There was no hope of that, but I didn’t say so.
***
I hated it when I was right. At least, when I was right about something bad. I swore my French ancestors, those who eventually migrated to the South, had been witch doctors or something. Priestesses? Oracles? I didn’t know what female magic existed in France, but I was certain it was in my bloodline.
Everyone was in a bad mood. It was the fallout of the recent launch of the telescope. The company had been on a huge buzz, and now they had come crashing down. It was a company-wide hangover, one that left everyone in fowl humor, especially on a day so gray.
The one plus side was that the jerk Russell wasn’t speaking. With a grimace on his face, worse than the usual one he carried into the office, he had hurried past me, blanking me out completely, even as I offered a hello. I liked it the days Russell didn’t talk. It meant he wasn’t ranting.
So maybe there was a bit of sunshine to the day after all.
With the thought in mind, I slipped off my shoes behind the reception desk and took out a magazine from the bottom drawer. By the last page, I realized how strangely quiet it was. I hadn’t received a phone call all day. Was the office secretly closed, and I didn’t know it? Russell being here was no indication. He would come into work even if Armageddon was raining down.
However, when Mr. Jackman came into the reception area, it put my fears to rest. Cepheus Scientific lived on. If it didn’t, Mr. Jackman, with his dazzling amber eyes and hair like dark chocolate, would not be here. He would be with his secret lover down at the Woodburn Premium Outlets. Not that he was the type of man I could ever imagine at an outlet mall. But wherever Madison went, so did he.
“Hey, everything okay down here?” he asked me.
“As far as I know. Should it not be?” I asked, suddenly worried something was going on that I wasn’t aware of. Something important.
He looked disturbed. “No. I don’t think so. I don’t know. I have a bad feeling…”
“Me too!” I exclaimed. “You’ve got the voodoo too?”
“Something like that,” he muttered. “Let me know if you need anything. I think Aurora is in a meeting all day.”
“Will do,” I said. “And the same to you. These phones may be broken. There hasn’t been a single call.”
“After the success of last week, I think all our clients know most of the department is at home asleep in their beds. It’ll pick up again soon. Enjoy the quiet while it lasts.”
“I’m more of a festival girl. The quiet never suited me well.”
Unless it comes from Russell, I thought.
Mr. Jackman gave a half-smile. “Me too,” he said. “I’ll be upstairs.”
He returned to his office, and I returned to my magazine, but I couldn’t get Madison out of my mind. I would miss her when she was transferred upstairs. Our M and M moments were the highlight of my day. I hoped she planned to keep her promise to visit me often. If not, I’d have to take my flask of margarita upstairs to her.
Of course, the moment my personal phone buzzed, saving me from the misery of my boredom, Russell also walked up to my desk. Normally, I would give my phone priority and pretend it was work related, but I didn’t feel like putting up with his wrath today.
“Yes?” I asked when he didn’t say anything.
“Aren’t you going to answer your phone?”
I blinked, trying to be patient. “Would you prefer I take a phone call over whatever it is you need me for?”
In response, he shoved a stack of files on the desk. “Have a look through these. Tell me what you think.”
I flipped open the first file. Attached to a sheet of paper was a photo of a woman in her late twenties. Her makeup was modest and she smiled, but there was something scary about the determination in her eyes, like she would bulldoze a puppy farm if it meant getting ahead.
“What’s this?” I asked, closing the file. “It looks confidential.”
“It is, but you’re allowed access to it. I’m trying to select candidates to replace Madison. Einstein wants me to choose four by the end of the day and call them to arrange an interview with her.”
I was surprised. Not that Russell was doing the back work regarding hiring a new assistant for Einstein, but because he was asking me for my opinion. “And you want my input as to who you call?”
“Yeah, well, you’ll be working with the new assistant as well. We might as well try to be one small happy family.”
I squinted, slightly suspicious. “You’re not just trying to pass your work off on me, are you?”
He sighed and reached for the files. “Never mind,” he grumbled.
I set my hand on top of the pile. “No, no. I’ll do it. Definitely not the first woman. She looks a bit crazy. But I’ll have a peek at the others.”
“Cool. Um…thanks,” he said, running a hand up the back of his head. “Oh yeah, Conrad was asking about you.”
Conrad.
My eyes dropped down to the desk.
Thankfully, my phone buzzed again. “I think I better get that,” I said.
Looking relieved, Russell darted away.
“Jolly O,” I answered, recognizing Annie’s number. “How’s the shopping? Is it everything you girls dreamed?”
I stopped. It sounded like Annie was crying so hard, she couldn’t catch a breath.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked, my stomach clenching.
Today is too gray. That’s what’s wrong. It’s too gray.
“Do you have Rawn’s phone number?” Annie finally managed. “I need to talk to him. Now.”
“I can give it to you.”
“Actually, no. Just put him on the phone.”
Immediately, I headed towards the stairs, thinking them faster than the elevator. “Annie, try to calm down. Tell me what’s happening.”
“It’s Madison,” she sobbed. “Some guy just pushed her into a black van.”
It didn’t make sense.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh god,” Annie stuttered, not answering. “This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening.”
I ran up the stairs. I didn’t know exactly what was going on, but I knew it was urgent. Annie continued to cry on the line. “Just don’t hang up on me,” I instructed. “I’m almost to Mr. Jackman’s office.”
When I reached the top floor, I sprinted down the hall, not caring how many suits I knocked over in the process, and, ignoring his secretary, I burst into his office.
Thankfully, he was sitting at his desk. “Mellissa, what’s wrong?” he asked, looking up.
I shoved the phone at him and closed my eyes, not believing what I was about to say. “It’s Annie. She’s really upset. I think Madison has been kidnapped.”
~~~
The TROUBLE With BILLIONAIRES: Book 1 Page 16
