I grabbed a few dolls of different sizes and some outfits to go along with them. My arm was laden with toys when I heard Greta scream my name and my blood ran cold.
“Amelia!”
My body went from placid to panicked in a split second. It felt like my heart stopped, and the hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stood on end. I dropped everything in my arms but my purse and raced toward the sound of Greta’s voice as she corrected herself and continued screaming for me.
“Emma! My God, Emma!” The alarm in her voice terrified me. I rounded the end of the aisle just as I’d seen both Katelyn and Greta do. I was terrified I’d see a man holding the girl with a knife to her throat, or worse, Greta. Aisle after aisle, I searched for them, getting closer to the screams. I nearly knocked Greta over as I burst around another corner. She grabbed me by the shoulders. “I can’t find her.”
Trying to be the level-headed one, I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “It’s okay. Let’s stay calm. Panicking won’t help.” I scanned the area. She was nowhere in sight. “Let’s call store security.” I headed toward the information desk, but Greta pulled my hand.
“What if it’sthem? What if they’ve come?”
She didn’t have to ask that question because my own blood surged with the terror of the same thought. “We can’t think like that.” I wrested my arm away from her and ran toward the information desk. The woman looked frightened as I slammed my hand on the countertop a bit out of breath. “I can’t find my daughter... I mean, she’s not my daughter, but I’m her nanny, and I can’t find her.” I tried to suck in even breaths, but my heart was racing. Greta was still frantically searching. “Have you seen a little girl? Blonde hair in a ponytail. She’s wearing a school uniform.”
“Yes, ma’am, the little girl chased a ball out into the concourse, and when we tried to bring it back in here so she could pay for it, she ran away.” The woman held her hands up defensively. “Don’t worry, one of the security guards is following her.”
“My God, she’s in kindergarten. She wasn’t stealing a ball. You probably terrified her.” I knew I shouldn’t have shouted at the woman, but some people just infuriated me so badly. I scowled at her and took off out the door. “Greta, she’s out here!” I called as I ducked into the mob of people moving about the concourse from one store to the next.
I weaved in and out of them, looking for Katelyn or the supposed security guard who was following her. I saw nothing but adults carrying packages and glum faces.
“Katie!” I screamed, pushing people out of my way. I had no time to even think if Greta was with me. With the girl out of my sight, I was completely panicked, despite telling Greta not to panic. A few other people started looking around too, as if by instinct they’d know which child I was looking for, and strangely enough, one of them did.
“Hey,” a man called, pointing at the pet store sign. “There!”
I followed the direction his hand pointed and saw her, kneeling by the window in front of the store, tapping on the glass. A sob of relief escaped, tears instantly replacing the panic. I pushed through the few people in my way and fell to my knees next to her. “Oh my gosh, Katie. You can’t run off like that.” I pulled her onto my lap and sobbed, not even shy about crying.
“Emma, I chased the ball. Look, I found a puppy.” Her eyes sparkled with mirth. She had no idea how she’d scared us or that what she’d done was wrong, and the last thing I wanted to do was to scare her. “Are you okay?” I felt tiny hands on my cheeks wiping my tears away.
“Yes, baby. I’m okay.” I let her go and wiped my own tears, trying to get control of myself as Greta joined us, also out of breath. I blamed myself. We hadn’t even stopped to discuss proper mall etiquette, and she had stayed so close to me for so long that I took it for granted. “Look, we aren’t getting a puppy today, but we are getting some toys. Let’s go get the ones we want and go home, okay?”
Katelyn pouted a second but calmed herself and nodded when I stood and offered my hand. It took only a few minutes to retrieve the armful of toys I had dropped on the ground and grab a few others, and we had paid and were on the way to the car in no time. My body was still on edge, stuck in flight mode. My past had taught me that when I got triggered, it was safer to stay triggered for long periods than to relax and be vulnerable. Chalk it up to my father and his business. So when we headed out to the car and I felt like someone was following us, I tried to push it away. It was absurd. I had a new life now.
Greta, however, was not so good at dismissing irrational fears, so when she nudged me with her elbow and gave me a frightened look while gesturing with her head to look over my shoulder, my chest tightened again. I glanced behind us and saw a man there. He wore all black, including dark sunglasses, and he carried a camera around his neck on a strap.
“Oh, no,” I muttered, praying Katelyn hadn’t heard me. We were only a few paces away from the car where Gary sat waiting. “We should have called Gary to the door.” I was just so used to living on my own now, I hadn’t thought of it. Id’ been to the mall dozens of times and not had a driver. “Get in, quick.”
Katelyn looked up at me, confused, but I yanked the door open and tossed the bags in. Greta climbed in the passenger seat next to Gary, and he offered a grunt of surprise. “Drive,” I told him, nearly slamming the door on my own foot as I dived in behind Katelyn.
“What?”
“Drive, Gary,” Greta ordered, and Gary started the car and pulled out just as the man got to the car. He reached for the door handle, but Gary gunned it, nearly running the man over.
“Who was that?” he asked, turning down the row of cars and speeding away.
“I don’t know,” I panted. I heard Greta sniffling and knew she was crying. What hell had I brought on this family? And how would I ever leave Blake's home again?
My pulse raced and I thought I’d throw up. Katelyn buckled herself into the seat and tore open one of the bags of toys, completely oblivious to what had just happened. It was a good thing that she hadn’t seen the man because having to fess up to Blake about this was going to be hard enough. It might mean revealing who I really was, and that thought terrified me more than being taken by those men.
I didn’t want to lose him. I was totally falling in love with him.
14
Blake
Icouldn’t even remember the last time I took a Saturday off, but this morning when I woke up, I had no interest in going to the office or the gym. I dressed casually, slacks and a polo, and headed downstairs for some coffee. The windows were open, and a breeze blew through the foyer as I approached the kitchen. The door was propped open, and I could smell the scent of flowers in the air.
When I heard hushed voices in the kitchen, I paused. It sounded at first like Greta and Marta, but as I leaned in, I recognized the sound of Emma’s voice, not Marta. I hesitated to eavesdrop. I wanted to trust my staff, not snoop on their secrets. But whatever they were talking about was heated. Emma was insisting on something about “for the safety of us all” and Greta disagreed. I wished I could hear more clearly, but the distance between the door and where they stood talking was too great.
“Daddy!” A squeal hit my ears, and instead of turning to see Katelyn coming toward me, I entered the kitchen. I didn’t want them to know I had been eavesdropping and be upset. Katelyn barreled into the kitchen after me, and I turned and hoisted her up into my arms. “Daddy, you’re home. You don't stay home on Saturdays.”