Page 4 of No Way Forward

Zaid snorted. “First of all, you aren’t finished school. You’ll never be up front with that kind of case. Not yet. This job is important. You need to get that through your head. If you can’t assist in br

inging Novette home, you’ll be tossed.”

Jeff paled. “I…but…”

“Relax. Like I said, I’m not requiring anything from you personally. I’ll handle everything. I’ll speak to Novette.”

Jeff sighed in relief. “You’re close to the family. How long have you been with them?”

“Long enough.”

“And you know Ms. Kagen? I heard she’s been gone for five years and nobody knew where she was.”

Zaid eyed him more critically. He wondered if Jeff could be trusted not to run his mouth to the press. Up until then, Richard managed to keep Novette’s disappearance low key. He lied and schemed until the news blew over. Not that anyone knew much about her.

Novette was never in the tabloids. Richard protected her before she left home, which pretty much allowed her to disappear safely. No one other than the private investigators they hired looked for the missing daughter of one of the wealthiest attorneys in the country. That was how Richard wanted it.

The pilot came over the intercom. “We will be landing at our destination in twenty minutes.”

Zaid rolled his head on his neck, working out kinks in his muscles. He slid sunglasses onto his nose. “You don’t need to know the details about Novette, Jeff. Forget whatever you’ve heard. We’re simply picking her up and bringing her home. Nothing more, and that’s all you need to know.”

Chapter 2

Novette sat on the side of the bed scrubbing a hand over her face. Her eyes burned, and every muscle in her body screamed for relief. She’d overdone it last night while working out. After five years, she wondered if she still performed the moves correctly.

“It doesn’t matter.” She rose to head to the bathroom. As long as she stayed in shape, that was enough. Besides, the dull life she led wasn’t likely to bring trouble any time soon.

After a shower, she dressed and walked across the bedroom to her tiny kitchen area. There were no walls separating any of it, except for the bathroom. This dilapidated drafty space was all she could afford. Being paid under the table at her job meant her boss didn’t have to stick to the laws for minimum wage.

The refrigerator door creaked when she opened it. She almost forgot to hold it up so it wouldn’t completely fall off. Every now and then she bitterly missed the life she’d had in her adoptive father’s mansion. Maids, chauffeurs, money, food, she’d had it all except for the one thing she wanted most—freedom.

“This comes with the territory, girl, so get a grip and just keep moving.”

Breakfast would consist of one egg with a bit of sausage plus some almost expired bread from the shop. She could eat a more “luxurious” lunch at work, so this small meal didn’t matter.

The floorboards outside her apartment door creaked, and her head came up. She frowned, listening hard. Living in a place like this, she knew the sounds around her. Creaking floorboards didn’t mean a thing. Heck, she could easily make out her neighbors’ conversations if she cared to listen. This sound, though, seemed like it came from in front of her door. No one ever visited her at home. Maybe they had the wrong apartment.

She waited to hear the knock, but it never came. Shrugging off her mistake, she made breakfast and sat down in front of the tiny TV on her table. It was the old kind that was thick and bulky. She’d found it at a second hand store and was shocked it worked.

Along with the TV, she had bought one of those ancient VHS systems. That worked too, and she’d gathered up a few VHS movies. It amused her that she even knew what this junk was, but one learned a lot when one was desperate for entertainment and couldn’t afford cable.

With her feet up on a crate she found by the Dumpster the other day, she laughed at Eddie Murphy playing the Nutty Professor. This was the millionth time she’d watched it, and she still laughed.

Something clicked. She set her fork down. Another creak, and her heart raced. She jumped to her feet. “Hello? Is someone there?”

Nothing stirred.

She crept toward the front door and listened then looked through the peephole. Her pulse jumped to hyper speed when she realized the lock had been undone. She always made sure to lock it at night and double-checked.

No way. I’m not going for this!

She grabbed the bat near the entrance and wrenched the door open. Stomping out into the hall, she growled, “I don’t know what you think you’re going to find in my apartment, but you’re going to be disappointed you tried to break-in!”

The neighbor across the hall opened her door. She frowned at Novette with a lock of silky hair wrapped around a flat iron. “Who are you talking to?”

“Nobody.”

“While I have you, you mind watching my little girl? I’ll give you five dollars. I have an interview.”

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