take it with a pinch of salt?
‘I have a lot of resources, more than the police have. I’m able to find things a lot quicker than they will.’
She nodded and warmed to him every moment. A waiter arrived and offered some wine. London accepted. It was good to be out, but it still didn’t take away he hollow feeling she felt. He talked about the plan, and what it would involve. She listened carefully and admired him. There was something very strong about him, but there was also something dark she didn’t want to address.
‘So do you mind if I ask you some personal questions?’ he asked. ‘You don’t have to answer them if you don’t want to.’
‘I’m okay with it, I’m surprised you don’t know everything you need to know already.’
He laughed. ‘Well, I don’t need to, I’d like you to tell me about yourself. It’s better that way.’ He smiled.
‘Okay.’
An appetiser of mushrooms in creamy garlic sauce with toasted bruschetta was served. They nibbled on the food.
‘So tell me, what do you do for a living?’
‘I’m a nurse.’
‘Do you enjoy it?’
‘I love it. I love helping people.’
‘You look like the type of person.’ He could see the compassion in her eyes.
‘I do?’
‘Yes you do.’
She smiled. ‘This tastes lovely.’
‘It does, doesn’t it?’
‘This is the first time I’ve actually managed to eat something and not feel like I’m eating gravel.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Ever since...’ She looked away. Just the thought of saying her daughters name pained her. ‘Paige.’ Her eyes welled up. ‘Was taken from me, food has tasted like gravel. It always feels like I’m swallowing sand. I’ve had to force myself. I need my strength.’
He reached his hand across the table and put it gently on hers. London didn’t resist. Instead she allowed it to sooth her heavy heart.
‘We will find her.’ He looked her in the eye. ‘I promise!’
She nodded. They continued to talk about her life, the things she wanted to do. But the conversation always went back to Paige. How could it not, the child was a big part of her life. She wanted her back so much. The main course had been served, and the dessert too. They moved into the living area, where soft music played, and a fire warmed the room.
She loved being with him, it was nice to be away from her own home. Her home only reminded her that Paige wasn’t there. At least when she was with Victor, she could pretend Paige was snug at home, waiting for her.
The pianist was dismissed, and the rest of the crew left them for the evening. Bradley too, made himself scarce, and had only appeared to talk about the plans that would take place the following day.
‘Are you ready to go home?’ he asked finally.
‘No,’ she said. ‘I’m not.’ She really wasn’t.
‘Okay, what would you like to do?’
What she wanted was so out of character of her, but she wanted to let go of everything. She wanted to dump it on someone, she wanted to feel a release, but didn’t know how to go about asking for it. He studied her for a moment and picked up the vibe, but wasn’t a hundred percent certain that was what she wanted.
‘I want to...’ She stood up and walked towards the window and looked out into the city lights. ‘I want to just let go for tonight. I want to forget.’
He stood up and walked towards her. He stood behind her and she closed her eyes the moment she felt his breath against her neck.
‘Are you sure you want to do this?’
‘I am.’ She was certain.
He sucked in a deep breath. He’d never felt this attracted to a woman. He didn’t want to hurt her in any way, he just wanted to protect her. Being with her made him want to be a better man, to be better than what he was.
‘I don’t think...’
She turned and pressed her lips against his before anymore words could depart. He took her into his mouth and kissed her hard. It took everything from him, her energy drew on his energy. She took from him, sucked him dry of his energy like a vampire would. He placed his hand against her neck and pushed her up against the window. She let out a whimper. He couldn’t resist. With his free hand he pulled up her dress, pulled down her panties and lifted her leg. Again she let out a loud cry. His tongue explored the inside of her mouth. He gave, and she took, she sucked as much as she could out of him. She wanted to escape, shut her eyes to what was happening and never return. And for a moment it felt that way, as she felt his fingers find a place in the middle of her slit. She grasped onto him tightly, and he did the same, his hand still around her neck. She let go, she allowed and soon his cock was planted deep with in her. It was hurried and rushed! It was eager and lustful, and the more he pumped into her, the more she felt the emotions rise within her. Within seconds she cried! She cried so loud and painfully that he had to stop.
‘No!’ She cried. ‘Don’t stop, you can’t stop now!’ She wanted to feel the release, she wanted to get rid of the pain, and he was the only one who could do it. ‘Don’t stop!’ She grasped onto him tightly, opened her legs wider and encouraged him to dig deeper into her.
He was hesitant, but the more she demanded of him, the more he gave into it. Soon he was pushing deep into her middle, pounding as hard as he could. London leaned back and let out the most painful sounds, but he didn’t stop, instead he gave harder and harder until he let go into her. Her body let go, and she fell into him, crying and letting all of it out.
He held her tight in his arms. He kept her there until the cries subsided. He didn’t know what else to do. He pulled down her dress and led her back to the couch. They sat down and she fell into his arms. They sat in complete silence. It had been an odd thing, and yet they both felt it had been right.
A few minutes later, London gazed up at him. He smiled gently.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘That wasn’t me.’
‘Don’t be. I understand.’
‘You do?’
‘Yes I do. You’re in a crises, you want your daughter home. Everything has overwhelmed you. This was the best you knew how to cope.’
She nodded, he’d just about summed it up.
‘I’m coming with you,’ she said witho
ut looking up again.
‘I don’t think it’s wise.’
‘She’s my daughter. If you find her – ’
‘When we find her.’
‘When you find her, the first person she’ll want to see is me. I’m coming with you. It’s non-negotiable.’
He nodded; he knew that trying to tell her not to come would be a fruitless exercise.
‘Okay, you’re coming.’ He kissed the crown of her head. ‘We leave tomorrow. So you go home and get sorted.’
‘No, I want to stay here. I’ll go in the morning.’
He smiled slightly. ‘Okay. Whatever you want.’ He was smitten. He would do anything for her, he knew that now.
Chapter Six
The couple sat in the air conditioned office and waited nervously. The man touched his wife’s hand and gave it a little squeeze.
‘Everything will be just fine. We’ve waited this long, and now we know things will be okay.’
‘I hope you’re right. I don’t think I can go through anymore heartbreak.’
The man looked at his wife of seven years. Her blond hair had a few strands of grey, but she still looked as amazing as she had done, the day he met her. He hadn’t changed either. He still had his youthful looks and his lovely eyes. His caramel skin was what made his wife fall for him. She loved the look of him and everything about him. They were a power couple; they had everything going for them, money, looks, the right friends and a family who adored them both. There was only one thing missing from their lives, a child. And they hoped that the meeting would change that.
‘Mr and Mrs Beach, Dimitri will see you now.’ A woman led them to a huge office.
They were greeted by a tall large man in a grey suit, beside him sat Lucia. She was dressed in a black skirt suit with a crisp white shirt. Her brown hair was loose and fell just below her shoulders. She wore a pair of black Gok Wan’s, and looked totally different to the woman Paige had come to know.
‘Please, have a seat.’ Dimitri directed them to the couch at the other end of the spacious office. ‘This is Lucia, she’s the one who has done most of the work.’
Lucia nodded and smiled, and soon they both sat opposite the couple. Lucia placed a folder on the glass table that was between them and opened it. The couple leaned forward and looked at the pictures of the little girl. Mrs Beach touched her chest, and let out a slight whimper.