04

#####04

He…just…left… Totally dumbfounded, I stand in between the door and the living room holding Danny as he fills the silence of the apartment with soft gulps and sucking noises as he polishes off his milk bottle.

Blinking a few times to get my body and mind working again, I silently move towards my handbag on the sofa, holding Danny with one hand, I dig into the bag with my other, fishing out my blackberry. Dialing Mr King’s number, I groan in frustration when it connects me to his voice mail which I don’t bother leaving him a message.

« Well, » I murmur to Danny as he turns his big grey eyes to me in curiosity. « Looks like it’s just you and me tonight. Your Daddy ran off to do some work. »

I could be a psychopath and yet without knowing anything about me, Mr Holt carelessly left his baby in my care. Thank goodness I love babies…

Carrying Danny into my bedroom, I lay him on his back as he holds his bottle on his own watching me as I grab my pyjamas, unbuttoning my office shirt, I pause briefly to look at my back in the closet’s mirror, looking at the long jagged white scars that paint my back in bizarre lines. Sighing, I shake my head roughly to rid myself of the surfacing memories, pulling on my oversized grey T-shirt.

« It looks bad doesn’t it, baby ? » I murmur to Danny as I carry him back into my arms, his grey eyes are wide and curious, dropping his bottle between us to grab my face. « Don’t worry, Those people who did it will never do it again, not to me nor anyone else. They promised. »

They promised…

Laying him beside me on the bed, I lie on my side to observe Danny as his eyes begin to droop, his little baby hands reach out to grasp the front of my shirt in one last burst of energy before he falls under the sleeping spell of milk. Laying my head on the pillow, I too let myself drift off…my body relaxing from the hard day’s work.

Finally…sleep…

Two hours…thirty minutes and forty seconds…

That’s how long I’ve slept in total.

Staggering into the kitchen, I pour myself a bowl of cereal and milk for breakfast as Danny sits on my hip, his little baby hands playing with my hair. Yawning stupendously, I make a mental note to call my roommate who didn’t come home last night.

Carrying my breakfast and Danny into the living room where I can not only rest but make both the call and distract Danny at the same time. Placing him next to me as we sit, I gently pass him some of the baby toys I have laying around, smiling when he focuses his attention on a toy phone.

Grabbing my own cell phone off the coffee table, I am about to speed dial her when it begins ringing on its own. Even as the screen flashes that the caller ID is unknown, my brain doesn’t register it before I accept the call.

« Hello ? » I croak groggily into the receiver, thinking that it’s my roommate on the other line. « Where on earth are you ? I can’t believe you went out partying all night again. »

« Good morning to you too Miss Summers, » The cold, deep voice of Mr Holt greets me, his tone is all business like making my blood chill. « To let you know, I have been at work all night long. »

Taking the phone off my ear alarmed, I blink a few times to see the caller ID and I feel my face heat up when it shows ‘Caller Unknown’. Closing my eyes for a second, I take a deep breath before I put the phone back to my ear.

« I…am…so sorry… » I gush hurriedly before he can say anything else, placing my hand on my forehead, I close my eyes in embarrassment. « I wasn’t implying…I mean…uh.. »

« That aside Miss Summers, » Mr Holt interrupts my stammering, a tone of impatience in his voice as he pretends I didn’t even apologise. « My driver will pick up both you and the child at eight o’clock from your apartment. Pack an overnight bag as I intend to have you begin a trial period for the job. »

The…job ? Maybe it’s the exhaustion clouding my brain or maybe it’s the distracting way Danny is poking the toy phone into my side but I can’t seem to process what he’s saying.

Clearing my throat, I wince slightly when Danny pushes the toy roughly into my side but I still manage to speak, « Sorry…I wasn’t following you…Can you repeat that please ? »

« My driver will pick you up at eight, » He sighs exasperatedly though he somehow manages to sound business-like even when he’s annoyed. « Pack an overnight bag. »

Before I can say anything further, however, he hangs up. Taking the phone away from my ear, I look at it disbelievingly this is also when I spot the time. Ten forty-five in the morning. I’m late. I’m late for my part-time job…Crabiolies…

Leaving my barely eaten breakfast on the coffee table, I grab Danny and haul both our butts to my bedroom, making him drop the toy phone in the process. Wailing for his toy, I randomly grab a pair of jeans from my closet and slide them on, rushing out of the room to grab the toy phone to quell Danny’s bawling, I manage to catch a small glimpse of Danny’s smile before I’m once again running out of the room to get my car keys, wallet and cell phone from my office handbag, piling them into the baby car seat.

Danny giggles as I run out of the apartment, hurriedly locking it behind me as I jog out onto the sidewalk where my old run down junkyard scrap car that I had spent my final year of high school repairing awaits us. Strapping Danny into the car seat, I quickly start the engine which purs to life.

You were always the mechanic princess…

Shaking my head to rid the comment out of my mind, I roll the car out into the street, ignoring the nagging memory of my childhood. Why is it only coming back to me now ? Maybe the exhaustion is taking its toll on me.

Parking by the kerb outside a Diner called Dino’s, I run out of my car with Danny in the car seat in tow, Mr Wells, the owner of the diner, smiles at me dotingly as I rush past him, tying my apron around my waist, I place Danny in the employee children corner, he giggles as I rush around, grabbing my order pad and my tray, taking orders and ushering people to their seats.

« Take it easy Janette, » Mr Wells calls out to me as he gently takes some orders out to the tables for me. « I’m pretty sure that baby kept you up all night. »

Smiling in response, I don’t slack off instead I put in more effort to make up for my tardiness this morning since it’s only fair.

Weird job for someone who can’t even look a stranger in the eye right ? Well, in actuality my roommate was the one to introduce me to this job. We came to this diner a lot during university with the prices being so cheap and all, so she found it only fitting that we worked here to earn some extra income and of course she quit right after we graduated and as expected I couldn’t bring myself to quit so now I work weekends.

Running in and out of the kitchen, I almost trip over nothing when I see him walk into the diner. Smiling to myself, I wipe my hands on my apron before going towards him, wrapping my arms around his neck and he chuckles softly at me.

It’s been so long since I last saw him…he should come and visit me more often.

As things begin to slow down, the morning bleeds into the evening and before I know it ; its closing time and Danny who’s either been playing with the other employee’s kids or taking a nap with his new found friends, didn’t make as much as a fuss he did last night.

Gently placing the now sleeping baby into the car seat, I smile softly as I pocket the week’s cheque. Driving us back to the apartment, I feel more than ready to just lay down for a moments rest having had only two hours and thirty minutes of sleep the night before and working my butt off at a Diner for a solid ten hours and fifteen minutes.

For a solid ten seconds, I get that needed rest but then…

The doorbell rings.

Groaning softly, I haul myself off the couch and like any other normal working, busy young person in Seattle I open the door straight without even looking through the peephole to check who it is, so the shock that I received when I come face to chest with a freakishly tall, muscular man with midnight black hair, a black suit and leather gloves standing on the threshold, you can imagine my shock.

« Miss Summers ? » He asks, his voice is deep and professional as he takes in my appearance, probably judging me by my tangled hair, baggy shirt and jeans. « Miss Janette Summers ? »

« That’s me, » I mumble, avoiding eye contact. « Can I help you ? »

« Mr Holt sent me to pick you and Danny to his residence, » he answers, coming into the apartment and looking around for something « May I carry your overnight bag, Ma’am. »

Mentally and physically exhausted, I don’t follow what he’s saying, my mind only processing the fact that he said he’s here for Danny and I on Mr Holt’s orders, groggily picking a very worn out and napping Danny out of the living room cot, I lay his head on my shoulder and follow the man who carries the baby car seat out to the sidewalk downstairs where a sleek, black Audi Q8.

The car in itself is enough for the warning bells in my head to go off. It’s okay…it’s just a car…there’s nothing to it…it’s not like he’s going to kill me if I get in…right ?

« Miss Summers, » the man opens the door for me, placing the car seat on the seat, his soft brown eyes look down on me in amusement. Swallowing a lump in my throat, I quickly strap Danny into the car seat before hopping into the car myself.

Starting up the engine, the drive is beyond silent, in fact, it’s quieter than a funeral, in all honesty, this is probably because of me since I don’t know what to say or talk about to the guy, it doesn’t help that I am exhausted and the seep silence is lulling me to sleep.

Mentally praying that he isn’t a serial killer, I end up resting my head against the window, half looking out the window to see my new surroundings and half trying to fight the pressure to sleep. My heart rate increases when we pass by my office building making me wonder how close his apartment is to my office, soon enough however I get my answer when we turn at the corner of 4th and Virginia and into the private car park of The Scala, an anchor of Downtown Seattle’s retail core which is a beautiful 31-story building equipt with a high tech round the clock security surveillance and cold hard steel making it one of Seattle’s most exclusive addresses.

No surprise there…being the CEO of Haven and Holts…it’s only right that he lives here.

Parking on the fifth floor in the underground parking garage where a whole fleet of Audis is parked side by side all either in black, white or grey. I pale significantly as I think of the fortune, which is definitely more than I make in a year, it must have cost to buy these many foreign cars.

Don’t be silly Janette, all this can’t possibly be owned by only one person…it has to be multiple peoples’ cars…right ? Moving on autopilot, I carry Danny in my arms following the silent man as he leads us to an elevator where he punches in a string of numbers into a small keypad that calls the elevator.

« Press for the thirtieth level, » he instructs when the elevator arrives, wedging his hand against the open elevator doors for me. « Mr Holt is waiting for you upstairs. »

Nervously walking past him to go into the open elevator, I quickly press for the thirtieth floor, letting the doors close, I feel the elevator rising quickly and soundlessly, the less than supposedly soothing elevator music, my shaky breath and Danny’s light breathing being the only things I clearly hear. The heavy doors slide open and I find myself walking out into a lavish marble floor foyer.

Keeping my footsteps as light and soft as humanly possible while carrying a baby I curiously walk down the foyer, coming to a living room where I see Mr Holt dressed in a pair of black jeans and a tight fit black t-shirt that stretches over his chest, showing off his god-carved muscles, reading some work documents.

I stand there awkwardly, looking at him, Danny still sleeping on my shoulder. I have no idea what to do…

« Don’t just stand there, » Mr Holt’s deep voice rings out suddenly causing me to up a little, his eyes not leaving his papers he vaguely gestures for me to sit opposite him on the foot couch. « Sit. I’ll be with you momentarily. »