Hide (Mommy's House 3)

1

"Please, I will do anything you want. Absolutely anything, give me my baby back. Please, please. Oh my God."

Tears blurred Bella's vision as she stared at the small television hanging in the corner. A mother was crying into her hands, while a father was wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her hair. His body racked with inaudible sobs.

An image of their smiling, young son appeared on television. Seven year old Ryan Clemens - four feet, two inches in height, about sixty-five pounds in weight. Brown, curly hair, brown eyes, dark skin. A number flashed below the photo, and a message urging anyone with knowledge of Ryan's whereabouts to contact the authorities appeared soon after.

Bella couldn't breathe. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she stood frozen in her place.

"Excuse me, miss, but I ordered my food about thirty minutes ago. Where is it?"

Bella slowly looked over at the man sitting on the stool in front of her. Tears were flying down her cheeks, but the man didn't seem to care. He leaned across the counter and ran a beefy hand through his thin, dark hair.

"Hello? I asked where my food was," he repeated.

"I don't have it," she whispered shakily, blinking until the tears were cleared from her eyes.

"Uh, I know you don't have it. I'm not stupid. Go get it," the man said through gritted teeth.

Bella continued to stare at him, for some reason, she couldn't move or say anything. He then leaned closer to her, so close that she could feel the heat of his cigarette-soaked breath. It reminded her of a time she didn't want to remember.

"It's not ready yet," she repeated quietly, an involuntary snivel taking her breath away.

That man was the only customer in the diner. The sound of the television replaying information about the three abducted children, the distant noise of pans and plates banging around in the kitchen, and the overweight man's heavy breathing, was all she could hear.

She hated the short blue dresses that the waitresses were required to wear. They were too short, and too low-cut. The men always tore her apart with their eyes, and it made her feel nauseous. But never did she have a man run his fingers down the front of her chest, before locking eyes with her, like the man in front of her had done.

"Well, I think you should go check again," he said before grinning, while Bella stared at the gap between his yellow teeth.

She stayed still in her spot as he continued to run his finger down the fabric of her dress. She wondered if he could feel how fast her heart was racing.

She looked over at her manager, the only other employee there at that moment aside from the chef. He was pretending to be oblivious, as he did every time something like this happened with any of the waitresses.

"Just a moment," Bella finally choked out, before she pulled away from the man and walked towards the kitchen.

"That's right, baby," she heard the man say from behind her.

The second she entered the kitchen, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God," she said to herself when she noticed the food sitting on the metal table, ready to be served. She didn't want to deal with that man anymore.

She grabbed the plates of food, a stack of pancakes with a side of sunny-side-up eggs and bacon. She piled the plates into her arms before pushing through the doors and walking out towards the counter.

As was walking over to him, she heard the television again.

"It has now been two weeks since these children were abducted. This abduction bears a few striking coincidences to the abduction back in eighty three, though we are not sure if there is any affiliation," one news reporter spoke.