"Did you know he was going to do that?" Dominic was still on the subject of my number one favourite person, and I really wished he'd shut up.
"If I'd know he was going to do that, do you think I'd have gone up there willingly?" I motioned for one of the cloakroom attendants to come over so I could show them my ticket.
"You'd have to go up there to receive your award. There was no way you could avoid him."
"There is always a way." A national emergency, a work-related incident, or I could suddenly have been taken ill - so many possibilities. "Anyway," I said, changing the subject quite abruptly, "did you and Johanna have fun this evening?"
"Hell yes," Dominic said fervently. "Most fun we've had with an audience in a while. Jo loved the pet play scene. How do you guys come up with these ideas? Every year it seems to get better and better."
"I don't come up with them personally, although I do have to sign off on them. We have a panel of people for that. They have lots of enthusiasm, drink lots of coffee, and they talk all day. They do seem to produce results, though. I think they've outdone themselves this year. It's a shame we couldn't have stayed longer." The cloakroom attendant chose that moment to return with our coats, and for the time being I hung ours over my arm. It was far too hot to put mine on. Searching over my shoulder for Jen, I wondered what they were up to. Having visions of them sharing a cubicle together and doing naughty things to each other, I had to shake my head sharply to dispel the images bouncing around inside. Perhaps I was one of those sex addict types you hear about in the newspapers. Maybe I needed therapy.
The next thing I knew there was a commotion behind me, and Johanna came bursting through, her face white as a sheet. My stomach dropped and bile rose up my throat. There was no way I wanted to hear what was about to come next.
"Jo, honey, what's wrong?" Dominic took her arm and let her catch her breath, while I looked around frantically.
When Jo was able to speak again she only said two words. "She's gone."
Chapter Fourteen - Mark
This couldn't be happening; lightning did not strike twice in the same place. I could not be that unlucky. Grabbing Johanna, I asked her to take me back to the place where she'd last seen Jen. Meanwhile, I got Dominic to put a lockdown on the joint. No one was getting in or out until I found my wife - and I'd better find her, or there would be trouble.
Following Johanna quickly, I learnt that she'd disappeared while inside the ladies. How was that possible behind a locked cubicle door? Although I had no idea, I intended to find out.
"Did you hear anything? Do you know if she unlocked the door? Did anyone come in? Were there people here already?" My questions came thick and fast, but thankfully slow enough that Johanna could understand them.
Putting a hand on my arm, she said, "There was no one in here when we went inside. As soon as we'd locked the cubicle doors, though, a group of ladies came in, and I heard them chatting. When I came out I waited for who I thought was Jen, but when the door opened, a lady with bright red hair came out. When I asked her where Jen had gone, they said a man with a mask had come in and taken her. One of them said he'd gagged her, which they hadn't thought anything of, and then hustled her out of the room. They'd just assumed the pair were off to do a scene somewhere."
"Did anyone see where they went?" My heart was racing so bad I could barely hear myself speak.
"No. I asked, but all of the group were still in here when I came out."
"Shit. She could be anywhere. Where would Kyle go in order to get her out of here? Or maybe he has already." I slumped against the wall as the reality of what had just happened sunk in. What should I do next? Call the police? They were the last people I wanted to be involved, but if he had taken her outside I needed to get them involved.
Walking back towards Dominic and the front desk, I decided to talk with the manager and get an announcement out. If Jen was still in the building, I wanted to make it impossible for Kyle to get her out.
"Are you going to call the police?" Dominic had a grave expression on his face, and I knew exactly what he was thinking.
"Not yet. I'm going to get together a group of employees and friends and do a full search from top to bottom. I'm also going to get the security footage reviewed. If she can't be found, then we'll contact the police, but it's unlikely they'll be able to do very much at this time of night."
He nodded. "Johanna and I will round the guys up and get a search started. Is there anywhere we won't be able to access without a key?" Thinking ahead, that was Dominic.
"Not if you take the manager with you. There are only a few rooms that are locked, and he'll be able to open them for you. I wouldn't put it past Kyle to have bribed someone for access. The security we've installed here isn't the easiest to break into, but I want everywhere checked, just in case." Dominic didn't need any further encouragement. He marched off, and I knew that if Jen was anywhere to be found, he'd find her.
Muscling my way into the back office where I knew the cameras were kept, I quickly apprised the security guy of what had happened, and he was happy to cooperate. I'd go through the back tapes later if I had to, but right now the most important thing was to find out if Jen was still in the building, and I hoped and prayed she was. Kyle wouldn't have been able to take her out of the front door without someone recognising her, and I'd have thought at least a couple of people would come forward after I'd made my announcement on the loudspeaker. That had been a difficult decision, too. It took me what felt like an age to figure out something appropriate to say. Although I suspected it had been a kidnapping, I had no actual proof as of yet, and if I started waving words around like that I'd have droves of people heading to the exit door in a panic. In the end, I just asked that if anyone had seen Jennifer Matthews recently, they should contact the front desk immediately. As yet we'd not heard anything, and that couldn't be a good sign. How did you hide someone in a room full of people?
After the poisoning incident last year, poor Jen had been in the papers a lot, and her face was well known around these parts. There were also a lot of people in the building who knew that I was very protective of my wife, and if she'd been walking on her own with a strange man for any length of time, it should have raised a few eyebrows. So far, it hadn't, and that had alarm bells blaring in my head. The bastard must have disguised her somehow. A hood perhaps? Or a cape? Unless he'd got her out of that red dress she would be very recognisable, and if he had gotten her out of it, his days on this earth were numbered.
I scanned the security screens with the utmost attention to detail. There were so many people in the building; it was like trying to pluck a drop of water from the ocean. Crowds and crowds of them flittered across my gaze, my eyes repeatedly zigzagging from left to right as I tried to pick up on anything that might be of use. I figured I was looking for a cape or a big coat with a hood. While she wouldn't exactly stand out like that because there was a little of everything crazy in the building this evening, she should be easier to spot. Three times either myself or the security guard caught something which could have been Jennifer, but on closer inspection wasn't. So far, there was no sign of Kyle either. He'd also have changed by now. I had no doubt he'd worn the mask to abduct Jen, so I'd know exactly who was behind this, and he was a guy who lived off the fear of others. When I got my hands on him...
"That one, there." My eyes zeroed in on a tall man with long hair trailing just past his neck, with a female of about Jen's height dressed in a ridiculous Red Riding Hood costume. They were in the main street, heading towards the Atrium, and I knew for a fact there was a fire exit in that room. It was alarmed, but Kyle might not care about that now he knew we were looking for him. They then turned to enter one of the sideshows, maybe to hide for a moment, but when another camera captured the faces of the pair I knew instantly it wasn't them. Goddamit. I wanted to slam my fist through the monitor in front of me, though it probably wouldn't do much to release the fear and anger that were currently burning a hole in my gut.
Keep your calm, Matthews. I warned myself. There was no way I could go to pieces; Jen's life was in the balance.
Scouring the screens between us, we managed to get through all the rooms once, without finding a thing, before they began repeating themselves. This time, I vowed to look more carefully. There was something I was missing. Even if they'd hidden in one of the sideshows they'd have to come out eventually. They couldn't stay put forever. All this time I was nearly mindless with worry that Kyle might have somehow already got her out of the building. It was unlikely but possible. If he had someone on the inside or had paid off one of the employees, he could already be several miles away by now. But worrying myself silly wasn't productive, and it wouldn't get Jen back. Concentrate.
"Wait. What about these two?" The security guy, whose name tag read Dan pointed to a couple in Escape's underground parking lot. The man was wearing a heavy overcoat and had a beret on his head. The woman was dressed in black. She wore a cape that nearly covered her from head to foot - perfect if you didn't want to be noticed in a hurry.
"Should they be out there?" My eyes narrowed in on the pair. There was no one else around. I was pretty sure the only people allowed in that garage were the staff or valet parking attendants, and those two looked like neither.
"No. I'm calling security." Dan immediately picked up the phone and punched in a number.
"Liam, can you get to parking bay 216 ASAP? We think a woman has been taken hostage." Dan turned to me. "He's on his way after he's called for back-up. Is it likely this guy will have a gun?"
I shrugged my shoulders. He shouldn't have one. The general public had to pass through metal detectors in order to enter the building, but that meant nothing. If Kyle did have someone on the inside he could have a stash of weapons for all I knew. "Let's just say he knows how to use one, so go in prepared just in case."
"Roger that."
Meanwhile, the pair were marching over to a bright red Tesla Roadster, and I knew that if they got in it I'd very likely never see my wife again. My Mercedes is nippy on the road, but it can't beat one of those.
"You can't let him get in that car," I whispered, horrified.
"They won't get away," he said, and though he sounded certain of the fact, I wasn't so sure. There didn't seem to be anyone else about, and unless someone managed to get there in the next twenty seconds, Jen was gone. Pacing away, in front of the security footage, I had never felt so helpless. I would have run to the parking lot myself if there had been any chance I could get there in time. Unfortunately it was across the other side of the building, and even if I sprinted it would be at least five minutes before I could get to it, probably more with all the people milling around.
"Don't worry, we're going to spook him," Dan said. Pressing down on a big black button he spoke into a microphone on his desk and said, "All security personnel, please head out to parking bay 216 immediately." It reverberated back across the room, so I knew it had been a loudspeaker announcement. The man with the beret on whipped his head around and I could tell instantly that it was Kyle. Tugging on Jennifer's arm he practically dragged her the last few yards to the car, and I have never wanted to kill someone so badly in my entire life.
Dan then switched the emergency lights on in the lot, flooding it with an almost blinding glare, and Kyle lost his grip on Jen for a moment. She took full advantage, giving him a swift kick to the shins to try and break free. He clung on to the fabric of her cloak for a moment, but as the garment wasn't tied on she let it fly off her, running as fast as she could in the other direction. Several security agents burst through into the lot, and Kyle had to deal with the idea of self-preservation. He didn't have time to run after Jen if he wanted to save his own hide. Sure enough, the man turned his head back towards the Tesla and jumped inside. Seconds later the car engine whirred into life, and he sent security guards flying everywhere as he blasted out of the parking lot, as fast as his wheels would carry him. This left me frantic for a moment. I couldn't see Jen on the screen, and there was a chance he might have run her over or worse.
"He's just burst through the barriers at the exit." Dan switched the cameras over, so we could see the tail of his car escaping. There was no way he'd have had time to pick Jen up, thank God, but that didn't mean she was okay.
"Anyone set eyes on Jen yet?" My voice was a whisper, but thankfully Dan heard me. Picking up a walkie-talkie which was charging on the side of his desk, he said, "Anyone got eyes on Jennifer Matthews?"
There were a lot of "negatives" that flew back in the feed, and my heart dropped with each further one that was relayed.
"Search the entire parking lot and report back as soon as you see anything." Dan looked back at his security screens and frowned. "We'll find her, Mr Matthews. She can't have just vanished."
Sitting there in silence I scanned the screens yet again, looking wildly from side to side, hoping against hope to catch a glimpse of Jennifer. What the hell had happened to her? Having visions of her lying sprawled out on the tarmac of the lot floor, leaking blood from all angles, all I wanted to do was throw up. If that bastard had killed my wife, I wouldn't be responsible for my actions here on in.
"We've searched the parking lot from top to bottom, boss - it's clear." Fuck. Where was she? Could she somehow have been inside that car? Please God, no.
"Do you think she might have run outside? Or would she try and re-enter the building?" Dan was asking sensible questions, but my mind was mush, and it took several seconds for me to get my head around the simple issues.
"She shouldn't be able to re-enter the building, as the doors leading out to the parking lot are normally sealed closed from inside." If she was running around outside clueless and Kyle somehow managed to catch up with her... All these thoughts were spinning around my head, and my blood pressure was going to go through the roof."
Dan pursed his lips and continued staring at the series of screens in front of him. "Normally I'd agree with you, but they must have come through a door to get into the lot, and if it was left open, she might have gone back through it."
He had a point, but it was a slim chance at best, and I didn't want to get my hopes up. Watching room after room flash by on Escape's security cameras, I realised it was probably time to call the police. If Jen had run outside, she'd have managed to get someone's mobile phone by now, surely? She was sensible enough. Mind you, Kyle would have also scared her witless. People did funny things when they were scared. The question was: what would my wife do?
She'd be back in the building creating a commotion somewhere. I didn't think it likely she'd have run outside. For one, Jen was wearing a sleeveless dress and it would be cold out there, and for another, that was where Kyle was heading. If the door to the main building had been left open, she'd have run back through it to have the protection of a lot of people around her. Did Jen know that Kyle had driven off, though? If she didn't, there was every chance she might be hiding somewhere, not wanting to come out until it was safe. There was one more option to try before I decided to call the police.
"Can I borrow the loudspeaker for a moment?"
Dan looked surprised, but nodded and passed it over to me.
"Could Mrs Matthews report to the front desk, please? Mr Levison has now left the premises." That would get everyone talking for sure, but I didn't care. I just wanted to see if my wife was safe. Dan and I sat there for a minute or two, looking glumly at the screen as nothing happened. Picking up my cell phone, I took a deep sigh and wondered what the hell I was going to say to the police this time. The last thing we needed was another scandal, but if Kyle had somehow managed to get Jen, then they needed to be involved as soon as possible. I didn't have much faith that they'd manage to find her, but any chance was better than no chance.
"Wait. What's that?" Dan was suddenly looking at his computer screen very intently, as a flash of red streaked by. Whoever it was, they were running as fast as their legs could carry them, but there were too many people in the room to keep track of the
lady for any length of time. Though neither of us had managed to see her face, there was a good chance this might be Jen. For a moment I dared to hope.
Dan's expertise came in handy as he knew what direction she was heading in and which cameras stood a good chance of picking her up next. We found the lady in the main street next, knocking people out of the way as she made a beeline for the front door. Although she was moving fast, I was sure the dress was Jen's. Although bright red was a favourite colour for women at Escape, there weren't many floor length dresses going around, and the lady was clearly hampered by some very high heels - ones that I distinctly remembered Jennifer putting on.
"It's her," I whispered.
There was another tense thirty seconds or so before someone charged up to the front desk and demanded to talk to me. Jennifer's voice was unmistakable. Rushing out to greet her, she flung her arms around my neck and buried her face in my chest. Picking her up, I hugged her to me for the longest time as the horror and fear of the last hour slowly leaked from my body. She hadn't been kidnapped. She was here - right here - and I was never letting her go.
"Oh thank God," I whispered. "For a moment there I thought you were gone."
"So did I," she whispered back with a face as white as paper, "so did I."
Chapter Fifteen - Jennifer
There was a reason I had taken so long to get back to Mark. When Kyle had raced off in his sports car, I knew damn well I wasn't running after him, so there was no chance of me heading outside. I'd rather have camped out in the parking lot for all eternity. Remembering the door we came through, one he'd had a keycard for, I thought I'd try that first. It might be locked now, but it was worth a shot. Thankfully it was still ajar, so I crept inside and closed it behind me, hearing the satisfying click of the lock. Although Kyle might still have the keycard, I suspected he'd be long gone by now, and for some reason I felt safer behind a closed door. Now I just had to get through to the other side. We'd had to come through two doors to reach the parking lot, so on the way back I'd just assumed the other door would also be left open. It wasn't. On closer inspection I realised it was a fire door, and it had clicked softly shut behind us. This now presented me with a rather unpleasant dilemma. I couldn't go forward, and on retrying the door handle behind me, realised there was no chance of me going back, either. Shit. This meant I was now trapped. Usually I'd do what any girl worth her salt would do in this situation, which was scream the place down, but Kyle had gagged me, and padlocked the thing to the back of my head to make sure I couldn't remove it.
The Velvet Collar Page 13
