Page 26 of Unloaded
“Maybe she already had a security company?” He speculates, but his tone conveys his uncertainty with that possibility.
“Perhaps, but why didn’t she mention it when she hiredBaby Girl’s?” Jason shrugs his shoulders. “We should have been informed, especially if the woman is in some kind of danger so we could better protect our staff.”
“I agree, but you never know what people are thinking. I’ll head outside and take a look around,” Jason says. I need to find Rachel, now. My unease is growing by the second. “All right, I’m going to keep looking for her in here. Cindy said she was looking for a bathroom.”
Turning to my left, I head in the opposite direction Jason had come from. I’m going to find my angel, come hell or high water.
11
RACHEL
Meanwhile…
The luncheon is going well. We’re almost finished. I’m working at the stove heating a sauce for the dessert. It’s nearly time to serve it. The concoction is just beginning to boil. I stir a little faster to keep it from sticking as it reaches the boiling point. Rosco has been up my ass all damn day. Not that I’m complaining, he is delicious eye candy, but he’s distracting without meaning to be.
“Hey, Rachel does this look okay?” Cindy calls to me from the far end of the counter. I turn to look while keeping up the vigorous stirring of the chocolate sauce. She has a banana cupcake in hand with a swirl of pineapple icing, topped off with a strawberry on top. It looks delicious. A mini banana split cupcake that will be served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and the chocolate sauce I’m making.
“It looks great!” I reply, as a searing pain hits my abdomen. “Ow!” I look down to see a streak of chocolate sauce on my abdomen. I groan in frustration, noting that it has soaked through my apron and dress. Thankfully, it hasn’t burnt me too badly after passing through the two layers of fabric, but my dressis going to be a mess.Crap!I need to clean this off so I don’t look like a slob when I meet with the hostess.
Once I’m satisfied with the consistency of the sauce, I move it to the warming pan, until we are ready to serve. “Hey, Cindy, can you make sure everything makes its way out on time. I need to clean up.” I motion to the front of my dress. She gives me a sympathetic look.
“Sure, I’ve got it under control,” she says with a smile. “You’ve already done all the hard stuff. Now it’s just waiting for time to serve.”
“Yes, I’ll be right back,” I tell her. “I just need to find a bathroom where I can use my Tide pen to get this stain out.” She nods turning back to finish the cupcakes. I grab my bag I keep for just such emergencies and stride out of the kitchen, looking left and right. There’s a hallway to my right, hopefully I’ll find a guest bathroom down it. The house staff aren’t around to ask. The first door I come to is a linen closet for the dining room. Cloth napkins, place mats, and tablecloths line shelves. I close the door and move on to the next one.
Moving down the hall, I approach and open the door to an office. A large mahogany desk commands the room. Dark book shelves line the walls of the room with old looking books and various small art pieces scattered on them. The smell of pipe tobacco permeates the air reminding me of my stepfather, fear courses through me.
He isn’t here!I remind myself. Turning to leave, I notice an open door on the right wall. It’s a bathroom! I hurry over and step inside and close the door. I open my bag and pull out the Tide pen. The dress comes off. I stand in my bra and panties while I work on the stain.
The stain is coming out better than I’d expected. I use some water from the sink and a cloth from my bag to rinse out thedetergent. A small portable fan is another item in my stain fighting arsenal. In a few minutes my dress is practically dry.
I turn off the fan and shove everything back into my bag. Voices are suddenly on the other side of the door. I freeze a second, before quickly throwing the dress on over my head.
Hopefully whoever is out there won’t mind I’m using their bathroom. Just when I’m about to open the door a familiar voice speaks causing my blood to run cold.
“Are you certain it’s her?” a man, who sounds exactly like my stepfather asks.
“See for yourself,” another male answers. “I’ve zoomed in on an image caught on security footage when they arrived.” A long silence follows. I can hardly breathe.How is he here? Is it really him? How did I not know he had left Chicago?
“Well done, Lawrence,” my stepfather coos. “It’s her. She’s older of course, and her hair is a bit darker, but that’s definitely her. I recognize the necklace she’s wearing. My late wife gave it to her when she finished high school.”
Bile rises in my throat. My body trembles so violently I can no longer stand. I manage to slump down onto the floor without making any noise.He’s here, really here, just outside the door. Oh my God!
“Thank you, brother,” the other voice replies. “I can’t take all the credit. My wife recognized Rachel at a charity event recently.”
“Have you seen my sons?”
“No,” the other man answers. “My wife didn’t see the boys either, but the people Rachel works for were talking about them. They have to be nearby.”
“Where is Rachel now? I want her in here. I want my sons!”Oh God, help me!
“I don’t see her on the cameras,” the other man says, slowly. I imagine him checking each one.What if he can see that I came in here?
“All of these are outside!” my stepfather complains. “She’s likely inside the kitchen.”
“The inside cameras are down.”
“What the fuck!” my stepfather roars. “You incompetent bastard!”
