She had booked a motel room under a phony name and paid cash for two nights. Knowing that Roger would stake out the airport, she decided to buy bus tickets to Los Angeles and then book a flight to Germany from there. At least she would be one step ahead of him. He’d never dream that she would be that clever. All she had to do now was keep her cool and let time drift away. The only problem was that time seemed to be moving excruciatingly slow and listening to Rose drone on about the DMV made her want to put a bullet in her head. Why did she have to talk so much? How could Roger stand it?
“Everything was delicious,” Rose commented, looking at Paulina. “You are a terrific cook. Maybe you should think about becoming a caterer. I think you have a natural talent for it.”
Paulina gave a curt smile and said, “Thank you.” She could care less if Rose liked her food. She had made this meal for her beautiful son, whom she now had to protect from the monster at the other end of the table.
“Have you had any nibbles on finding a job?” Rose dared to ask.
“No,” Paulina said, not making eye contact.
“I could put in a good word for you at the DMV if you like. We might be hiring.”
“That sounds great,” Roger interjected.
Paulina didn’t look up from her plate. She knew that her face had formed a scowl and she didn’t want Roger to see it.
“Excuse me,” she uttered and got up from the table.
Staring into the bathroom mirror a minute later, she realized that she was the odd man out in this scenario. Roger could get rid of her and have Rose step in to help raise her son, making a nice little family for himself. The thought made her squat down on the floor and hug the toilet bowl. She couldn’t fathom Jacob being reared by that woman. Hopefully, Roger would invite Rose to spend the night so that she could sneak out with Jacob at about two in the morning. She had already prepared a bag with the bare necessities for their getaway.
She splashed some water on her face and told herself that she had to go out and put on a better front. The last thing she needed was for Roger to confront her about her attitude toward Rose. He was smitten with her and would be on Rose’s side no matter what she said. Her best bet was to play nice and pretend everything was great. She took a deep breath, left the bathroom, and returned to the table.
“Is everything okay?” Roger asked.
“Oh, yes,” Paulina said sweetly. She put her hand on her stomach and said, “I think that I ate too much. The downside of Thanksgiving, right?”
“It’s happened to all of us,” Rose said cheerily.
“You mentioned that the DMV might have an opening?” she asked with raised eyebrows.
“I think so. Are you interested if we do?”
“Definitely. Thank you for thinking of me.”
Rose nodded and smiled.
“Why don’t you all go relax in the living room and I’ll put on some coffee. Do you both want a cup?”
Rose and Roger nodded. “I’d be happy to help you Paulina,” Rose stated.
“I won’t hear of it. You are our guest. Please go sit in the living room with Roger.”
Paulina took some dishes and placed them in the sink. She prepared the coffee maker with Roger’s favorite hazelnut coffee. She continued to clear dishes off of the table, glad to have something to do. Roger, Rose, and Jacob were watching TV in the living room, oblivious that Paulina had practically cleaned up the entire Thanksgiving meal. She took out four dessert plates and began cutting the pumpkin pie. She took the pie out on a tray and placed it on the coffee table. She then went back for the coffee, filling three mugs and brought that out along with sugar and creamer. Playing the role of the perfect hostess had given her an excuse to lessen her interaction with Roger and Rose. It was a perfect cover.
They ate their pie and drank their coffee in silence for a few moments.
Jacob had finished his pie and wanted to do something other than watch TV. “Mom, can I go play Nintendo in my room?” he asked.
“Of course you can.”
He hurried out of the room, leaving the adults alone. The next show coming on was The Big Bang Theory. When the sit-com ended, Paulina got up and cleared the trays from the coffee table. She put the dishes in the dishwasher and stored the leftovers in the fridge.
“Well, I’m beat. I’m going to bed. Good night.”
“Good night,” Roger and Rose said almost simultaneously.
Paulina set her alarm clock for two. She was sure that Roger would be fast asleep, especially after the big meal they just had. Spending one second longer than she had to with a possible killer was out of the question.
***
Paulina woke up before the alarm went off. She had gone to bed in her clothes, so all she had to do was put on her shoes and get her son out of bed. She had strapped her duffle bag around her body so that the weight of it was on her back. She pulled the covers off Jacob and placed shoes on his feet. He was in a deep sleep and had no idea that she was moving him.
The hard part was getting him out of the apartment. She was going to have to carry him and he wasn’t exactly light. She opened the bedroom door to prepare her path. She picked him up, feeling her back strain but she had no choice. Waking him up was not an option. First, it was nearly impossible to wake him up in the middle of the night. Second, he would start asking her questions and possibly wake up Roger.
She walked carefully into the living room, heading toward the door. Freedom was in her grasp, until Roger turned on the lamp. He was sitting on the sofa, apparently waiting for her. She gasped at the sight of him and froze in the spot where she was standing. Her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest. She knew being caught was going to have disastrous consequences for her. All she could do was hold onto her child, believing that it was the last time she would be able to.
“What are you doing?” Roger said with a coldness she had never heard before.
She went to open her mouth, but nothing came out. She couldn’t speak.
“I asked you a question,” he said getting up. “Why are you taking Jacob somewhere in the middle of the night?”
“I … I … I have become a … afraid of you Roger. Everything is so, so intense with you. I thought that it would be good to have some space.”
She watched as he approached her.
“Is it because of Rose? Are you jealous of her?”
Why didn’t she think to blame it on Rose? That was much more plausible than the lame answer she just gave him. She nodded. “You being with Rose is driving me crazy. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I decided to get away to clear my head.”
This could work if she was believable. Perhaps her life wasn’t over yet.
“What are you saying? That you want to give us another try?”
Absolutely not. No way in hell. I loathe the thought of being with you.
“I have to admit I have been wishing that we could be a family. Have you thought about it too?”
“Of course. Why don’t you put Jacob back to bed and we can talk. I’ll cut us each a piece of pie and we can get things out in the open.”
“Okay.”
She walked back to the bedroom and placed Jacob onto the bed. She removed his shoes, covered him up, and kissed him on the forehead. “Sleep well, my wonderful boy,” she whispered to him. Perhaps all wasn’t lost. She might have to go to bed with Roger to convince him that she wanted him, but she could do that if it meant saving her life. She could try again when Roger was working next week. She would take Jacob out of school and head straight for L.A.
As she walked out of the bedroom, she felt Roger grab her from behind. “I suspected you were up to something bitch. I had to send home Rose so she wouldn’t be here to see this. I missed out on sex because of you, but I won’t be missing out on that again.” He stuck her neck with something and her body went limp in a matter of seconds. He pulled her into his bedroom and into his bathroom. She couldn’t quite make out what was wrong with the bathroom walls. Then s
he realized by looking at the floor that he had covered his bathroom in plastic. She wanted to scream, but she couldn’t utter a sound. All she could do was take in the scene with her eyes and accept that Darcy’s warning had come too late. He was going to kill her and Jacob would be motherless.
Roger placed her in the tub. “You think you are so smart, don’t you? I knew the minute you started being nice to Rose that you were up to something. What clenched it for me was you accepting help from her finding a job at the DMV. That was over the top. I knew then that you had either figured things out or someone had said something to you. But don’t worry, Paulina. I’m going to take good care of our son. I’ll make sure he wants for nothing. It’s really too bad it has to end this way. You were a good mother.”
Tears streamed down Paulina’s face. Her precious boy was going to grow up with this monster. How would he not turn into a monster himself? The fear of what was about to happen caused her to hear the blood rushing through her body. As he came toward her with a knife, she screamed in her head, no, please don’t kill me. She managed to scream it twice and then he slit her throat. She could feel the life draining out of her body. Please, God, save my son.
***
Roger was pissed that it had come to this, but he wasn’t going to lose his son, not again. Paulina had given him no choice. She was planning on leaving and taking his son. The only mistake he had made was not finding out how she found out. All he could do now was speculate. He could only assume that she had found the fake drawer where he kept his knives and saws. Damn it.
He knew that he was going to have to move quickly. It was four in the morning when he was done wrapping Paulina up in trash bags. The only place he could think to put her without leaving Jacob alone, was in the trunk of his car. Doing it now was the safest since everyone was sleeping and he could slip in and out of the apartment undetected. He’d have to come up with a place to discard her later. Fortunately, Jacob slept through anything, so he would do it in the middle of the night.
Now, on to more pleasant deliberations—finding Kate. He had the tools that he needed to take out her security guard. He just needed to have access to her and the guard. Friday would be a big shopping day. Perhaps Kate would venture out shopping and he could make his move then.
Chapter 20
Neil woke up before Kate to make the preparations that he had been contemplating since their fifth date. He had wanted to propose on Thanksgiving, but Mitch had beaten him to the punch. So he came up with a plan for the day after. He wanted this to be the most romantic day of Kate’s life—a day that she would never forget—a day that would make all of her friends swoon when she told them about it. He was extremely pleased with himself. It was way better than Mitch’s proposal to Charlie, not that it was a competition or anything.
He made his way downstairs and then into his office. He took the envelope out of his desk drawer and wrote “Kate” on it. He knew that she would reach for the coffee maker first thing, so that’s where he would put the note. He then would leave the apartment to finalize his arrangements for the evening.
His mind wandered to her stunning face and he imagined the delight he hoped to see this evening when he got down on one knee. She was his everything, the woman he desired more than any other in the world. His beautiful Kate.
He heard some movement upstairs and took that as his cue to make his departure. This only worked if he wasn’t here. He quietly closed the door behind him and told Porter, who was just getting off the elevator, to keep an eye on his girl today. Porter would be her shadow throughout the events that he had planned.
Porter uncharacteristically, smiled broadly and nodded. “I know the plan, sir. I’ve got it covered.”
“Neil,” Kate called, bounding down the stairs. When she didn’t hear a response, she called for him again. That’s strange. He didn’t mention going into work today. It was a four-day weekend and she was hoping they would spend the day together.
She entered the kitchen and took out the coffee beans. When she turned to the coffee maker, she found the note from Neil. Hmm, what could this be about?
She opened the envelope and smiled.
Baby,
Since I love you a latte, please get your breakfast and coffee at our place.
Love,
Neil
Neil was inviting her to coffee at the bakery they frequented on the weekends. How sweet. But why couldn’t we just go together?
She scurried upstairs to get ready for her coffee date with her beloved. As she walked up each step, she reflected on how much her life had changed since she fell in love with him, since she gave life a chance again. He had made her happier than she ever thought possible.
She studied her clothes in the closet for a moment and then decided to slip on her jeans, a black knit top and her black boots. She brushed her hair, her teeth, and applied her makeup as quickly as she could. Her man was waiting for her and she didn’t want to take too long.
She descended the stairs and made it to the front door in record time. Opening the door, she was greeted by Porter.
“Good morning, Porter.”
“Good morning, Miss Simmons. Where are we off to today?”
“We’re meeting my wonderful boyfriend at the coffee house. Shall we?”
“After you,” he said, motioning toward the elevator.
On the ride down, Kate pictured Neil in her head. He was so handsome, his hazel eyes and strong jaw took her breath away every time she saw him. Waking up to his gorgeous smile every morning and kissing his full lips every night; that was a dream come true. She wanted to have her body wrapped around his every chance she had. She was enchanted by him in every way possible. He was her soul mate.
***
When she and Porter arrived at the car, he opened the door for her and she climbed in. He went around to the driver’s side. As the garage door opened and he pulled out, Roger spotted him. He had been waiting for Kate to leave for about an hour, which hadn’t been too bad. Jacob was in the back playing his video game. He had brought snacks for the road trip that he had in mind for them, so he could now follow Kate and look for his opportunity. One brief moment when he could take her. Having her would make everything else worth it. She would be a good mother to his son. She would be a great partner for him. Maybe someday she would become his wife, but he didn’t want to get ahead of himself. For now, she was going to become his companion and lover. I wonder if she can sense the excitement of our reunion today.
***
Porter parked in front of the bakery. Kate jumped out, anticipating seeing Neil sitting at one of their tables. They usually sat outside. When she didn’t see him, she walked into the delicious smelling storefront. She couldn’t decide what smelled better, the freshly brewed coffee or the baking scones. Either way, she was having both.
As she glanced around the shop, but Neil was nowhere to be found. Porter had just walked through the door. “Did you see Neil this morning before he left? I find it strange that he’s not here already.”
“Well, why don’t you go ahead and place your order. I’m sure things will become clear in a moment.”
“So you know what’s going on here?”
“Like I said, things will be clear in a moment,” he responded, trying to hide his smile.
She ordered a hazelnut coffee and a scone. When she paid the guy behind the counter, he handed her another note with her change. She opened it, unable to contain her giddiness. Neil was so romantic. She found a table to sit at so she could uncover the next clue in this mysterious game that Neil was playing. Taking a sip of her coffee, she read the note.
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Every dress at Georgio’s
Would be spectacular on you.
She could tell by the rhyme that she needed to go to Georgio’s, the boutique around the corner. She had admired the beautiful dresses in the window when she and Neil had walked around La Jolla. But she hadn’t ventured into the store, k
nowing that the clothes were beyond her budget and most of them she had no place to wear.
Porter sat at a table nearby, but gave her some privacy. He was really good at his job. She could tell that he didn’t want to become personally involved with her. She kept reading the note over and over while enjoying her breakfast. When she was finished, she looked over at Porter, who was scanning the room.
“Porter, my note from Neil is telling me to go to a dress shop around the corner. We can just walk there if that’s okay with you.”
“That would be fine, Miss Simmons.”
So formal. Did the guy ever loosen up? He had at least dressed somewhat casually for the day. She wondered if he had a personal life or if his entire life was protecting people who paid him.
As she stood to leave the bakery, he stood as well, following her out. Within a minute they were walking into the shop. Porter made sure that it was clear and then stood outside. Obviously, he wasn’t the shopping type.
The sales lady walked right up to Kate. “Are you Kate Simmons?” she asked with a bright smile.
“Yes, I am.”
The woman produced another note from her pocket. Kate opened it eagerly.
My Beauty,
I want you to find a dazzling dress to wear this evening. I have selected several possibilities. I hope that one of them will be to your liking.
XOXO
Neil
Kate’s mind flashed to the night Neil had given her the bikini and she became his mermaid. Little did she know then that was the beginning of their whirlwind romance. She looked at the sales woman with anticipation. “The note says that he has selected some gowns for me to try on.”
“Yes, he has. Right this way, my dear.”
Kate followed the sales woman to the fitting rooms. The dresses were waiting for her. “My name is Olivia. Please let me know if you need any other sizes or if you want my opinion on any of the gowns that Mr. Statton has chosen for you. We also have a variety of shoes and handbags to go with whichever dress you select.”
Taken By You Page 17
