Page 11 of Missing Marcus

Gabby glanced up when Jackie entered her office. “If you don’t need anything else tonight, I’ll head out.”

“Go. I didn’t intend to stay this late. You don’t need to wait for me,” she chastised her assistant.

“You shouldn’t be working this many hours,” Jackie gave her a motherly stare down. “Go home and get those feet up. After the baby’s born, you won’t have a minute to yourself.”

Gabby sighed. “I’ll leave in an hour. They gave me some of the accounts Mr. Landsford handled. I can’t make heads or tails out of some of his entries.”

Jackie frowned. “It’ll be there in the morning. You need to rest.”

“All right. I’ll leave in half an hour. Will that make you feel better?” she bantered with her new friend.

Jackie sent her a stern stare. “I mean it. I don’t like you walking to the parking garage by yourself, especially in the evening.”

“I’ll save it and take it home with me. Mr. Wilkinson wants an update on the accounts I balanced from Landsford’s. These last two stump me and I’m determined to figure it out,” she insisted while she stared at the computer screen. The numbers didn’t add up. Mr. Landsford kept immaculate records for an accountant, until she found the last two.

“Good night. I’ll see you in the morning. Go home, put those feet up and eat a good meal. I swear you barely eat these days,” Jackie said sternly.

Gabby made a face. “I thought morning sickness only happened the first trimester. Lately, it seemsI’m getting it during the afternoon. Hopefully, the doctor will figure it out tomorrow when I see him. I’ll arrive early, meet with Wilkinson, and leave at one o’clock. Then you’ll have me out of your hair all afternoon.”

“Good. You can be such a menace to deal with. The assistants talk, you know. They pity me for having such a taskmaster,” the older woman joked.

“Enjoy your evening,” Gabby called as she rose, picked up her briefcase and packed everything. Sighing, she listened as Jackie left and sat back in her chair. She hated returning to the lonely apartment. It seemed drearier by the day and she hated climbing those stairs more than ever, especially with groceries. To keep from carrying load after load, she placed them in a rolling cart and dragged it up. When she reached her floor, she appeared winded and her stomach hurt. She made frequent stops to avoid feeling tired and now picked up items as she needed them. She leaned closer as she stared at the numbers and the spreadsheet with the notes from Mr. Landsford’s desk. She rubbed her eyes and flipped through the financial record and computer in front of her. Her eyes caught a small symbol on the edge of a notebook and glanced back at the screen. Wait a minute, she recalled seeing the same symbol on another spreadsheet. Excited she might’ve figured out the missing piece to the puzzle, she went to her filing cabinet and pulled the records she’d already put away. On the bottom, she found the journal she searched for. Pulling it out, she closed the filing cabinet. She flipped the pages until she matched the same symbol to the one on the other journal. It must mean something.

Tapping the keys on her keyboard, she brought up the spreadsheet for the other ledger. She discovered the same symbol in the corner and clicked on it. Her eyes widened when she read the items on the list. Gabby’s hand moved toward her stomach protectively as she realized what she stumbled upon. She downloaded the files from a flash drive and shut the computer down. Feeling suddenly alone in the vast office, Gabby grabbed her coat, tossed the flash drive in her pocket, and grabbed her briefcase. Her heart pounded faster when she walked to the garage and noticed the dark shadows where she parked her car in the morning. Fear went through her as she picked up the pace and held her keys out to unlock the door.

Throwing in her briefcase, she slid in and locked the door before snapping the seatbelt in place. She placed a hand above her heart as she drove home, attempting to slow her heart rate down for the baby’s sake. Parking the car in her stall, she hurried to the gated entrance to the apartment building. Gabby felt it offered little security when she first rented the place and as she examined the rusted metal, she grimaced at her naivety. Someone with half her strength contained enough ability to wiggle through one of the rusted bars.

Climbing the stairs, she kept her keys in her hand as Knight taught her with the sharp ends out. When she opened the door, she glanced around the small apartment, shut it and checked behind the curtains. Then, she entered the bathroom, throwing back the shower curtain. Placing one of her kitchen chairs under the doorknob, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Gabby’s hands shook as she pulled her computer from her bag and turned it on. Searching for the flash drive in her coat pocket, she downloaded the file to her personal computer and sent it to the cloud.

She shut everything off and walked to the fridge. She meant to run to the grocery store after work but forgot. Taking out yogurt, a banana, and a package of deli meat, and cheese. She made up a little deli tray out of the items. Moving to the couch, she took her plate and milk while she reviewed the file in her head. The numbers corresponded with human beings. People ordered specific types, blondes, redheads, black hair, tall, short, and overweight adults. The children listed set her trembling the most. They stole innocent kids. She placed a hand on her stomach as she tried to quell the terror inside her. Mr. Landsford had taken orders and balanced the books of a sex trafficker! Did the firm know? If so, why did they ask her to take over his work?

Gabby rose and washed her dish and glass. Did she dare mention it to Mr. Wilkinson in her meeting in the morning? No. She didn’t know how many people might be involved. What about calling the FBI? Gabby bit her nail as she agonized over her options on what to do.

Taking a deep breath, she formulated a plan: She’d arrive at the office in the morning around the same time Jackie did, make extra copies of the files, meet with her boss, and leave for her doctor’s appointment. In order to avoid raising any suspicions, she planned to attend her doctor’s appointment and shop in a crowded area. Before she returned home, she’d contact the FBI.

With her mind made up, she put on her pajamas and walked back into the kitchen, scouting out her door. A chair didn’t seem enough to give her a warning. Pushing the table over to the door, she placed her hands on her waist and assessed for any more dangers. The windows sat six stories high but a fire escape sat on one side. Anyone could access the roof and potentially climb through the windows.

She placed a bunch of spoons on the floor and chairs in front of the window. Still not feeling safe, she refused to sleep in the bedroom. She grabbed her pillow and blanket and padded to the couch. Sitting in the dark, she swallowed the fear rising with every minute.

Gabby closed her eyes as she leaned her head against the back of the sofa. It still carried a faint scent of Knight and she inhaled it, wishing he sat beside her. She imagined him taking her into his massive arms and kissing her forehead sweetly, murmuring in her ear after they watched a scary movie. “Go to sleep, Gabby. They’ll have to get through me to touch you.” Of course, he resembled a Mack truck. His thighs alone took up both of her legs and made of thick muscle. Her fingertips barely made it past his palms, ensuring he only needed one hand on an assailant to put him down.

“Why didn’t you believe in us, Marcus? I need you,” she sobbed into the night. It didn’t matter. He ordered her out of their home without any hesitation. Now, she and the baby lived on their own, desperate and scared.

Gabby whimpered and turned on her side, debating what might happen if she ran. How long until they discovered she knew and came after her?

She didn’t know. She only knew she’d do anything to protect the child inside her, even if it meant she gave birth and left it for Marcus to raise.

Knight tossedand turned until he finally wandered into his kitchen and made a cup of chamomile tea. He smiled as he recalled how Gabby advised him to drink a cup when he seemed restless before bed. He gave her crap about it and here he stood in the kitchen brewing a cup. Every time he closed his eyes, a vision of Gabby appeared. Unlike his usual dreams of her, this one seemed desperate, as if she seemed scared. It took a lot to frighten her, except for creepy movies. Then, he always assured her by checking the windows, under the bed and in their closet. He chuckled at the memory, then stopped. Why did he care if she felt afraid or seemed sad? Three months from now, Gabrielle no longer held a place in his life and he needed to let her go forever.

8

Gabby opened the door to the accounting firm and made her way down the hall to her office. Jackie rushed to her side and scanned her from head to toe, handing her a cup of chamomile tea.

“Didn’t I tell you to go home and relax? You’re a sight for sore eyes. Your meeting with Mr. Wilkinson starts in thirty minutes and you appear as if you just rolled out of bed,” Jackie nagged as she followed her into her office.

“A couch.”

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