by A. m Madden
“She followed you to California,” Nick offered. “She was arrested several times for selling heroin, robbery, and even prostitution. She never contacted you?”
“No. I didn’t even know she was in L.A. When I finally admitted that she was no longer the girl I fell in love with, I tried to help her before I left. The more time I spent with her the crazier she got. I even tried to convince her parents and brother that she needed help. They were all in complete denial, blaming me for all her issues. I knew then I had to get as far away from her as possible. Where is she now?”
“Her last address still places her in California.”
Garrett reached and placed a firm hand on Reed’s arm. “I had no idea she became pregnant.” He then turned back to Nick. “Is he…was the baby mine?”
“If Reed is your son, without your signature she couldn’t list you on his birth certificate. You’ll both need to take a paternity test.”
Both Garrett and Reed looked like they were about to be sick. Part of me felt bad for the two men who had made my life miserable these past few months. Reed held his head as he processed what he’d just heard.
“You had no idea when you applied to his firm?” I asked out loud.
Reed looked over to me. “None. I applied to several of the biggest public relations firms in the country. Garrett’s offer was the best.” He looked over and met Garrett’s tormented gaze. “What are the chances, me finding you, giving my heart and soul to you for seven years?”
Garrett’s silence and shocked expression said all he was thinking.
“Could she be here now? Could she have Maygen?” I asked, bringing it back to Maygen.
“She could,” Nick said, nodding. “This very well may be her attempt at revenge.”
“Why now? Why not years ago?” George asked my next question.
“Timing?” Nick offered with a shrug. “Between jail, her addiction, and who knows what else she’s been through.”
Nick picked up his phone and in minutes had agents on their way to Maygen’s apartment and Dax’s studio. While on the phone, my cell buzzed with Maygen’s number.
“It’s her,” I said out loud before connecting the call. “Baby, where are you?”
“Hi, Daddy. I thought we’d have lunch. Can you come by my place?”
“Sweetheart, it’s me, David.” I was so relieved to hear her voice. “Where are you?”
“Sure. I’ll make something. Just bring yourself.” She ignored my words, rambling without making sense.
A chill ran up my spine when it hit me she hadn’t accidentally called me. “You can’t talk?” I whispered just in case my voice traveled.
“No.”
“Are you okay?” My voice sounded desperate.
“Okay, Daddy. I’ll see you soon?” she said cheerfully over the phone.
“Maygen, is Arnold there?”
“No.”
“Baby, I’m coming.”
No response came and the line went dead. “She’s at her place with someone. Arnold isn’t there. She pretended I was Garrett and said to come over for lunch.”
I didn’t wait for instruction, for a plan, for anyone to give me direction. I took off running with one goal. I was halfway down the hall when I heard Nick yell, “David!”
Chapter 34
Maygen
The moment she shot Arnold, I gasped, lunging to help him.
“Fuck,” he groaned, his wounded leg buckling enough to bring him to the ground. The silencer on the end of her gun would’ve prevented anyone from hearing that shot. “Blondie, get his gun and hand it to me or the next bullet goes into your leg.”
Knowing where Arnold kept his gun holstered, I reached under his coat. Before I had it exposed, she yelled, “Don’t pull it out; just let it fall to the ground.”
The gun fell with a heavy thump at our feet.
“Help him get the fuck up and move!” She commanded us back to my apartment, picking the gun up and shoving it in her pocket. She knew he carried one, she knew he’d be beside me; whoever this person was had done her homework.
I fiddled nervously with the key while trying to help Arnold at the same time. He tried to hold up his own weight. His grunts of pain intertwined with his words of rage caused her to shout, “Shut up!”
She stood far enough away where we couldn’t reach her, but close enough to fire off another shot if she had to.
Once I opened the door, Arnold stepped inside and again fell to the ground, gripping his thigh. “You, over there!” She waved her gun at me and then pointed to a chair.
“He needs help.”
Without a word, with her eyes wild and unfocused, she pointed the gun at Arnold and shot him in the head. The way he tipped over didn’t register until I saw a pool of blood puddle around him.
My scream was immediately cut short when she pointed the gun right at my head. “Shut up!” I tried desperately to pull in enough air, but I felt like I was suffocating. “Just shut the fuck up!” she said through clenched teeth. My gasps pissed her off even more than my scream had. “I can’t stand it! Stop!”
The way her unfocused eyes frantically darted around the room scared me to death. Obviously strung out on something, she was a ticking time bomb, ready to blow at any moment.
Her blond hair was a matted mess; her clothes hung on her emaciated frame. Worn shoes, threadbare coat, even her rotted teeth made her look homeless. Who the hell was this woman?
“Kill the bodyguard, tie her up.” She counted off on her fingers. Pulling a roll of duct tape from her pocket, she tossed it to me. My eyes never wavered from the gun she held trembling in her outstretched hand. “Tape your ankles to the chair.”
“How did you get up here?” I tried desperately to calm down, rationalizing that if she wanted me dead she would have shot me already.
Ignoring me, once both my ankles were secured she said, “Number three, call Garrett. Where’s your phone?”
“In my purse.” Her eyes darted to where my bag had fallen from my shoulder near Arnold. She dumped the contents on the floor and picked up my cell. Thrusting it at me she then said, “Call your father and tell him to get over here.”
“Who are you?” I whispered, afraid to upset her.
“Do it!”
My hand was shaking so badly I could barely hit the right number. Instead of going to my contacts, I went to recent calls. My finger hovered over my father’s number, but with my knuckle I tapped David’s number instead.
“Baby, where are you?” David’s sexy voice caused my heart to pound in my chest.
“Hi, Daddy. I thought we’d have lunch. Can you come by my place?”
“Sweetheart, it’s me, David. Where are you?” David repeated.
Ignoring him, I rushed on. “Sure. I’ll make something. Just bring yourself.”
“You can’t talk?” His voice lowered to just above a whisper.
“No.”
“Are you okay?”
“Okay, Daddy. I’ll see you soon.” I forced myself to sound jovial and not have my voice crack.
“Maygen, is Arnold there?”
“No.”
“Baby, I’m coming.”
Thank you, God, for letting David understand what was happening, I prayed over and over in my mind. I just hoped it wasn’t too late. As soon as I hung up the call she snatched the phone away from my hand and threw it across the room, where it smashed to pieces against a wall.
She then grabbed the roll of tape off the floor and said, “Hands behind your back.” Winding the tape around my wrists over and over, once she was satisfied she threw the tape across the room. “Now, number four, we wait.”
Why did she want to see my father? I couldn’t imagine how or why he knew this woman. What if she intended to shoot him the minute he got here? What if David got here first? My brilliant plan suddenly took a morbid turn in my mind, causing the hyperventilating to kick in again.
Forcing deep breaths through my nose, I needed to distract her. �
�What’s your name?”
“Gloria.” Her eyes widened and a smile spread over her lips. “Excelsis Deo. It means glory be to God in the highest! Did you know that?”
“No, I didn’t know that. That’s beautiful, Gloria.” Maybe I could try to talk her off this ledge she was so precariously perched on. “Gloria, how do you know my dad?”
“Oh, we go waaaaay back. He was going to marry me. We were so happy!”
The way her voice raised and lowered with every other word as she perused my apartment caused bile to rise to the back of my throat. She was unstable.
Her eyes focused on a picture I had on the table by the door. “Look how handsome he is,” she said, skimming a fingertip over my dad’s face. She lifted the frame and kissed the glass. Replacing it on the table, her eyes continued to scan my apartment. “Daddy set you up real nice here, didn’t he?”
She slowly walked around the living room and then into the kitchen. I struggled against the tape at my wrists, twisting my hands in opposite directions in an attempt to loosen the hold. My fingers were numb while I continued wiggling them. Across the room I watched her remove one of the stainless steel blades that were nestled in the wood knife block, causing my movements to become more frantic but to no avail.
“Nice knives,” she said over her shoulder.
Walking back toward me, she tilted the blade, admiring it like it was a piece of jewelry. Her eyes moved from the knife to my face. “You’re so pretty. Did you like my princess doll? Don’t you think it looked like you? You have your daddy’s eyes.” She stared into them dreamily. A faraway look came over her face; a euphoric smile spread lazily on her lips. “Your father was so handsome, and a flirt. That cheerleader had it coming.”
How could my father be with a person like this?
“He loved you so much,” I said, no doubt a lie.
Her eyes flew to mine. “He did. Your grandmother is to blame. She turned him against me, convinced him to leave me.” The serenity she had felt instantly morphed into a deep scowl.
“He often says that was the worst mistake of his life.”
Her eyes widened. “It was. I hated that witch he ended up with. She also deserved what she got. My brother finally did something right. He’s such a loser.”
Panic consumed me. My mother. They killed my mother. I swallowed hard, desperate to keep her talking. “You have a brother? What’s his name?”
“Jonah. Garrett and I should have been together in New York raising our son. Instead he married her, and had you,” she spat out venomously.
“You have a son?”
“Yes. He is also very handsome. I tried to be a good mom, I really did. But he wouldn’t stop crying. I needed him to stop crying.”
An image of a dead baby popped into my head. “It wasn’t your fault, Gloria.”
As if she didn’t hear me she continued. “I just gave him a little taste, just so he would go to sleep. I was a good mother. They took him from me. Said I was unfit. I never saw him again.”
“He probably misses you so much. I’ll help you find him.”
Her face lit up and her eyes widened with excitement. “Oh, I found him the same way I found your dad. They looked so handsome side by side in that magazine. His face looked like a younger version of my brother’s. He may be a loser now, but he was very debonair years ago.”
“Your son was in a magazine with my dad?”
“That’s right. Garrett Whitney and his right-hand man, Reed Conlon. That’s not his name,” she said with a sarcastic huff. “Reed Michaels. They wouldn’t let me name him Reed Whitney, even though that’s who he is. That idiot went and changed it to Conlon. What the fuck kind of name is that?”
Reed?
“Your son is Reed?”
“He abandoned me. Left me to rot, so he’s next. After your dad and I finally reunite, after I get rid of you and anyone else that distracts Garrett from realizing who he should be with, Reed will be the last to go.”
My mind raced with all she just said. Reed was my half brother? I couldn’t dwell on that too long. Remembering the knife in her hand, she came closer and without warning dragged the tip across my cheek. The sting was instant. She smiled when I flinched, her eyes tracking the trail of blood that trickled down my face.
“Oh no, that’s going to need stitches. Remember your doll? Headless?” She released a manic laugh that caused a chill to spread over my whole body. Her face turned serious once again. “So pretty. Your skin is flawless. I once had skin like that, and my hair was just like yours. Shiny and flowing.” She wedged the gun under her arm and lifted a fistful of my hair while holding the knife close to my skull. “I love the color of yours, though. It’d make a great wig.”
The knife came closer and I forced my eyes closed when a whimper escaped from my lips. “Gloria.” My throat closed, and I swallowed. “Um…I’ll take you to a salon, make you beautiful again for my dad. How does that sound?”
“Oh, really? Can we go to Elizabeth Arden? Or perhaps Bendel’s?” Her hand still held my hair and the other hand the knife as she debated where she wanted to go. “But that won’t work. You won’t be able to take me.”
“Why?” I asked. “I can take you. Wherever you want to go.”
“You’ll be dead.”
“Please don’t kill me.”
“It’s not time yet. I need to wait for Garrett. That’s his punishment for forgetting about me. But once you’re gone, he’ll remember how much he loves me.” She looked down at my hands and then my legs. “You’re shaking. You need something to relax you.” The knife fell from her hand, landing on the rug at my feet. Pulling out a needle from her pocket, she winked conspiratorially. “You’ll love it. It helps so much.”
I felt the prick in my neck. I felt the rush. I was flying, weightless…and then all I felt was calm.
Warmth flushed through me. Everything decelerated. Through hooded eyes I watched Gloria smiling. I couldn’t fight the sleep. Suddenly David was above me, smiling as well. His hand caressed my head. His deep voice told me he loved me. Seeing him made me so happy. I smiled when his eyes connected with mine.
All I felt was complete and utter peace.
Chapter 35
David
Nick chased right behind me, catching up seconds after I exited his building.
“You need to let us handle this!”
“The fuck I do! I’m going. She could be dead by now!”
“We need to prove she is alive and by barging in the results could be fatal.” Nick grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to stop and listen. “I’m trained in hostage rescue. You need to trust me, trust us.”
“Nick, you have to save her.”
“I know.” He stared back but I couldn’t stand the uncertainty he wasn’t able to hide in his eyes. Without wasting time, he called up to George and set in motion a hostage recovery mission with SWAT assistance.
I couldn’t get past images of Maygen lying limp in my arms. So far those images had appeared only in my dreams, and the possibility of them becoming reality crippled me.
It was less than thirty minutes later when the lobby of her building became a command center, but it might as well have been days. George tried calling Maygen’s number repeatedly, only to hear it ring and ring. One agent questioned Felix at the desk and another scanned the security tapes from earlier in the day. We had no idea who was upstairs with her, or what waited for us when we barged in.
From the security tapes, witnesses, and the video footage from the elevator it didn’t take long to learn that there was one woman upstairs and no signs of an accomplice. Nick had a few SWAT officers across the street surveying the front of the building, focusing on Maygen’s apartment windows. From their reports, she was tied to a chair and a woman was pacing around her while holding a knife.
Garrett and Reed both arrived as Nick and George were viewing the footage. It showed a man distracting the security guard with a floral delivery. He looked like the same man who’d dropped of
f the box containing the headless doll at the courier service. After the woman crawled past the security desk, literally, she entered the stairwell. Garrett couldn’t be sure, but he thought she could be Gloria Michaels.
“She’s changed so much,” he said quietly to no one in particular. The anguish he felt was clear through the deep frown lines visible on his face. Reed stared over his shoulder in awe. A flash of sympathy traveled through me at his situation. That lunatic was his mother, the man beside him a father he never knew he had. Once again life proved that nothing was as it seemed, and most of the time it was even worse than imagined.
Here was this woman who for whatever reason was hell-bent on ruining Garrett’s life by using the people he loved. She was either dumb as dirt or had a death wish. That made the danger Maygen was in even more alarming.
I was used to high-pressure situations, especially ones where a life was on the line, but this was Maygen. Sweat covered every inch of my skin while my blood pressure rose through the roof. The worst case of the shakes I’d ever experienced racked my body, making me think I was in the midst of a full-blown heart attack. Trying to calm myself down, I turned away from the activity and paced. Waiting to run up the stairs at the first signal from Nick, I focused on images of Gloria lying limp instead of Maygen.
From my corner I watched the two agents, as well as George and Nick, all put on Kevlar vests. Nick then came over holding another vest and said, “Put this on. You stay out of our way. I mean it, David. You are not supposed to be here.”
I couldn’t guarantee what I’d do once I saw her, so a lie in the form of a nod was all I could give him as a promise.
Nick turned to his team. “Only on my command you move with no delay, breach, and assume position immediately.” Into his radio communicator he said to the SWAT team outside, “Hold fire until I command.”
“Copy that. Suspect within sight,” came through the main radio that sat on the security desk.
