We all just looked from one another. The ankle biter made a good point about a wig. Chloe reached for the nurse button at the same time as the nurse from overnight slowly peeked in the door. She had an odd look on her face and warning alarms went off in my head. I jumped up and ran to the bathroom dragging Sienna with me.
“Good morning ladies,” a security guard said from behind the nurse. “Do you have a visitor?”
“Yes officer, my dear friend is here to visit before her workday starts,” Chloe said. “She’s in the loo right now though.”
“She brought me cookies. I hope the doctor lets me have them,” Sophie said, rubbing at her eyes. “I feel a little better. Do you think I can have the cookies?”
Sienna and I hid in the bathroom. The officer wasn’t leaving. I reached behind Sienna to flush the toilet then turned on the sink. I counted to fifteen in my head then clicked off the light as I pushed Sienna out the door. I stood squeezed in next to the toilet in the dark, holding my breath.
This can’t end now. I’m so close.
“Hi, is something going on?” Sienna asked, sounding concerned. “What happened?”
“There’s no problem, ma’am. We’re just doing our morning sweep.” The officer glanced once more toward the bathroom, then shrugged but didn’t leave “You feel better, little miss.”
“Officer, do you want a cookie?” Sophie asked him, exaggerating a cough. “Can you ask my doctor if I can have a cookie? I really want one.”
“Yes officer, would you like to join us for a cookie?” Sienna asked. “We don’t have any milk though.”
I couldn’t see his face, but it must have been working because I heard him thank Sophie for a cookie and say goodbye. I let out the breath I’d been holding. There was no way I was leaving the safety of the dark bathroom. I could feel my whole body begin to shake.
“Imogen, it’s okay now,” Chloe said from across the room. “The nurse just popped her head in and said he left the floor.”
I gathered myself and walked out into the room.
“Crickey, that was too close.” I sat down in the nearest chair. “I told you he wouldn’t give up. He clearly knows I’m still in the hospital somewhere.”
“I agree with Imogen, that was seriously too close,” Sienna agreed. “Hurry up and change your clothes and I’ll go find a wig in the playroom.”
“No, you have to get the Ariel wig. Imogen will look really pretty with red hair,” Sophie cried out, then turned to Chloe. “She has to get away from a bad man, right mommy?”
“Yes, baby she does, and you were so brave when the officer came in the room.” Chloe hugged her to her side.
Five minutes later Sienna ran back in the room with the Ariel wig. I’d changed my outfit and was stuffing my hair under when Sienna’s cell went off. She gave the thumbs up that our escape had arrived. I ran over to give Chloe and Sophie a big hug. They had saved me, and I wasn’t even sure if I’d ever see them again.
“You are a very brave, smart and special little girl,” I told her with tears running down my face. “You get better, then ask Sienna how to find me.”
The nurse opened the door. “I checked the stairway and no one is in there right now,” she said, waving us out into the hall. “Another nurse that I told about this is going to distract the officer on the next floor so he doesn’t go to the stairs, but we have to hurry.”
“Be safe,” Chloe called out as we ran from the room.
Sienna took the lead as we ran down the stairs. One flight to go and six feet to get through step one. Sienna reached the door two steps ahead of me but froze when she peered out the small window.
“Stay here,” Sienna ordered, then dialed a number on her cell and exited to the outside.
I leaned against the back of the door with my ear, trying to hear what was happening. Sienna was putting on a show for sure. I could hear her faking an outrageous anger for her privacy.
“Daddy, you said no one would see me leaving and some officer is here bothering me,” Sienna cried into her cell. “He can’t see me like this. I want you to fire him.”
I could feel nervous laughter trying to bubble out of me.
If this works, she’ll need an award for her acting.
The officer stammered and stuttered, sounding rather concerned about his job when Sienna started throwing a temper tantrum.
“What is your name officer?” Sienna screeched at him. “Daddy, his name is Fred, I can see his badge. I want you to get him fired right now. You promised no one would see me.”
“Ma’am, it’s okay, I’m leaving right now,” the officer said. “I just stopped by to make sure you were safe. You have a good day.”
Crickey, it worked.
A light tap on the glass, then I heard Sienna tell me to hurry into the car. This was it. I pulled the door open and ran to the car, diving in like a swimming pool. Sienna jumped in behind me and the car sped away.
Oh.
My.
God.
We made it. He didn’t find me.
Then the car came to a quick halt. The driver opened the glass between the front and back.
“Miss, quickly pull the seat up and get in it,” the driver said. “The police are approaching the car in about thirty seconds.”
I would climb under the car if it meant I could escape Brice. There wasn’t much space and it was stuffy. Panic riddled through me when Sienna sat on the seat above me, and I felt it close in on me.
Just breathe. You can get out if you need to. Breathe in. Breathe out.
I heard a tap on the window, then I heard it go down. Sienna must have laid down across the seat because I felt the weight of her spread out.
“What do you want?” Sienna literally yelled. “Why are you looking at me. Daddy said no one would look at me like this.”
“Sorry to bother you, ma’am, but there is a criminal on the loose, and for everyone’s protection we’re checking every car leaving the premises. Can you step out of the car?”
Chapter 4
AUGUST
I’d slept, showered and eaten breakfast on the flight home. I hated the long flight, but it gave me an opportunity to get work done without interruptions.
Mom had called me in-flight within an hour of the latest scandal hitting the tabloids. I’d been a little concerned this time for Asher because she didn’t go off on a rant. All she did was demand his presence at a family meeting Friday night. Whenever Asher got in trouble, we all had to be involved, especially when it affected the family businesses and stocks around the world.
My driver John was there, coffee in hand. You had to appreciate an employee that knew what you wanted before you knew. I waved to my pilot and headed out to my office. My mind wandered back to the girl from the elevator and whether she got away.
What kind of a man beats up on a woman like that?
“Mr. Hawthorne, would you like me to bring your luggage home after I drop you at the office?” John asked, pulling up in front of my office building. “What time should I be back?”
“John, I need to go out to my parents tonight. Can you stay over?” I motioned for him to not get out of the car. “I can open my own door.”